Sunday, March 30, 2008

Overdue

by Caroline


I've been spending so much time on Ravelry lately (I've been seeing that complaint a lot) that it is cutting into my knitting, never mind my blogging. I was tagged by Debbie of calicokitty6 back at the beginning of the month and I kept putting it off. These things look so easy till you have to fill one out. So finally, here it is.....


The Rules: Post the rules on your blog. Link to the person who tagged you. Share 6 non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


#1- I eat Chinese food for the soy sauce.

#2- My toolbox at work is so neat that people think I don't use my own tools.

#3- It is hard for me to walk into a group of people I don't know.

#4- I love the color brown and have been buying a lot of brown yarn lately.

#5- Sometimes I crochet till my hands cramp and even that doesn't always stop me.

#6- I struggle against a strong tendency to procrastinate.


Whew! Done, now I have to pick the next suckers....I mean, interesting people. I see Gina at Sleepy Eyes is also doing this meme and she has already tagged Ericka so here are my 6:


Kathleen @ Dips in the Road of Creativity (heh heh)
Lora @ Lora's Keyhole
Sarah @ Persnickety Sarah
Gigi @ Adventures in Crochet
Heather @ Yarnophiliac
Chris, who doesn't have his own blog but sometimes guests on his wife's blog, Armed With Pointy Sticks


I'm off to leave comments and apologies on the above blogs. Vacation post is coming, I'm still waiting for some pictures from my niece's camera.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Jumble

by Caroline


Public Service Announcement #1 - over at Armed With Pointy Sticks, Ericka is asking for a little help. She tells the story better but this is a woman who, when hit with her first MS episode (no sensation in her hands), taught herself to knit. She doesn't talk much about her continuing battle with this disease but right now she is getting ready to walk in the April 20th MS walkathon and is asking for donations, or if you are in the area, walkers. Check it out!


Public Service Announcement #2 - over at Yarnophiliac, Heather is also asking for a little help. Once again, her version is the better but she discovered an old high school crush on Oprah's Big Give. She learned that he had started a charity called Can-Do (Compassion in Action Network - a Direct Outcome organization). Using the colors of their website she has created the Can-Do colorway! $10 of every skein goes right to Can-Do. She has dyed it up in several different yarns and it is awesome! I have my skein, pictured below in superwash Merino and also, a picture of the yarn worked up in a sock. Check it out!









Rhode Island - I'm home from RI but I did get to meet up with Some Bunny's Love before I left. No time for a yarn crawl but I did get to visit her knitting guild meeting and after, we (somebunny and calicokitty6 and I) went to Panera to knit and talk. I forgot my camera, but somebunny had hers and you can find my picture there. I was supposed to take pictures with her camera that she would send me but I was so busy talking and knitting......well, that's why you have to go to her blog! Calicokitty6 is planning a yarn crawl in my area and she's supposed to call me. I was so eager to get home but I regret leaving such nice people.


Amanda Hat - I taught my friend Kathy the Amanda Hat pattern and found out that I wasn't quite finished with Amanda Hat mania. Here is #9! Lamb's Pride Bulky - Cafe Au Lait. I love this hat! My sister, Maureen, made the comment that she was surprised I wasn't in the double digits yet....mmmmmm.


Also Amanda related - Gina sent me an awesome prize for making the most Amanda Hats. I send her my thanks for a pattern that is like chicken soup, warm and comforting. Also (jeez, didn't think to get pictures) I happily let her her and blogless Amanda (for whom the pattern is named) pick out their faves. Gina picked the Manos and Amanda, the Sheep Shop Yarn Company. You should check out her gallery of Amanda Hats, and if you haven't made one already, I strongly recommend it.



















My Nephew - I am so pround of him and yes, I think he might be channeling a little Elvis in this picture.


Fellowship Craft Night - we had our first craft night at church this month and plan to make it a monthly event. We had lots of beaders, a couple knitters, a few scrappers and a hooker and a wood-worker. It's funny, how sometimes we are more productive in a group.


