Merry Christmas

Mortgage paying job was hell last week. Everyone waiting until the last minute to make changes to projects being installed at the very last minute. Glad it's over. All of my meetings are cancelled until the first week of the new year. Why? Well everyone but me is on vacation.

I was invited by my manager to a "let's celebrate our 2004 successes" lunch yesterday. Well, there was no money in the budget for a "holiday party" so she had to call it something. So it was 3 of us at the table over at Kincaid's . The other gal talked for 1 1/2 hours about her stepson and how awful he is. Everytime Manager or I would change the subject she always managed to get back to her horrible stepson. Food was good. I had Roasted Chicken Breast Dijon (chicken rolled in bread crumbs and baked, mashed potatoes and spinach).


Last Saturday at Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn was super busy. Lots of men shopping for their wives, girlfriends, mothers. Lots of gift certificates will be under the tree this year. I'm working the 27th and 28th and expect to see those certificates again.

Let's see what am I knitting? I pulled several Fiber Trends felted hat patterns (Diva,Felt and Fancy, Personal Touch and Bright Chapeau) and yarns to knit samples for the store.

I was able to knit Felt and Fancy on Sunday. I used 1 skein of Cascade 220 for the adult size (had a few yards left over). It's knit in the "white" and I'll knit the lace scarf with Lorna's Laces sock yarn or maybe just grab a novelty scarf from the scarf rack hmmmmm.

I didn't pay attention to the yarn used for the Bright Chapeau, just looked at the yardage. It's knit in a sport weight wool. I'm going to try it in worsted and make a the medium size and see how big it'll be. I'll also go up to a size US 10.5 or 11 needle from the US 8 it lists.

For myself, I knitting the moebus that is in the current Spin Off . I'm using Jo Sharp wool. Working up really nice.

I did finish the Jo Sharp Silk Road DK Tweed shawl for Coco. Turned out really well. Very soft and floaty. It's on it's way to her.

And my KR Gift Fairy (Lizzi) gift was sent and received.

What was I thinking? a caplet for me in Harrisonville wool. Dark grey. is soooo wrong. It's been frogged and sits in comfortable balls.

No change to the status of the plaid purse from Purseonalities. yes yes the one that I was working on Halloween night and haven't picked up since.

So that's about it. I'll leave you with the following:

The Knitters' TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.

The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
but I had not finished the caps for their heads.

Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.

Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.

Out on my lawn, I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both dad and the boys.

And though I was tired,my brain was a bit thick,
I knew in a moment,it must be Saint Nick.

But what I heard then left me perplexed-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I had expected

"move,Ashford; move,Lopi; move,Addie and Clover
Move,Reynolds; move,Starmore; move, Fraylic--move over"

"Paton, don't circle round; stand in line.
Come now, you sheep wool work just fine!

I know this is hard semi, it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight woolly sheep on my lawn all a'grazing.

And then,in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.

I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned round, Saint Nick, I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were handknit from above to below.

A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
and his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.

His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.

The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable,
And suddenly on one I spied a small label.

SC was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
and I asked "Hey Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"

He proudly replied "Ho-ho-ho, yes I did,
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."

He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself for I'd thought up a plan,.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew he was tied to a chair.

He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.

He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two;
For the first time I thought I'd really get through.

He put heels on the stockings and toes in some socks
While I sat back drinking Scotch on the rocks!!

So quickly like magic, his needles they flew,
That he was all finished by quarter to two.

He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.

And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June.

Author Unknown


I found it on this site: http://missusem.blogspot.com/2004/12/knitters-twas-night-before-christmas.html

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Gift Are You?

Get Your Own Christmas BlogCard Here!

Your Christmas is Most Like: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

You can't really get into the Christmas spirit... But it usually gets to you by the end of the holiday.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Many knitters will say that Elizabeth Zimmerman or Barbara Walker or Lily Chin or some other "insertfamousnamehere" knitter opened up the world of knitting to them.

For me it was Carroll Overby....on Thursday, September 7th, 2001, at 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., 4 weeks "Learn to Knit" class at the Knitting Corner.....4 of us began the class but ValM and I completed. Both ValM and I had taught ourselves to knit and Carroll didn't tell us we were doing a thing wrong. She gently lead us to different cast-ons and bind-off's, fixing mistakes without starting over, and cables. ValM and I went on to become knitting instructors and lovers of the craft.

Carroll Overby died last night after a long long battle with cancer. I miss her.

Knitting and life

It's been a while.

Knitting:

my shawl pattern for Coco in Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed. It's the lighter blue color that was on sale at elann. It's wonderful to work with. Glad I stocked up on more colors!

a surprise for my KR secret pal.

a caplet for me in Harrisonville (is that the right name) wool. Dark grey.

that damn ruffled shawl in Lorna Laces sock wt...major-ly wrong thing to do. It's going to be frogged and knit into something else.

the plaid purse from Purseonalities. yes yes the one that I was working on Halloween night and haven't picked up since.

In other news

When will I learn to turn off the local NBC news? All through The Apprentice and ER I see film of a purse snatching ... over and over they tell us "watch the full video at 11:00 to see if you recognize the bad guy". So I wait and watch. And I don't recognize the bad guy. Why you may ask...because the purse snatching happened in Utah and I'm in Virginia! Okay, so maybe it wasn't Utah, but it was a state very far from Virginia. So no more WavyTV10 news for me. It'll be me and Jon from now on.

Less than 200 things

200 Things
The ones I've done are in bold, my comments follow as some I feel I must explain.... Courtesy of Diary of a Suburban Housewife:

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (Old Rag in Va)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (no, but I've ridden in one)
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula. (and my breath at the same time)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone (no candles, fire hazard you know)
08. Said "I love you" and meant it (yep!)
09. Hugged a tree (We were playing a game Hide and Seek? and my brother was trying to drag me back to home base,my hands and arms were a mess of scratches)
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game (96 Olympics, several major league baseball games)
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten my own vegetables (tomatoes and cucumbers and mint and dill and rosemary)
19. Touched an iceberg (only lettuce and cubes)
20. Slept under the stars (hated camping)
21. Changed a baby's diaper (yes and icky)
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower (every August)
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (at my fathers wake)
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (shhhh!)
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb (2, named Lucy and Ethel)
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse (I remember I was young and my father setup a contraption so we could see the effects through a box onto a sheet)
41. Rode on a roller coaster (and then threw up)
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days (I can tell you about some work projects...and then the trip to France and all we did in a short time)
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking(Whitehouse Cafe..lol)
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (sure)
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced (See above and Whitehouse Cafe)
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (sure sometimes)
53. Had amazing friends (Yep! I see you Coco)
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Italian - Communications Officer on a Carnival Cruise Line when we went ashore)
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them (Lori's Diner San Francisco)
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records (no comments!)
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater (We went lots as kids..I remember Paint Your Wagon and the Elvis movie with Mary Tyler Moore as a nun)
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it.
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party (Okay, so it was for jewelry, it still counts)
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest (7th grade, a Dutch girl)
100. Rode a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage (High school play)
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship (three)
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ...more than once? - More than thrice?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (Across and back)
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Rode on a motorcycle (Does a moped count?)
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (My father had a rifle and made sure we each knew how to load and fire it, I hated it)
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Rode a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad (actually just part for school)
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read (Jane Austin)
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch (knitting, crochet, embroidery)
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (France)
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (and sometimes I'm not sure I like it)
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you (see below)
195. Had a booth at a street fair (well it was inside, but I did have a booth)
196: Dyed your hair (streaked it myself...turned red)
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via Blogger
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested

Nothing clever

No words of wisdom today. It's back to the same routine. Wake up, walk, shower, eat, go to work, work, drive home, walk, eat, knit, go to sleep.

Last Saturday was a busy with a capital B day at Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn! One of our customers brought in pictures of sunsets. She wants to knit a sweater using the colors and having the colors blend in the same manner. Can't wait to see the finished project.

I started playing around with some Lorna's Lace sock yarn. My head is seeing a triangle shawl with a ruffle around the edges. I'm using the cast on 3 stitches and increase at each end pattern. I've finished one skein. I think I'll block to see the size.

