FO FRIDAY!!!

Hello wonderful blog readers! Today, is the first EVER FO Friday!!! (No, it's not f*uck off, Friday...though, if you have a situation that calls for such a title, then I urge you to use it! LOL!)

I have been SO lucky to have had such a patient family (and sometimes friends) this year that I was able to finish so many knitted/dyed/spun projects. I had much, much fun doing all of them and, in most cases, learning new and exciting techniques. And, in other cases, perfecting my "FRIGGIN" knitting, as coined by the Awesome Amanda.

Sadly, I am too lazy to actually post pictures of all of my projects or links to where they are. It's just too big a job for such a rainy and cruddy day. But, I will try to add a pic or two here or there of my favorites. I would LOVE to get comments from any and all of you reading about your favorites from my list and any comments you might have (please, be kind...I have a sensitive spirit).

Ready, set....here we go!

KNITTING PROJECTS (Absolutely finished projects from Jan 2006 until now)

1. IPod Holder (Knit Picks pattern and KP sock yarn in Hawaii) for Ann.
2. Fushia Scarf (Own pattern, handspun cotswold wool in a fushia colorway) for Me.
3. Sandstone Socks (Socks That Rock yarn in Sandstone, not sure pattern) for Ian.
4. Baby Vest (Rowan pattern, Rowan 2 ply Soft yarn in Frosty White) for Baby Katharine.
5. Cashmere Lace Shawl (Robin Pascal 100% handpainted cashmere, shawl pattern) for Amy.
6. Angora Baby Booties (Last Minute Knitted Gifts pattern, Soft pink Valeria di Roma angora) for Baby Katharine.*
7. Cotton Baby Hat (Last Minute Knitted Gifts pattern, 1824 cotton in lilac) for Baby Katharine.
8. Northern Lights Mittens (Knit Picks pattern and KP Palette yarns) for Me.*
9. Red Angora Ribbon Scarf (Kit pattern, Fonty red angora and ribbon yarns) for Grandma Chin.
10. Fiesta Scarf (My own pattern, Plymouth Italian Fiesta Boucle yarn in blue/lavender) for Mom.
11. Baby Blanket (Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick pattern, Orchid Fluff mohair blend yarn) for Baby Katharine.
12. Wallaby (Wallaby pattern, Zitron Lofty yarn in color 570) for Ben.*
13. Moebius Felted Basket (Cat Bordhi pattern, Manos del Uruguay wool in color 116) for Me.
14. Short Row Hat (Veronick Avery pattern, Karaoke yarn color 278) for A Knitter's Garden.*
15. Felted Rose Bag (Creative Knitting mag pattern, Karaoke yarn in colors 297 & 294) for Me.
16. Mohair Shawl (My own pattern, Russian wool/mohair yarn in blue/turquoise/white) for Grandma Heath.
17. Baby Neckdown Cardigan (Knitting Pure and Simple pattern, Heritage Breeze yarn turquoise color) for A Knitter's Garden.
18. Jaywalkers (Grumperina pattern, Regia sock yarn color 5048) for Me.
19. Streakers Shrug (Interweave Knits pattern by Pam Allen, Peru Luxury Bulky yarn in color 106) for Me.
20. Easter Socks (My own pattern and handpainted, self striping yarn 100% merino ww) for Me.
21. Sister's Socks (My own pattern, Opal sock yarn color 1237) for my sister Kim.
22. Kitten Scarf (My own pattern, Berroco Softy yarn color 2967, periwinkle) for Me.
23. Taupe Teddy Socks (My own pattern, Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino color taupe) for Ben.
24. Moc Croc Socks (Knit Picks pattern, Trekking sock yarn color 109) for Me.
25. Booga Bag (Black Sheep pattern, Noro Kuryeon in 5 leftover colorways) for KSKS Pal.
26. Estonian Puppet (Spin Off pattern, my own handspun yarns bfl/silk, merino/angora blend) for Me.*
27. Mini Sock Pin (My own pattern, leftover pink angora yarn) for Me.
28. Broad Ripple Socks (Knitty pattern, Cascade Fixation in purple varigated color) for Me.
29. Perdita (Knitty pattern in Bluebells, DMC Perle cotton color b5200) for Me.
30. Perdita (Knitty pattern in Lilacs, DMC Perle cotton color 3325) for Me.
31. Nichole Camisole (White Lies Designs pattern, Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb in color lipstick red) for Me.
32. Moss Grid Hand Towel (Mason Dixon Knitting pattern, Euroflax linen color emerald) for Me.
33. IPod Holder (Knit Picks pattern, KP Sock Garden yarn in Star Gazer Lily) for Me.
34. Goody Gumdrops Socks (My own pattern, Sereknity yarn in Goody Gumdrops self stripe) for Me.
35. Smocked Gauntlets (Sereknity pattern, Sereknity yarn in What Else, Watermelon) for Me.*
36. House Slippers (Knit 2 Together pattern, Classic Elite Montera yarn in colors 3831 and 3837) for Me.
37. Berry Hat (Fiber Trends pattern, Lamb's Pride worsted yarn in fushia and pine tree) for Baby Katharine.
38. Berry Mittens (Fiber Trends pattern, Lamb's Pride worsted yarn in fushia and pine tree) for Baby Katharine.
39. Jaywalkers (Grumperina pattern, Yarn Botanika's sock yarn in Marigolds/Tiger Lily) for Me.