Thursday, March 20, 2008

swaps swappingly swapped

I didn't want to post anything until I knew my swap recipient had her package as I was late because of this respiratory bug I got. (I'm much better now, though I still have some coughing and ick. But I no longer sound like Minnie Mouse.)


This was the Scavenger Hunt Swap and the idea was that we had seven categories; Something... Hard, Round, Local, Funny, Green, having to do with the letter "T", and a spoiler's choice.

Lot's of fun options there!

My swap sending partner was Lesley from Nova Scotia. I loved her swap box! And it came at a much needed time in the midst of getting the flu bug and feeling awful.
This is a link to the post I posted about it on the swap blog. And here's another photo of the stitch markers.


Seriously I was laughing so hard and with the no voice and raspy cough I must have sounded like I was dying. No wonder DH came into the room asking "What's wrong?"
I can't wait until I have some breathing time (after next week's opening) and I want to start that sock pattern. Whoohoo! Thanks so much Lesley!!!

Because I was feeling so bad and so out of it I was late sending my box off to my swap recipient partner, Diane in Alaska. And I totally forgot to take photos of my own before getting it off finally. But here's her slide show post.
I had a lot of fun putting it together. And I've still got some chicken knitting fabric to make some bags for myself!

All in all I had a great time doing this swap and I'd love to do one again. This was my first one and I learned some valuable lessons. Like... Don't figure you've got time to get it in the package. It takes longer than you would think to get it all labeled and packed and something (like a mind numbing virus) can always happen at the last minute.
Of course that's what I tell myself about everything in my life... but do I listen?
Or do I instead live by the quote (paraphrase) from Pogo " Nothin's so urgent today, that won't be urgenter tomorrow"?

You can answer that later.

ETA:
I can't decide if I'm more embarrassed or excited. I finally sat down to leaf through the Mingus sock pattern that Lesley sent only to discover... the Marilinda Sock pattern too!!!
Lesley... wowwowwowee!!! Thank you so much! I'm so sorry I didn't catch it at first... and it's so cool!

But now the problem... which do I do first? Oh the dilemma!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Is it safe yet...?



Well, my brain grew back, took one look at the projects and deadlines coming up and promptly, and most conveeeeeniently, got sick.

A few light brushes with a stomach bug flu that's turned into a sort of bronchial thing.

I'm not seriously complaining. I've still managed to go in to work each day (yay. not.) and sort of function. I know plenty of people here who've been out for days with these bugs (respiratory and stomach). Hey... in fact... it's probably their fault I'm sick now!




I do think that one thing that might really cheer me up would be to see fabulous vacation photos posted here by my sis, Caroline. Hey C! Where's the cruise shots?!



In leiu of that I offer some WIPs.

Some knitting...
a mixed weight scarf of laceweight and boucle...

The Ida vest by Vivian Hoxbro...
And some sewing...

A lace overlay skirt with several different color linings...

An Issey Miyake skirt and top (rather tame for Issey really)...
Several tops with assorted necklines and sleeve lengths in some lovely rayon lycra knits...

Rhode Island & Ravelry

by Caroline


Vacation post is coming. I finally sat down and loaded my pictures on the computer. But before my vacation, I went to Rhode Island. 4 days before! Grrr!


Anyway, when it comes to road time I am more familiar with VT. I know where everything is and the cheap places to stay. But Rhode Island was a blank slate so I turned to the Rhode Island group, Ocean State Crafters on Ravelry for help. A big thank you to all who sent in suggestions. That first week I went out to meet some knitters. Below are, from left to right (Ravelry names): MickeySews; a friend of hers, CeeCee (not on Ravelry); and Calicokitty6. I really enjoyed myself and look forward to seeing them again.


(calicokitty6 brought in many pretty things to show)


Now I'm also trying to meet up with Somebunnyslove this week and she is talking yarn crawl! I don't know if we'll be able to make that happen but it is also a treat, when you are on the road, just to have people to spend time with. How nice it is, to know you can meet knitters wherever you go.