I've also started another "to fringe or not to fringe"s shawl. This one in what I thought was red/black but once knitted the color is really shades of red into dark dark purple. What's fun is that I've put it against black, navy, red, and purple turtleneck shirts and it picks up the color of the shirt!

We had our last ?Knitting on the Edge? class for this year. We fringed. This Saturday is Felting. I may have 9 students. Felting is will continue every other Saturday.

I'm still spinning. And to make sure I don't run out of roving I ordered Fiber Sampler Pack No 1 from Spirit Trail Fiberworks.

Amazing Race is back for another season. I would try out but I would loose the first race. I'd have to stop at all the souvenir shops at the airports. But just in case we ever are chosen Coco and I will be Shopping Fanatic's. So look for us.

The Real World

I took a few days off to attend Knitters Review Retreat in Syria, Va. It was for a me a time to reflect and make decisions about my life/career/home.

Since so many other bloggers have written about the Retreat, I'll just add a few "important to me" remarks:

Three years ago at the first Retreat, I purchased a spindle and roving...it was set up for me to be a bottom whorl spindle..I just didn't get it. There was no spinning to be had. BUT I wanted to learn. So seeing Bess at the wheel of spindles I asked advice and walked away with a beautiful small, top whorl spindle and a "how to" book. As the sun was setting I sat down on the porch with Bess and in minutes I was spinning. I felt the the pinch between my fingers when the fibers twisted to begin their journey to become yarn. A little "twing" that said "I'm done". I understood the spindle and it does sing to me. When I got home Sunday night I pulled out the first spindle...it's a top whorl! and it sings too.

Dyeing with Jen on Friday morning produced a bright red and yellow skein of wool. It hasn't told me what it wants to be yet.

Annie's chart reading class was fun. She sprinkled her lesson with remarks that hit home for me. Thanks Annie.

And D, thanks for being my roommate and listening to me rattle on about stuff.

It was a good weekend that I was able to stretch out for a few days longer. Thanks ladies.

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

Nov 2

If your last name began with any letter from N - Z this morning and you were in line at the Greenbrier Library to vote you didn't have a wait. In fact, the poll ladies were pulling people out of their cars to get in the N-S and T-Z lines. So does that mean that there are more people in my district with last names beginning with A - R or does it mean that N - Z people sleep in past 8:00a.m.?

It was a fun night at the Guild meeting last night. 13th Anniversary celebration complete with cake and ballons. And 13 door prizes...see what I won.....

We were some kinda busy at Ewe Knit Kits Saturday. M asked me at Guild meeting last night did I get tired of sitting and knitting when I worked...hahahahahaha....the only time I bring in my knitting bag now is when I teach a class. I've also learned to bring something that can be eaten on the go. Like liquid yogurt and crackers. And I understand Monday and today are just as busy. Holiday gift making crunch time is here. Yarn for novelty scarves is still the big seller with poncho's a close second.

The Plaid Purse is almost done. Lots of finishing is required. It's a bit fiddley for me to want to think about making another one right now.

Weekend

As Kim stated in the comments...the book is Knitting Made Easy by Best Recipes and the shawl is Watercolor Wrap. Thanks Kim!

My laptop died on Tuesday. Needed a new hard drive. Mike the PC dude had it for 2 1/2 days. He was able to find all but 4 of my files. YOU ROCK MIKE! Do you know how much I rely on my laptop? A LOT! The entire bank communicates via email now. No more calling to invite you to a meeting. Nope. You use meeting planner on the Outlook calendar and send the invite that way. I missed 3 meetings. Oh well.

I've been working on a purse from Pursenalities: 20 Great Knitted and Felted Bags by Eva Weichmann. Can't remember the name, but it's the green/black plaid. Good instructions. Easy to follow. The purse is done but I still need sew up the bottom, knit the i-cord handles and work on the weaving. Then it's felting time!

Not sure what to start next. I have yarn for 4 more To Fringe or Not to Fringe Shawls..I need a shorter name for that pattern. I should start the red/black merino.

And Bobbie is ordering Cascade 220 in a tan with speckles of browns and black for a sweater. I have the Neck Down Pullover for Women #9724 and the Neck Down Pullover Tunic #9726 patterns. Not sure which one I'll do. I ordered enough yarn to make either one.

Well I'll just let my fingers tell me what to begin. Hmm, there's the Watercolor wrap too...

A nice surprise

I had a nice surprise waiting for me at Ewe Knits on Saturday. A student sent me an update on her shawl and a gift. "I" came from Northern Virginia area to take one of my To Fringe or Not To Fringe classes a few months ago and wrote to tell me she was making progress and included a small booklet/magazine of knitting patterns with a shawl pattern pointed out that I might be interested in. She was right!

Now of course I don't have the magazine with me and can't remember the name. I've never seen it or noticed on the net where anyone has spoken about it. And there are some nice patterns besides the shawl....I'll update tomorrow.

But the shawl is knit in Lorna's Lace Helen's Lace weight yarn, with Old Shale trim...hmm, maybe that's the name. Anyway, I've added it to my list of things to knit. I have some black merino lace wt that would be perfect.

As for knitting...I'm 1/2 way through the second cuff on the shrug, should be done tonight. It's a nice pattern. We sold a few on Saturday with customers seeing my 7/8's finished one.

I picked up the new Vogue Holiday issue...the "felted" shawl ..have you seen it. It doesn't look felted in the picture. The changes in the before and after felting measurements are minimal. I haven't used the yarn. I'm wondering if the yarn is a slow felter and you're suppose to just get a more firm fabric vs. a truly felted shawl/stole.

On an unhappy note...heard this morning that more reduction in force layoff's happened last Friday....I know most of the people. Most have been around for 15+ years. One guy was layed off 6 months ago, found a position and now another notice. (it's not for performance, it's becasue of down sizing) Sigh.

the Great Pumpkin

So I was grocery shopping the other night at Harris Teeter, thought "I'll get a pumpkin here for $3.99 instead of fighting the masses at the pumpkin place". Looked through those I could reach in the big crate, found one that I thought looked pretty good. Not perfect. I don't trust perfect pumpkins. This one has a spot on it's back where it layed/laid/layne in the soil, has a few blemishes on it's front too. It has character.

A while later as my pumpkin and I were happily shopping through the aisles looking for tuna fish, a woman, a total stranger says...and I quote..."You shouldn't buy that pumpkin, it's ugly. There must be better looking ones."

I may have looked around to see who she was speaking to, but I don't remember, shock and all you know. I did reply that I thought it was fine and tried to walk away. She added (no quotes here because I don't remember exactly) 'But you won't be able to carve it.'

Aside: carved pumpkins, aka Jack o'lanterns, scare me! Big mouths with snarly teeth. Triangle eyes and noses...and then light them from the inside so they glow...nope. Don't want it. Don't want to see it. In grade school we had to make our trick or treat bags and we had to paste orange and black triangles on paper bags in the form of a Jack o'lantern. I would always trade once I got home to a plain paper bag. Now, pumpkins carved to look like a flying witch, or a person of noteworthiness, like Martha Stewart or Mel Gibson, I'm okay with, just not Jack o'lanterns.

Now back to the woman in HT...I was able to screw up my face and say "I don't carve pumpkins" and walk away...but what I wanted to say was "What possessed you to make a comment like that to a total stranger?" and "Every pumpkin deserves a home!"

I've been thinking about it..I'm sure she thought she was being helpful pointing out the flaws on the pumpkin. And is that what we do in society now..toss away a person because they don't meet our idea of perfection? Is that why there are so many advertisments on tv and radio and newspapers for plastic surgery, and don't get me started on the reality shows.

Pumpkin has a home in the front garden next to the single petunia out of 5 that lived through the summer.

Knitting news: the shrug is a good 3/4 done. I worked on it last night at the Homeowners meeting while sitting as far away as possible from the table of snacks brought by one of my neighbors...cookies with Jack o'lantern faces.