*These items were especially fun and interesting for me to knit. Some pictured below*




SPINNING PROJECTS (Fiber and what I named it)

1. Halcyon Yarn's White Merino and purple Corriedale wool, 2 ply....Grape Candycane
2. Pinkish/Wine Wool roving from Ericka, 1 ply...Mauve-Ulous
3. 100% Peach silk plied with silver thread, 2 ply....Canned Peaches & Cream
4. Border Leicester spun for Joanne, 2 ply....English Garden*
5. All About Heather's pink wool roving, 2 ply...Bubble Gum
6. Yarn Botanika's wool/tussah silk blend, 2 ply...Black Raspberry Swirl
7. Yarn Botanika's Bejeweled corriedale, 2 ply...Blueberry Pie*
8. PluckyFluff's rainbow batt, 1 ply...Birthday Aftermath
9. Greenwood Fiberworks merino/silk/angelina fiber, 2 ply...Lemon Meringue
10. Rose Garden Fiber's BFL/angora, 2 ply....Cotton Candy
11. Greenwood Fiberworks wool blend/angelina, 2 ply....Fireworks
12. Yarn Botanika's Lipstick wool blend, 2 ply...one with itself and one with LH Glisten...Red Hot
13. Yarn Botanika's handcarded blf/tussah silk, 2 ply...Periwinkle Party*
14. White angora/merino blend, 2 ply...White Cloud
15. Rose Garden Fiber's muliticolor bfl batt, 1 ply...Rainbows*
16. WEBS 100% cashmere tawny color, 2 ply...Cuddle Me*
17. Fiberfly's Ramboillet/angora "Grapes on a Farm", 1 ply...Mermaid Magic
18. Merino batt in bllues/purples/turquoise, 1 ply...Donna's Deep Sea
19. Border Leicester/Kid Mohair in yellows, Navajo Plied....Banana Bubbles
20. Yarn Botanika's "Wildflowers" alpaca/silk/merino, 2ply....Candy Lipsticks
21. 100% Tussah silk in pinks and creams, 1 ply...Strawberry Milkshake
22. 100% Tussah silk in tans, blues and greens, 1 ply...Sand & Seasprites
23. Ashland Bay Merino handpaint in blues/purples/wines, 2 ply....Rose's Wine
24. Spunky Eclectis's pale green wool blend with nylon sparkle, 2 ply with 100 glass beads...Honeydew

*These were especially fun to spin and pictured below*




DYEING PROJECTS (Type of Yarn, Name and Who it was for/Bought it)

1. Fingering weight merino, "Sunrise", Julie
2. Handspun 2 ply, "Berries & Cream", Laura
3. Worsted weight merino, "Easter", Me
4. Nylon novely yarn, "Jiggly Jello", Julie
5. Worsted weight wool, "Green Apple Martini", Julie
6. Superwash merino fingering, "Denim, Lemons and Lilacs", Jackie
7. Mohair/woo/nlyon blend, "Kiss Me Softly, Heather*
8. Superwash merino, "Watermelon Self-Striping", Laurin
9. Merino worsted weight, "SweetTarts", Lucille
10. Superwash merino/tencel, "Violets for Rose", Rose*
11. Same as above for someone else
12. Superwash fingering merino, "Aquarium", Heather*
13-15. 100% Duke silk, "Summer Garden", "Melon Sundae", "Lakeside", Laurin
16. Superwash merino fingering, "Tomato Salsa", Laura
17. Superwash merino sportweight, "Twillight Serenity", Dyeorama gift
18. Superwash fingering merino, "Satin Sheets and Lingerie", Trek*
19. Superwash merino fingering, "Mother Earth's Garden", Bev
20. Worsted weight merino, "Beach Comber", Laura
21. Superwash merino/tencel, "Good and Plenty", Jackie*
22. Worsted weight merino, "Summer Wine", Carol
23. Worsted weight merino, "Winter Waters", Carol
24. Worsted weight merino, "Sleepy Sunset", Julie...not sure if yarn name is correct.