A Mall Rant

Last year or was it the year before, I told myself that I would never shop at Hecht's again. I broke my promise to myself and went in this past Sunday. It was a HUGE mistake. I do like the "house brand" turtleneck shirts (cotton with spandex in the cuffs and neck) and I needed a few new ones for this winter. Plus there was a 15% coupon in the paper. So I chose my shirts (red, black, blue, pink) and hunted for a dressing room or a salesperson to point me to a dressing room. Finally after wandering into the mens' department I saw one across the store. So I waited for one to become free, tried on my shirts (all fit) and went to the check out line. 8 customers in front of me. I really wasn't paying much attention to the conversation between the cashier and the customers but when it came to the woman in front of me my ears perked up at her "I hate this store and will never come back" remark right before she threw little pieces of paper on the floor. So it was my turn and after saying twice that I was paying with my Visa and not their credit card, asking the salesperson to please FOLD the shirts and not wad them up I was told that the coupon could not be honored. WHAT! It says on ALL WOMENS CLOTHING EVEN THOSE ALREADY MARKED DOWN in really big print... but when you get to the store the yellow signs that had blocked my sighting of a dressing room said in little tiny print that items on this rack were excluded from the sale. I asked the salesperson what I could purchase and use the coupon and she pointed to the women's suits that started at $300 and gave me a sheepish smile. Now I know it's not her fault...I purchased my shirts and left...but last year or was it the year before I wanted to pay CASH and the sales person REFUSED. There are or were only certain registers you could use a credit card. WHERE IS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE????? No one on the floor to help you find items, check outs few and far between, clothes piled up on the floors, boxes stacked in aisles....so I'm writing this to remind myself that I WILL NEVER SHOP AT HECHTS AGAIN AND IF I HAVE TO FOR SOME REASON THAN I WILL EXPECT TO BE TREATED BADLY.

Now on to Hallmark ...which isn't as bad but does concern customer service. The 2 saleswomen were chatting and ignoring me (I won't speak for other customers in the store) so I walked over (3 steps) to ask if one of them could help me locate an ornament on display...they continued to chat ignoring me...so I said either one of them could help me or I was going to pull all of the ornament boxes on the floor until I found the one that I wanted...that got their attention. One of the gals went to the back for about 15 seconds, came back and said they were out of stock and went back to chatting. I know the owner of the store. I called her this morning.

My next attempted purchase was at a "record store", Frye's I think it's called. Well since I had a package I couldn't go in! Couldn't even check the package. No Chrismas cd sales from me.

I made a run through WaldenBooks but the static from the piped in music combined with the cashier's cell phone chatter was to much. I went in one door and out the other.

The cashier at the last store I stopped in (can't remember the name but it's one of those fake Pier 1 stores) was at least $1 short when he counted his drawer last night. I purchased a yellow ribbon magnet, it was $2.80something. He gave me change and 3 $1 bills. I tried to give him one of the bills back but he said it was the right change. I did explain that my change should only be $2+change but he said the register told him $3. Who am I to argue with a machine?

At that point I'd had enough of the Mall...I headed to my favorite strip mall...I just wish I knew the name...

A stop at the "stand alone owned by Hallmark"
store found sales people handing me a basket as I walked in the door, pointing out the "new this week" items and a sample of coffee. I found the ornament, a few cards, a candle and a treat for a friend.

Next stop at my favorite strip mall was Target, where I picked up a treat for Bailey, checked out the Christmas cd's, and contemplated a Halloween decoration for the yard.

Just down the way I found the perfect pillow for my knitting chair at Pier 1, new panties at SteinMart
at a good price, and priced dog bed/pillows at PetSmart.

I was then in the mood for chicken and broccoli so off to China Chef my favorite Chinese takeout that changes hands every few months but the food is always the same, and a quick run into Spooling Around which is coincidentally 2 doors down, while my food was cooked...but didn't buy anything.

So this post is to remind myself to stop wasting time at Greenbrier Mall!

Oh, knitting content: still working on the shrug, should be about 1/2 completed.

Great Aunty Wallis

Congratulations to my niece Becky (the mother) & Jon (the father)...my great niece was delivered yesterday.

Here are the statistics as reported by my mother (the great grandmother) who said she wrote as fast as she could while talking to my brother(the grandfather).

Date: Oct 5th
Time: 4:30 pm
Weight: 9 or 8 pounds (9.5)
Length: 29 inches (21 inches)
Head: 9 inches
Name: either Meredith or Charlotte Anne
Hair: long and dark yep and right now steele blue eyes but I imagine they'll turn brown
I'll update when I have accurate information.

A simple rule to remember

No matter how simple the lace pattern is....see yesterday's posting....don't knit lace while watching the VP debates. Even a lifeline won't save you.

Another day another all day meeting

Time off was okay. Got things done. But was called to attend meetings...27.5 hours worth. Blah.

Did get a lot of knitting done though. Made swatches for my class (more on that later). Finished the Hitchcock shawl. Bought and knit a shawl from Crystal Palace "Beatrice" in the pastel colorway. Think Monet garden colors. I think it's going to be my favorite cold weather shawl.

Felted the Sheeps Tote....my laptop fits in with room to spare. It felted to the size I wanted.

I also felted my "if I need to teach felting at KnittaPalooza" project. I'll fine tune the pattern and make it again. BUT, I have several requests for the pattern as it stands. (insert smilie here)

And my coat was washed.

And the garden weeded.

And the Financial Planner said I wouldn't be a bag lady in 2 years...so guess I can stop buying totes.

Did get by or should I say buy the new LYS The Yarn Basket in Va Beach. No website yet. They carry pretty much what Ewe Knit carries with the addition of some Lopi. I picked up a few skeins of wool ... no plans for it yet though.

I had 7 students at the first Knitting Around the Edge class. We knit cables without a cable needle and scalloped edges on ribbing. They all said they enjoyed the class and will come back for more....YIPPEE!

This Saturday is felting class. I understand that I have 6 students. Winter is here.

I picked up a Falling Waters Shrug pattern from Maggie's Rags on Saturday to make a sample for Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn. I'm using Lorna's Laces sock weight in Forest colorway. The pattern calls for lace weight yarn...so I went up a size in needles. It's an easy pattern and if you want a beginner lace pattern this is it.

Okay, back to really listening to my all day meeting.....

Jeanne warnings

AccuWeather reported this morning on 2WD that it more than likely and highly probable that Jeanne will turn and head for the east coast and land somewhere along North Carolina and that Hampton Roads will be hit. Plan on Sunday into Monday. Well, I guess there goes my plans of preparing the back garden for winter early next week. But maybe Jeanne will blow off all the leaves and I won't have to rake this fall!

I'm making my vacation to do list:
see Financial planner
wash winter walking the dog coat
work in the garden
go to the movies
check out the LYS

(hmm, wonder how the bullets and numbers work on blogger? it will only number/bullet the first paragraph)


On the knitting front...I grabbed a skein of Rowan Calmer from the bin the other week and started a sample for Ewe Knit Kits. Finished it last night. Shows up the stitches well and blocked nicely. I'm not a cotton fan, but this has a nice give.

By the way, if you're in the area Ewe Knit Kits has all yarns with a cotton content on sale...15% off at the register. Sale will last about a week.

I bought Jamieson's Simply Shetland last week. Now I'm looking for the Jamieson's yarn. DK weight. I fell in love with Sweet Violet the little sweater/jacket in the front of the book at TNNA. The one with the ruffles on the butt....I'll leave off the ruffles. I think a greeny color would be nice. Or maybe since it's called Sweet Violet I should just stick with that color.

I've added a counter..don't know why.

Ever wonder

...how everyone knew which one and when to hold up signs at the Democratic National Convention? Mighty Girl explains it all.

It's Wednesday

Tuesday is over. It was a frustrating day at mortgage-paying-job. I am looking forward to Sept 27 when I begin a 1 week stay at home and get things done vacation. I've made an appt with my Finance Gal. I'm hoping she'll tell me that with the money in my 401K I can retire in January and live happily ever after. I doubt it though.

Got a call from Dr. P's office that my glasses that will render me capable of seeing what's on my laptop screen without squinting or pushing it so far across my desk that I can't reach it to type were ready. So ran by..no that's not the right words..sat in tunnel traffic for 30 min and then through Portsmouth traffic out to his office in Western Branch...put the cute purple glasses on and couldn't see a thing. The eyeglasses adjuster lady says..I haven't adjusted them..silly me, I didn't know bending the ear piece thingy would make me be able to see clearer. Nope, no change. So after a few minutes of closing one eye and then the other she figures out that instead of making the left lens (which I really don't need much correction in for reading thank you very much!) was made with a - vs. a + so yes I was right, I couldn't see out of them. So, I get to do the same thing next week. I have GOT to find a closer eye person.

But I did get a good hair cut on Monday! Picture Diane Sawyer's short cut but with dark hair.

On the knitting front...the baby blanket and hat are off to my neice. She sent me a picture of her belly yesterday. She's huge. They now think she'll deliver the first week in Oct vs. later in the month.

Saturday I was minding my own business, counting needles for inventory, and the regular group of knitters (they have no official name) that meet at Ewe Knit Kits several times a week asked me if I would teach them some patterns from Nicky Epsteins Knitting on the Edge. I said sure, but you'll have to buy the book. Most of them already owned it. So beginning Oct 3rd, every other Saturday morning will be dedicated to a chapter from the book. Week 1 is RIBS. I've got a few swatches knitted up already. It's been an interesting process. Going through the book and selecting the patterns. Here's the class info:

Class title: Knitting on the Edge
Using the book “Knitting on the Edge” by Nicky Epstein, we will explore each chapter, knitting swatches for selected patterns and discussing how we can apply them to our knitting.
Instructor: me
Length: 2 hours
Time: 10:30 – 12:30
Day: Saturday morning
Dates and class title:
Oct 2 - ribs
Oct 16 - ruffles
Oct 30 - lace
Nov 13 - fringes
tbd - flora
tbd - points & picots

Cost: $ 20 for an individual class, $100 for the series of 6 classes
Class materials:
· Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein
· several colors of worsted weight or dk weight yarn for swatches
· appropriate knitting needles for yarn chosen
· the usual knitting notions (scissors, crochet hook, tape measure, markers, cable stitch holder, etc.)
Number of students per class: 6-8

The tbd dates...we'll have to figure those out once classes get started. Near the holidays and all you know. If you're interested give us a call and we'll sign you up.

Look ma, no cavities!

Great 6 month checkup at Dr. Wiggins.

And Dr. Pollock is making me a pair of glasses so that I can see the monitor of my laptop with plum colored frames.

School has started which means my morning summer commute of 20 min door to door is now closer to 45 (today an hour). Afternoon it averages 30 min. 1 way it's 14 miles.

Still no word on the position at mortgage paying job....

Knitting is slow...finished both of the felted bags but still need to seam the larger one...sewing on th pockets. Just haven't felt like it.

Besides I brought home some yarn to make store samples so I played with them this past weekend while the weather couldn't make up it's mind if it wanted to rain or not. I'm not sure when we we'll have a dry day. I don't want to get my hopes up.

B has been scratching the last few weeks. I've done the whole flea/tick check including baths. Took him to the vet the other night. Of course first thing the vet says "fleas" but I had to disagree. I know what the flea signs are and he doesn't have them. So after consultation with the other vets they think it might be an alergy to flea bites. Which had me wrinkling my forehead with questions. Basicly, he's bitten by a flea, the flea leaves, but the poison remains and makes him itch. Okay, I can buy that. So it was a 3 month supply of preventive stuff. And a blood test to rule out other stuff. So telling TP about the events of the visit to the vet, she laughs and says her older dog went through the same thing and after 6 months they find food alergy to.... CHICKEN!!!! Now this is bad news because B eats ALOT of chicken. Since he was 12 weeks old his dry food is chicken and rice, his soft and hard treats are made with chicken, his rawhide is chicken, he gets my left over chicken...this could be really bad. He's a picky eater. But I'm going to keep to the hope that it is fleas or something else.

You are Schroeder!


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Completely forgot

A week or so ago I told you about The Purled Llama organic cotton I purchased. The owner and dyer is LOCAL! And Bobbie purchased a boatload of her yarns (wool, Egyptian cotton, organic cotton). And when a customer asked if we had anymore of the Boucle because she wanted to knit a poncho and we didn't have enough of the color she wanted Bobbie called The Purled Llama and it will be dyed and delivered on Wednesday...that's tomorrow! Did I mention she was local.

A typical Saturday?

During the Saturday morning Felting class at Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn", one of the students mentioned she was looking for a place to purchase beads. Another student raved about the shop off of I664, at the last exit before the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel(from the Suffolk side). A nice selection of beads and the staff was very helpful and friendly. Later that same day, I was crawling around the floor putting up the new Fall yarns when I heard a voice say “don’t I know you?”. I looked up to see a gal from my past. She and I use to travel each morning on the Portsmouth/Norfolk Ferry to our mortgage paying job at the same big bank. She was looking for yarn to make the Crayon Jacket. K was helping her. They chose beautiful fall colors (rusts, golds, browns). So anyway, as I was helping K wind her yarn I asked what she was up to. Seems she moved into a new old house, spent a while fixing it up and then …have you guessed?….opened a bead shop this side of the MMMBT!!!! No website yet, but you can find her this side of the MMMBT.

Speaking of Saturday, after a day of putting yarn on shelves, moving yarn from one shelf to another, opening big boxes of yarn, I’m not a pretty sight. Fiber covered wrinkled clothes, sweaty hair, an aching back and knees. And that’s what I looked like Saturday night as I walked across the parking lot at 6:00ish lugging a big box filled with smaller boxes and assorted plastic bags when a car pulls up. Nice looking man asks me about store hours and the fact that his wife (who I assume was the woman sitting next to him in the passenger seat) has yarn all over the house…which I tell him is NORMAL! So he thanks me and I continue my walk across the parking lot. I toss the boxes in the dumpster and I turn and there they are again…hmmm, how fast will my tired feet move?…if I scream will anyone hear me?…wonder if they have food in the car, I got to busy to eat lunch?….but then I hear my name mentioned and lo and behold it’s Kim all the way from Hampton which, to tie in the first story, is on the other side of the MMMBT.

And perhaps a possible MMMBT tie-in...It's been confirmed. Beth Brown-Reinsel will be teaching class(s) at KnittaPalooza II. And if she drives from Maryland, she might decide to take the MMMBT!

Come out come out where ever you are

I can't find my jar of peanut butter. I had it Monday morning. I used it to make peanut butter and wheat bread toast. It was only the second time I used it. I remember seeing the still smooth surface. I reached for it on Tuesday morning and it wasn't there. Just an empty space where the jar has sat for the past 11 years and almost 2 months. Not the same jar, but the same brand...JIF smooth. I looked in the fridge, the glasses cabinet, the plate cabinet, the freezer, on all the shelves of the pantry, again in the cabinets, the trash can...no where. Last night I walked around the house thinking maybe I carried it into the bedroom....nope. I even asked Bailey but he just gave me a look that said to please buy a new jar before it's heart worm preventive pill time because that's the only thing that will get him through the agony of swallowing the little bitty pill. If you see my jar of peanut butter, please let me know.

Lock-in at Spooling Around was fun. I was able to finish and pin together the FiberTrends "big red tote". Now to actually seam it.

And I've begun a rounded felting tote that has been floating around in my brain for a while.

Saturday I had the pleasure of helping a woman look at some yarn choices for a scarf. Her husband was with her and patiently sat at the table while she shopped. She told me she didn't see a hat pattern she liked and could I make some suggestions. So I asked her if she used the internet. She called her husband over and so I told him some buzz words to use to search. He was excited to be able to do that. He told me the scarf and hat were for their great-grand daughter who, at 28, had just received her PhD and was moving to Boston to teach. They left the store holding hands.

I took a few hours this morning for myself. I needed to get the car inspected. Free state inspections at the dealership where I purchased the car. So I headed there this morning. They moved to a new building and location about a month ago so I was curious. The old customer waiting room had a tv with soso reception and one volumn...LOUD, uncomfortable chairs, and it was either hot (in winter) or cold (in summer). Well let me tell you this new place I could have stayed all day! Comfortable sofas', coffee, cookies, flat screen tv with CABLE!!!! But guys-with-oily-rags finished in record time and I was out of there by 9:30.