*These were especially fun to dye and came out better than I expected. Pictured below*




Wow! I've been busy, I guess. Happy FO FRIDAY!!! Send me links to your blog if you've also participated in this so I can check out all your hard work! Kisses!

7 Songs...I've Been Tagged!

To the other Gina...I will accept your tagging me with gentle, good humor (and some excitement...since I just got my pink ipod and have loaded up some of my favs!).

1. "Crazy" by Gnarles Barkley...first off, didn't know that it was a group...thought it was a MAN...thank goodness Amanda let me in on the "secret".

2. "Dani California" by RHCPeppers...love this song...the kind you can knit to easily and makes you feel good.

3. "Breathe (2am)" by Anna Nalick...oh, love that voice...so sweet...and great advice when you're "friggin" knitting!

4. "Walk Away" by Kelly Clarkson...as soon as I got my ipod, I downloaded this song. This, I think, is good for boosting a woman's self confidence....it's a "you go girl" song.

5. "Pretty Vegas" by INXS...sexy lead singer..sexy song...what not to like?

6. "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole..okay, yes, this is a old fashioned, corny song but, hey, it makes me happy : )

7. "Ruffneck" by Freestylers...freaky, weird song, but so, so addictive.

Before I go, a pic of "Our Amanda", in her hand knitted, awesome sweater that she finished:



AND

A pic of the rockin' "Mike the Newbie" wearing my Smocked Gauntlets in Heather's "What else, Watermelon?" yarn...



AND

FIVE FABULOUS THINGS I'VE RECENTLY ENCOUNTERED:

1. Yankee Candle's "White Chocolate Mint" candle...oh, god...yum.I
2. Rose's (finished!!!) merino handspun from Ashland Bay...it is a beautiful yarn, if I say so myself.
3. Chocolate fudge that I made myself....droool....now I have to be good...back on track for WW.
4. The look of my 3 year old in the morning with huge, tossled, curly hair who says sleepily, "I SAID good morning, Mommy!"
5. Going to my 13 year old's Parent/Teacher night and knowing that my son has gotten between a 95 and 102 on all his recent tests....I know, I know...I'll try not to brag, but he's awesome and oh, so smart! I kept poking Ian and saying during the conferences..."Tim's doing awesome in this class, you know!" and he kept telling me "Shh...be quiet. The other parents might hear you." I can be proud, right? As long as I'm not TOO obnoxious.....

Congrats to Jackie for finishing her Sock Wars sock in, like 2 seconds, and to Gaye for winning the Boston Knit Out/Crochet 's FASTEST CROCHETER award! Oh, and last, but not least, to Heather for having her Smocked Gauntlets pattern on the Knitting Central website!!! Woo-hoo!

Oh, one last thing...something funny Ben said...(I know...I must say this ALL the time...sorry)...he gets up in the morning, sniffs and says, "What's that smewll? You know.." and then, after thinking for a bit, says "Woodpecker!".

Now, I don't know what's more disturbing...the fact that he's actually smelled a woodpecker up close or that he THINKS he smells a woodpecker...weird!

Okay...tagging Jackie, Gaye, Heather, Lora, Laurin and Kimberly. 7 Up!

A Visit from the Yarn Fairy

A picture of the coming autumn to start off the evening.....my lovely marigolds sitting prettily in the backyard, like happy maidens waiting for their Prince Charmings.

SO.....how is everyone? Are you all happy that it's just about autumn? I AM!

I love driving down the winding roads to my house and seeing the cascading leaves falling all around me...the cool, blueish mornings and eating crisp, shiny apples right off the trees. Most of all, I look forward to the golden, soft, rippling light that comes in through the windows while I'm knitting and gently warms my hands and illuminates my stitches. Beautiful moments....