On my way home I swung by the Providence Shopping Center. I spent a while in Tuesday Mornings (think TJ Maxx without the clothes) and saw a few things I liked but left without buying (thank goodness). Then to the book store. Well, maybe stacks of books store is a better name. You really have to dig. And dug I did and I think I hit the jackpot. I remember Bess saying that she thought one of the better dying books to be A Passion for Color (well I think that's what she said. I could be wrong) but anyway, I bought it. by Sarah Burnett. Published in 1990. The styles are so-so but man the colors and the simple way she explains how to combine this and that to get colors. Oh and the fair isle designs that I can pull from the dated sweaters..Wahoo!

Leaving there feeling a bit smug, I stopped in KnitWits our 4th of 5 LYS in the area. You would think I'd seen all the yarn there was out there to be seen. Nope! I left with 5 skeins of Maggi Knits Aran Tweed in a great oatmeal color and a hand dyed organic cotton that is sooooo soft from The Purled Llama. And I'm not a fan of cotton but this is soooo soft. Oh, the primary colors are nice...purples, greens, reds, blues. 325 yards.

That was all the excitment I could take in an hour, so I ran by Harris Teeter for groceries and then home to work a few hours.

Tonight is "lock in " at Spooling Around. A night of knitting from 6:00pm to midnight. Tomorrow is my knitted fringe class at Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn. One of my students is coming from Northern Virgina. I hope the class is worth that long drive.

And I wasn't even that tired....

I felt soooo bad for the US gymnast missing the vault last night that I didn't want to stay up and watch him come in 10th place....I was so wrong. I'll have to wait for the highlights.

Local radio station and it's sister stations are helping the American Red Cross collect money/food/etc. for the victims of hurricane Charley. And they were asking for small animal foodstuffs. I stopped by and dropped off a large bag of doggie rawhides, a canister of new tennis balls and a check.

Much work is being done on the FiberTrends tote. 3 pockets done and the last picked up and ready to be knit.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up to much but MB has stuck her head in my office 3 times and said...as soon as I can get some funding...

KnittaPalooza II...more info

Bobbie writes:

KnittaPalooza II will be held March 10-13, 2005 at the Garden Hilton hotel in Virginia Beach, Va.

Lily Chin will be here, with many other great teachers.. Names of others will be announced shortly..Cost for the full weekend package will be $395.00...

Early registations (prior to September 1, 2004) will receive $50.00 off and get first choice on ALL classes offered. You can pay on a monthly plan if you desire.... $57.50 per month with the final payment on or before Jan. 10, 2005.

Full day packages are available also (Friday or Saturday) for $195.00. Sunday (one class only) will be offered at $85.00. More information will be available shortly..

There will be be a Fashion Show, contests and much, much more knitting fun for all!We have many who have signed up already and are looking forward to hearing from YOU! Please call or email, as the online service is not accepting applications at this time.

Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn
1-800-948-1565
757-498-4590

The angels will be eating well tonight....thank you for showing me how to cook a mean beef stew Julia Childs.

A long walk

On our walk last night we stopped and chatted with Brandy and Morgan, Molly, Buddy, Katie, Suzie and Bobbie, Floyd, Torie, Nixon, Buddy and the sisters Biscuit and Brownie. Don't ask me what their humans names are. In our neighborhood it's important to remember the dogs...as it should be.

We walk twice a day. In all, at least 3 miles. Sometimes it's a longer morning walk, other times a longer evening walk. Most of the time I let Bailey decide which way to go. With his failing eyesight, he really relies on his nose and will follow a scent until it disappears or he gets tired of it (I"m guessing here). He'll stop, look at me and turn around to head off in another direction. I follow. I have to. I'm attached to the lead.

The tote is working up really fast. I like the way the corners are made...drop a stitch down to the bottom and then pick 2 stiches back up. EZ does the same thing with her sweaters. I'm pretty sure it's EZ...Bess taught us how at Knitter's Review Retreat a few years ago. I'm using WoolPak (the pattern suggests it) for the first time. It's a bit fuzzy and the small fibers are irritating my eyes. I think I got spoiled with Cascade 220. But I'm loving the red that I chose!

Rolling around in my head is a design for a felted round bag. I'll keep you posted.

Can't think of a title

For the past few months I've been ready to bail from my mortgage paying job. Hated coming into work. I hated the woman I report to. I hated the group that I report into. I hated the projects I'm assigned. Hate is a strong word but that is the only word I could find that described it. I began looking for other positions but since we just merged with another big bank, filling open positions is frozen. Last Thursday, after a negative (to me) mid-year review (the first ever in 33 years) I went down the hall to cry on a friends shoulder. She listened and then said...MB will be opening new postions for Change Managers in a few weeks...I went back to my office, called MB and she said (with excitment in her voice I might add) send me your resume! I did. Fingers crossed.

Ewe Knit Kits finally received the new felted tote pattern from
FiberTrends AC-64x The Sheep Tote It's designed by Beverly Galeskas. She uses "faux" seams" to make the corners. So of course I had to buy yarn and begin working on it. Anyone know why it's called AC-64x ????

Speaking of which, the little bag knit with
Crystal Palace Trio is done. The cast on suggested didn't leave much give for the i-cord edging, so after 2 attempts I did a single crochet around the edge to pull in the darker color. And as for the handle..looks cute but not sturdy enough. I'm going to knit a longer i-cord and weave it through the bag right under the cast-on row. Think drawstring. But it's not bad for a free pattern....which I promptly changed....LOL

The Trendsetters Spiral "To Fringe or Not to Fringe" shawl is finished. It's been christend "Hitchcock" based on the fact that the black parts of the yarn make it look like clusters of birds are flying across it. But it's larger than what I wanted so I'll frog it back 3/4 of the way and try again.

So small world...a friend from TKGV guild moved to Northern Virginia last year. She was in Ewe Knit Kits on Saturday. In town on a visit. She mentioned she had started a Guild and guess who's not only member but VP....RosebyAny.

This 'n that

Name the era, and you can name every artist from
it. You've got an eye for design and a knack
for feng shui. Color schemes, architecture, and
objt d'art - these are all your forts.
What people love: You're the perfect person to shop
with.
What people hate: They have to clean their house
whenever you come over.


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Found this over at Catherine's . I have to agree with her comments. My house is the same. Dust and dog hair and yarn and magazines and a dining room table that can become piled high. BUT what I think is messy, my friends/family think is "too neat and tidy". So yeah, they always make excuses about their homes and you know what, I don't see it. So, eh! A home is to LIVE IN not LOOK AT.

But the dining room table was cleaned off this Sunday while the OatCouture Auntie's afghan blocked. I used Lorna's Laces Sport Weight in Neutral. Generic color and washable. Nice for babies. I threw it in the washer when the bed sheets were on their last rinse and let it spin a few moments. It blocked beautifully.

I began a little bag with Crystal Palace Trio. It's a free pattern. It'll be a sample for Ewe Knits so I'm following the pattern as written and getting guage...but if I were making it for myself I'd go down a needle size or two to make a thicker fabric.

And the Trendsetters Spiral "To Fringe or Not to Fringe" shawl is coming along. I'm beginning the decrease side.

An update

I think the end is near for the OatCouture Auntie's afghan. According to the pattern, I completed the final purl row last night BUT I have the need to make the edging wider so will begin work on another 2 or 3 repeats of the last 2 rows. Basically a garter stitch increasing on the knit round. Another thing I'll do is move it to a few more circular needles so that I can really see the size. It's knit in the round and currently 580+ stitches on a 32 inch needle. A bit cramped.

After my love-fest over the Lantern Moon needles the other day, I shopped around their website a bit more and found these (scroll down, down, down) Needle Sleeves. Silk no less. Lantern Moon needles deserve these!

A request will be made to the powers-that-can-place-orders at
Ewe Knit Kits on Saturday. Want me to order some for you?

A Blonde Sunday

I was a knitting blob yesterday and enjoyed every minute of it.  Besides it was raining and AMC had a Robert Redford marathon: 

The Great Gatsby ..I saw this in the theater so many years ago and I remember reading that it took many takes to get the silk shirts to "float".  After each take everyone would pitch in and refold shirts.

Barefoot in the Park...he played the same character on Broadway

This Property is Condemned ... what a cast.  Natalie Wood, Charles Bronson, Robert Blake and Robert Redford.  It was RR at his prime.  And hard to watch Natalie in the water now knowing how deathly afraid she was. 

The Natural...never one of my favorites, to cliche for me...but RR was nice to look at.

I did make a knitting run at noon. Spooling Around had their 15% off sale. I wanted to try the Clover Bamboo needles and they carry them. I picked up sizes 4 and 5 and Lantern Moon in Blackwood in size 7. 

Speaking of Lantern Moon,     Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn received a shipment from them this past week. All I can say is I now love Lantern Moon products.

Greeting me when I unlocked the front door Saturday morning was This Guy smiling up at me as I stepped inside. I flipped on the front lights and noticed a new stack of Rice Baskets in natural, purple, blue and red. Dropping my bags (to a casual observer I probably look like I'm spending a week with all the bags I carry for my 8 hour day) in the office I headed to the back set of lights when I saw the Silk Needle cases and the basket of Needles and a few more Sheep Mats smiling up at me. And this great (scroll down the page) display stand is now filled with mohair.

K came in and we oow'd and ahhh'd over the new toys until we realized it was after 10:00 and the registers hadn't been opened. Oops!

Not having an easy-to-work-on-project in progress, I grabbed the size 10.5US/6.5mm LM Rosewood needles and a skein of Trendsetters Spiral to make swatches while I taught a Felting Class. Well, both the needles and 4 skeins of the yarn went home with me. Another shawl on the way.

Quite a few of the baskets, all but 1 of the needle rolls and several sets of the needles went home with knitters or knitters husbands ( it was her birthday).

I almost forgot...Jon Provost was in This Property Is Condemned.  He was my first movie star crush...well, he,  Sky King and Sgt. Preston. 

This just in....

Ewe Knit Kits & Yarn is very happy to announce the date for KnittaPalooza II !

It will be the weekend of March 10, 2005..

One of our guest teachers will be.................Lily Chin!

We are soooooo excited to have her and I know you are too! There will be other names to share shortly...

Look for the post card with additional information! We are offering a discount for early registrants! Be sure to be one of the first to sign up and SAVE!

Signup for futher updates at :  Ewe Knit Kits website.

The knitting is done...

....and tonight I'll be weaving in all the little ends of the French Market bag.  I am so pleased with the results.  My knitting is even and I was able  to keep out the jog on most rows.  But the weaving in of the ends will take some time.  Probably 20 color changes and I carried 2 colors on most rows and doubled to boot.
 
I spent approximatly 22 hours knitting.  I'll let you know how long sewing in ends take.

What the....wonder how much money it took to make that decision?  Or did she know?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=762&e=1&u=/nm/20040720/en_nm/people_jackson_dc

What the

I didn't mean to do it

...continue knitting the French Market bag that is.   My plan was to knit only the bottom last Sunday afternoon, then alternate working on it and the Oat Couture baby Afghan...oh well.  I'm at least 1/2 up the side of the bag now and it is stunning!   Knitting in a 2 handed fair isle way is not really working out all that well.  The yarn (Rowan's Summer Tweed held double) is very stiff and hard for me to wrap.  But that's okay, I'm really enjoying the knitting and the results.    
 
And the party bags...I understand they're selling really well and several customers have requested special orders.   You can see them here http://store.yahoo.com/lbevanshandknits/ and order them here  http://www.eweknitkits.com.

I've added a new Knitting Blog Ring over on the side.  Knitters Review..check it out.  Small ring right now but I know it will grow.   (and I don't know why it's out there twice, I can see it in the Template only once.)
 
I'm liking the changes Blogger has made...italics, bold, color with the touch of a mouse. 
 
I'm heading over to http://www.spoolingaround.com,  the local Quilt shop, tonight for their LockIn.  This is a monthly gathering of Quilters (and new tonight Knitters) from 6:00 pm until midnight.  You can work on your projects uninterrupted, eat pizza or subs and chat the night away for a $5 cover charge.  Not a bad deal.  And Susan, the owner, has just added yarn to her inventory.     I'm not sure what "lockin" means....lock you in the store?  is it a quiling term?  I'll find out tonight.

Mr. Johnson never showed up with the bookcases.  I told him to please refund my deposit.  We'll see if I have to go further than just asking.
 
Roof cleaners did a great job on my roof...it's light grey again!   And they're back today to wash the house.
 
And the carpet is clean.
 
Now if it can all just stay cleaned and weeded I'll be happy.
 
I'm not happy that Martha was found guilty...and even less happy about the sentence!
 

 

 

I love 3 day weekends

Especially when my house is clean, my yard is neat and tidy, and it rains on Sunday.

Saturday was a yarn selling day at Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn. We were nicely busy with lots of new customers stopping in while on vacation.

The drawstring Party Bags from LBEvans came in. I couldn't resist a peek into each of the kits. Each kit has a different Fair Isle pattern. But don't be put off, the instructions and chart are easy to read. And if you don't want a pattern just knit stripes. They all use ribbon and recycled sari silk. The beads are glass and very pretty. The suede is nice, not a cheap imitation. I knit the purple one this weekend. It was quick (about 50 rows of knitting) and easy. And I want to keep it....but it will be a store sample. I'll visit on Saturdays.

But I have my own to knit, The French Market Tote..Swirly Tweed with the red leather.

The bad news was the chart was left out of the instruction leaflet....the good news was the chart was left out of the instruction leaflet. (A call on Tuesday had the chart sent via email the same day and also sent via US mail)....

....or I wouldn't be working on the Oat Couture Auntie's Afgan. I'm up to 500 stitches per row now. Takes about 30 min per row without interuptions. It's a great pattern, simple 2 row repeat with a nice border. I have about 16 rows left to knit.

So my plan is to finish the Auntie's Afghan this week and hopefully begin the French Market tote on Sunday.

I must remind myself of the little Dale of Norway baby hat that I carry around. I haven't had much time to knit on it recently. Maybe I can work in a 1/2 break later today.

Oh wait...if Mr. Johnson brings the bookcases this Sunday there will be no knitting...that's okay, I can live wih that.

Hrump.....I have this book in my to read pile....

You're One Hundred Years of Solitude!

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Lonely and struggling, you've been around for a very long time.
Conflict has filled most of your life and torn apart nearly everyone you know. Yet there
is something majestic and even epic about your presence in the world. You love life all
the more for having seen its decimation. After all, it takes a village.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

....whelmed?

I have been feeling overwhelmed the last few weeks. I couldn't finish anything I had set out to do. My house needed cleaning, the roof needs to be washed, the gutters cleaned, the yarn weeded, the carpet cleaned, grocery purchased, knitting projects completed, magazines and books sorted and tossed, and well I could go on.

So I made a list. It looked like this:
scrub house from top to bottom
weed yard front and back
clean roof of fungus
clean gutters and replace screening
clean carpets
get final date for TV center or cancel order
stock freezer and pantry
sort magazines
sort books
re-organize yarn back into a semblance of order
clean off dining room table (see organize yarn)

I looked at my list and decided what I could hire someone to do.
scrub house from top to bottom CustomMaid
weed yard front and back
clean roof of fungus Larry Ambrose
clean gutters and replace screening Larry Ambrose
clean carpets ChemDry
get final date for TV center or cancel order Charles Johnson
stock freezer and pantry
sort magazines
sort books
re-organize yarn back into a semblance of order
clean off dining room table (see organize yarn)

Which left me:
weeding
grocery shopping
sorting books and magazines
organizing yarn (again)

So last week I made phone calls:
www.CustomMaid.com had an opening on Tuesday. My house shines! It was the first time I've had anyone clean my house. Wasn't sure what to expect. But at 11:30 3 ladies knocked on my door and at 2:00 they left. They're coming back once a month.

Larry Ambrose, the neighborhood roofing and dryvit guy, can come next week to powerwash and treat my icky roof. If you live in the south you'll understand what I mean. He's even going to paint the rusty vent covers and clean out my gutters. I have those protective screens to keep out the leaves, but the heavy rains from Isabelle pushed quite a bit of it down into the gutter which has trapped leaves and just made a mess.

ChemDry can come on the 5th to clean the carpets that CustomMaid vaccummed really well.

And Mr. Johnson, who promised me last February that he'd have my new TV hutch and bookcases done by the end of March...er, April..May for sure...would deliver said hutch and bookcase the weekend of the 11th. If not, a refund of my deposit. I mean, I can be patient but goodness!

Whew! Just geting that accomplished made me feel more enthused about the rest.

Sunday I spent straightening up, putting things where they belong. I had become lazy and just put things where ever.

That accomplished, Monday morning I weeded both back and front yards. Once I got started it only took me an hour. I guess it was everything else on top of it.

Monday and Tuesday I worked from home. Conference calls beginning at Noon and lasting until late provided me mornings to get things done.

And I did grocery shop on Sunday. I usually don't like to do that. That "day of rest" thing. I think everything should close up once ina while. But I took advantage of Harris Teeter's hours and spent $80 to restock the pantry and freezer. I can now fix a decent meal.

This weekend I'll sort through books and magazines. When Mr. Johnson delivers (see I'm being optimistic) the new shelving ....Oh and I order those things that slide underneath furniture so that your furniture slides easly.

Knitting has been interesting:

I finsihed a Harriett bag. Felted. Now need handles.
Oat Couture's Aunties Afgan is still on the needles. When will I learn to COUNT the stitches? I've frogged 3 times now. Not the whole thing, but 10 rows. 444 stitches. I'm on the last 32 rows now so hopefully I'll be finished this weekend.

But I probably won't because the purses that we ordered from ....arrived at Ewe Knit Kits and I can't wait to get my hands on them. We ordered the party bags from LBEvans.

Well, blogger or the internet or both are acting up. I'm going to log off and review this post later.

Did I mention....

...that I saw the original Einstein knit in Touch Me from Sally Melviles Knit Stitch. It still looks great. Not out of shape at all.

...20 hours in a car, 4 women can do alot of knitting

...I know when to bite my tongue (see above comment)

...I'm going to try needle felting

...Trendsetter Yarns: MASAI 48% wool 48% acrylic 4% Nylon 50gr/35yds

...Dale of Norway: ARA 100% wool 50gr/55yds

...Crystal Palace: RAGGEDY 50% Acrylic, 30% Nylon 20% wool 50gr/56yds

...UniqueColors/Colinette: SHIMMER FIVE 50% wool 50% visc 100gr/52yds

...Prism CARNIVAL 50% Rayon 50% Nylon 2oz/72yds

...Trendsetter Yarns JOY 75% Polyan 25% Polyester 25gms/62yds

...Trendsetter Yarns CHECKMATE 100% Nylon 50gr/70yds

...Plymouth: DREAM BABY KNOCKOUT 67 Acrylic 33%Nylon 50gr/126yds




Oat Couture "Auntie Afgan" is a simple 2 row repeat for most of the pattern but I keep fogetting the YO's....glad the baby's not due until October!

Day 5 - Sunday - Heading Home

Walking into "Clara's" for our free hot breakfast we're greated with "Bobbie!". It was the gals from Knitting Sisters. "Small world" discussion ensued. It was the free, hot breakfast sign that had lured them in too.

After a great hot breakfast we were on the road for home. It was a truly wonderful, eye opening trip. All the people I met no matter what their needlecraft were gracious and sharing.

So Ewe Knit Kits and Yarns will have new yarns and patterns in the next few weeks. Brown Sheep, more Collinette, and LB Evans Drawstring purses, lots of buttons, and new ideas to share with our customers.

Day 4 - Sunday - Buy buy buy

Sunday morning class was "Embellishments and Trims for Plain Knitted Garments" by Svetlana Avrakh of Patons Yarns. It was another crochet trims class but this time using novelty yarns. It gave me some ideas on trimming ready made clothes. And I learned that I have been pronouncing Patons wrong. It's Pay Tons with a hard a. I've been saying Pa Tons with a soft a. Hmm, are hard and soft vowels still used?

B and my classes were only 2 hours so we met at 10:00 and placed orders at Collinette (for individual skeins of yarn and more throws in the new colors), Rowen and LB Evans (purses and totes are beautiful!). There was another vendor but it's gone from my brain. L and P joined us at 11:00 and went back for notions (purse handles, felting needles, gauge measuring tool, needles) and new FiberTrends and Oat Couture patterns, buttons from Dills, buttons from 2 other places, sequins and beads, yarns from Seaport Yarns, Cotton Fleece and CottonWool fingering weight from Brown Sheep and about this time B said "there's no room left in the store!" but we kept shopping....of course there were show specials to be had with vendors we already use so those orders were placed. We ran out of time to hit S.W.A.K., KnitWhits and Jamieson..but we have the literature!

My brain was fried!

We hit the road and drove about 2 hours before stopping for the night at a Best Western....it's the one with the sign that says "Free Hot Breakfast".

Day 3 - Saturday - Crochet and Window Shopping

Not that I was anxious to get into the Market or anything, but my Saturday class seemed like it went by in slow motion....and it was a GREAT class.

"Funky Crochet for Kniters" by Kathleen Power Johnson. We crocheted on knitting! We inserted crochet panels into knitting. We added borders. We added beads. It was a wild 3 hours of crochet. I was inspired!

I guess I should stop at this point to add that B, L and P were also taking classes but I can't remember what they were....but they all said they were great classes and they learned. And that's a good thing.

Aside: needlepoint and cross stitch were included this year as part of TNNA market. I'm a former needlepoint addict and it was sooo hard to walk by those canvas but I did...I'm not saying I didn't admire a few ... but I didn't linger.

Since it was our first time L, P and I agreed that we'd meet at the Market entrance at 11:00..right after our classes ended and experice the Market together. Well P and I waited 15 min for L and we couldn't wait anylonger....we were off.

The front of the Great Wall of Yarn booklet has the words...Enticing Textures...Exciting Colors...Extraordinary Possibilities...I think that sums up The Market. I can't begin to tell you all of what I saw. I can say we began at 11:15, stopped no more than 20 min for lunch and a bathroom break and didn't stop again until the Market closed at 6:00 and even then it was 6:15 before we actually left the room.

And the people...Lily Chin, Lorna Miser, Beth Casey and the gang from Lorna's Laces, The Jamisons', Leslye Solomon, Sally Melville, Annie Modesitt (that was me yelling and waving Annie), and many more who's names aren't coming to me right now. Like Diane of the Simple knits patterns, and the young man who invented the gauge guide ruler thingy and Circular Solution inventor...

And the yarn companies...Rowan, Misti, Prism, SouthWest Trading Co, Plymouth, Knit One Crochet Too, Blue Sky Alpaca, Crystal Place, Trendsetter, Louet Gems, Muench, Aurora Yarns, Classic Elite, Cherry Tree Hill, Alchemy Yarns, Dale of Norway, Cascade, Skacel, Interlacements, Artful Yarns, Tahki, Stacy Charles, Red Heart, Himalayan Yarn co, Mountain Colors, and so many more.

And books and patterns...Oat Couture, Fiber Trends, Interweave, Martindale, Jamieson (I sat and looked through the not even printed Simply Shetland book and it's better than the last one if that's possible)

And purses and notions and beads and tote bags and buttons...oh my!

By the end of the second hour I understood why so many shoppers had those bags on wheels..both of my bags were packed full of literature and samples. My shoulders still hurt from the weight but I wasn't about to let a sample go untouched!

What a sweetie the Addi Turbo salesman was. He offered this tip...if your Addi circulars become stiff, put them in a plastic baggie with a damp tissue and they'll right limber up.

By 6:30 the 4 of us were heading down the interstate looking for our hotel. Did I mention because of Hotel.com arrangements we only had reservations for 2 of our 3 nights.

Finding the motel L, P and I waited in the car while B went to see what the problem with reservation was (Hotel.com only had 1 room with a double be for all 4 of us) and it's a good thing they messed up the reservation. While waiting we saw a drug sale, what we think was a prostitute waiting for her John (it was in the way she was dressed that just sort of made us think that way) and then a train goes by about 20 feet from the motel property. At that point I went and got B, told her no way were we staying there...she was already on the phone to Hotel.com ....

At 7:00 we were back on the interstate looking for another hotel without the help of Hotels.com. AAA guide and a cell phone are wonderful. The desk clerk at The Drury talked into his parking lot where we had clean, quiet, kingsize bed bedrooms for each of us. After dinner at a Japanese restaurant we settled in B's room to look through our goodies, discuss our thoughts and ideas for Ewe Knit Kits and Yarnand plan the buying on Sunday.

Day 2 - Friday - Classes and a Fashion Show

We arrived back at the Convention Center at 7:15 the next morning. Why so early? We weren't sure about parking and since we didn't want to miss a thing and since our classes began at 8:00 we left early.

We got our name badges (required everywhere you went), a great tote and we were off to our first class.

L went to an all day Lily Chin, B to a LYS retail class and P and I to "Knitting with Ribbon Yarn". Now this was not my number 1 choice...I've knitted with Ribbon Yarns..don't really care for it. And this was with size 35 needles. BUT was I in for a surprise. We learned backwards knitting. It doesn't twist the ribbon!!!!

P and I had 3 hours until our next class so we made it over to the Food Court for noodles & shrimp and peanut butter ice cream. When the food court began filling we headed back to the TNNA area and sat and knitted (surprise!) and watched the vendors registering and other knitters knitting and of course hit the Great Wall of Yarn again to add to our books.

I had a nice conversation with the inventor of the Circular Solution. New this year...in velvet! Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn will be carrying the needle solutions very soon.

2:00 came around and I was off to "Measure, Modify, Knit" with Judy Pascale. Fun lady. Learned tons. She crammed her 6 hour class into 3.

8 pages of notes later I met B, L, and P and we headed to the fashion show. One word...ponchos! I think half of what we saw was a poncho of some kind. Great sweaters for men and women, knitted purses, bears, simple to the complex knitting. To many to mention.

After there was a "cocktail" hour where we mingled for a while among a display of the new fashions and yarns. Then it was off to dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse.

It was off to bed by 11:00...we had a day of shopping ahead of us.

Day 1 -Thursday - travel to TNNA

I was invited to attend the The National Needle Arts Association Fall-Winter 2004 Market by Bobbie the owner of Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn. What is TNNA you might ask...it's where the wholesale and the retail get together and sell and buy yarn and patterns and notions. There are also classes offered and new yarns and patterns shown. It's a fast paced, full 5 days of decisions.

B, L and I left Va Beach at 7:00 a.m., stopped in Hampton to pick up P and off to Columbus we drove. A quick stop for lunch, gas and bathroom and 10 hours later we arrived at the Westin Hotel in Columbus Ohio.

I must mention here that the university was holding graduation ceremonies for 6800 students the same weekend. Hotel rooms were hard to find.

After 30 minutes of haggling with Hotels.com, we made it to our rooms, washed our faces and headed to the Greater Columbus Convention Center a mere 9 blocks away. Glad we drove. Those 9 blocks were about 3 miles.

We had hoped to register but Registration had closed. So we got our bearings, found classrooms, where the Market would be setup and the Food Court.

Then it was off to the (bugles blaring here)THE GREAT WALL OF YARN!!!!!! Yep, a wall dripping with the NEW yarns for the fall. 169 of them. Arranged by color. whites..browns..yellows..purples..oranges..blues...blacks...And on the tables in front of The Great Wall of Yarn more balls and skeins of the same yarn. And we could cut samples off all of them. Fill-in-the-blank books were offered with the name of the yarn and a corresponding number. All you had to do was pick up the scissors and tape and snip and tape to your hearts content. We were like kindergarteners filling up our books with color and texture, oohing and ahhing over this one and that one, cutting snippets for one another ...no pushing or shoving was noticed. We were good fiber books completer.

Hunger soon got the best of us so off to Max and Erma's for dinner and back to the hotel to look at our The Great Wall of Yarn books and dream of the fiber delights to come.

A Brad filled weeked

After all my moaning and groaning last week my 3 day weekend turned out really pleasant.

I was able to work from home for my mortgage paying job on Friday which was a nice treat.

Saturday I worked at Ewe Knits with Sherry. We expected a quiet only two or three customer kinda day but it ended up nicely busy. No record breaking day, but a nice summer kinda day in a LYS where you had time to chat with the customer.

Sunday was overcast and by 11:00 the sky was filled with dark gray clouds and it didn't appear as though the sun was going to make it through. So it was off to the Regal Theaters to see Troy. Now, about the only thing I remember from history class was that the war between the Greeks and Trojans was suppose to have lasted 10 years. Not so in the movie version. But it was an entertaining 2 1/2 hours. Lots of good looking men running around in short skirts and no shirts.

An aside: it really bugs me when the theaters turn up the lights the second the credits come on.

When I got home, A River Runs Through It was playing. I had forgotten Robert Redford directed this movie. And so I couldn't let an overcast Monday go without a Brad-sighting so I watched Legends of the Fall.

All in all it was a good weekend.

Time flies whether your having fun or not

KnittaPalooza weekend came and went. Read my recap here: http://www.knittersreview.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10601&whichpage=2&SearchTerms=%2CKnita

That Sunday afternoon was spent getting Ewe Knits Kits and Yarn storefront back in order. Bobbie tells me she'll post pictures from the weekend on the website soon.

The next day I was off to San Francisco for the week. It was a "you must be here for the meeting" last minute trip and I was both dreading and looking forward to it.

I hadn't been out there in almost 3 years and I'm not ready to get sucked back into the madness. I spent 3 years flying from east coast to west, west coast to east coast every week with promises of wonderful promotions and lots of bonuses....and in the end all I got was 7 new managers, the old "ya gotta prove yourself to me 'cause what you did before doesn't count" and 400,000 frequent flyer miles. So now I do my job, put in my 50 hours and don't believe anything anyone says. I'm hanging out for a separation package.

All in all it was an okay time. My favorite hotels were booked so I ended up at the Sir Frances Drake on Powell. Nice. But the only place to plug in my laptop to recharge the battery was in the socket used by the hair dryer in the bathroom. A laughable inconvenience.

Work meetings went well and we completed the agenda. Vendor came back with new dates for implementation. ...... Hmm, think I blogged about it earlier in the year. Where I told my young'in boss that what she wanted to accomplish would take a few years not the few months she had planned...my prophecies are coming true.....vendor needs to 1st Qtr 2006..... So the business isn't happy and young'in boss must now negotiate with the vendor and she's all in turmoil...it's giving me perverse pleasure to watch her squirm.

I did have evenings to myself to revisit the city. I walked to Chinatown, up to the mall, took the cable car out and back, visited Borders, Virgin Records (great dvd selection on the second floor), Sephora (Philosophy 3 "Grace" solids) and ArtFibers (3 skeins of "Siam" and 2 skeins of "Chianti").

The 5 hour flights from Charlotte gave me lots of time to knit. I worked on the "Auntie's Afgan" from Oat Couture that I'm knitting for my neice (the one who's expecting). I had begun knitting it using the "american" way of throwing the yarn. Then I re-learned "contenintal" and knit about 20 rows. Didn't like the differences that I saw so I ripped it out and began again. Didn't rip back far enough for my eye so once again, ripped it back. Perhaps it was my dissatisfaction of having to make the trip that cause my knitting to be out of whack. I finally put it away and read. Nora Roberts Birthright kept me entertained.

Didn't have to work at Ewe Knits Saturday so spent the morning running errands (groceries, garden place, picking up B at kennel) and then cleaning up the front and back flower beds and planting a few new flowering things.

Sunday I had a horrible sore throat which eventually turned into a cold. Since I had promised my mother I'd go to see her I couldn't stay home and feel sorry for myself...standing up my mother is worse than a sore throat! It's my second cold this year and I NEVER get sick! My body is thrown off course with all the going I've been doing. I haven't had a day of not going somewhere since April 11! I need some time alone.

SOOOOOO, this Sunday and Monday I am not going anywhere. The car will not leave the garage. I'm staying put! Just me and Bailey...and I may not answer the phone.