Last night's knitting group was FANTASTIC! I don't know if it was the combination of super friendly, energetic, inspiring and lovely knitters (with a handsome, young newbie we snagged named Mike...after he met us, I think he had a whole NEW idea of what a knitting group was! I think he was a little surprised when Chris and Jackie started listing nicknames of a woman's particular body part, but quickly started adding some himself!), but I had more fun last night than I've had in a while.

Not that EVERY Wednesday night isn't heaven-on-earth...which, for the most part, it is. But, you know how sometimes everyone is on the same page and everything just "clicks"? Well, that's how it was last night...maybe it was the "Sweet-Mama's-Sex-When-You-Want-It-Backyard-Punch" talking, but I don't think so. (Thanks for driving me home, Jackie!...I was just a "weedle bit wobbly"....fyi...I only had one glass of that potent stuff.)

Of course, I forgot the digital camera- AGAIN...so no pics from last night (although I hear that Jackie has one of Amanda kissing my boob or something) but everyone had great projects going and I loved seeing how they were coming out.

LUCILLE had a lavender/purples quilt she was working on...that was amazing and I loved it. DONNA was just about done with her basketweave shawl....wish it was mine! ERICKA was knitting her baby blue cashmere top that has a cable pattern to die for. JACKIE was more than halfway done with her super cute and lacey Hedera socks from Knitty.com and they are YUMMMY! CAROLINE finished the pale, butter yellow baby blanket she was crocheting and I couldn't stop looking at it...it was beautiful and that baby (and mom) are SOO lucky! CHRIS was working on his gloves (his OWN pattern, no less) and got at least one or two fingers knitted on it...angora and wool blend.....droool. The famous (or infamous) AMANDA was knitting in the black hole for a while on the Jaywalkers for her friend Eric, which are coming out mighty good, and then, luckily, she broke through the barrier to 4 inches. I know others were knitting super great stuff, but that's all my brain is remembering right now.

I don't remember much about what Heather was knitting because she was waving her "Magic Yarn Wand" at the table and a bunch of "to-die-for" handpainted yarns were dropping from the sky and my eyes were dazzled. While my eyes were still adjusting to the luscious yarns in front of me, she surprised me with the handpainted "fixation-like" yarns for my mom's socks....eeee!



Then, if I couldn't be shocked enough, she passed me a bag of:

Miss Tubbsie Yarn!


(This is a pic of the yarn near the little place we have Little Miss Tubbsie buried...a bunny statue and pretty pink flowering bush marks the site.)

Three sweet, sweet skeins of an angora/wool blend yarn handpainted in the loveliest, softest, and fuzziest pinks and whites. Oh, I almost cried. The colors reminded me exactly of my baby girl bunny and how delicate and loving she was. I have no idea what to do with this yarn yet, but it will have to be something that I can wear often and near to my heart...Amanda was thinking of a kind of collar scarf and I thought maybe a lacey short scarf. I don't know yet...but if anyone has any ideas or patterns, I'd LOVE to hear from you. (I think it's at least 300 yards of dk or worsted)

Thank you, thank you, Heather. You are my loving "Yarn Fairy"!

The only thing that could have been better was if my friend, Laurin was there. It is her birthday today and I was hoping to see her yesterday to give her a big hug. (I LOVE hugs!) So, Happy, Happy Birthday, Laurin and I hope you had a super day and liked the daisies!

I am going to designate the last Friday of this month as FO FRIDAY (which is not f*cuk off friday), but more innocently "Finished Object Friday". I'm going to list all of my totally finished projects since the year started and perhaps a link to a picture if I can. If I have TONS of extra time, I might list the yarns and patterns I used, but try not to get your hopes up. You're welcome to do the same for FO FRIDAY, but it would make me smile if you mentioned where you got the idea from or linked to my blog : )

Happy Knitting, you yarn-porn-addicts!!!

Wanna See Some Watermelon??

Wow! I'm blogging againg...it's a miracle!

I couldn't wait to show you the amazing "Smocked Gauntlets" pattern by Heather of Sereknity. You can get the FREE (yes, free...she's crazy!) pattern here.

I went to Joanne's one day yarn sale at her store, A Knitter's Garden, on Saturday. Promised myself I would be good since I have the Grand View Lodge trip to save up for...and I was "kinda" good. I only bought one skein of Trekking (in a fantastic dark gray, yellow, green and white colorway...not my usual colors, but it really intrigued me...I think the fun is in figuring out what it will look like in the end, right?), 3 balls of Heirloom Breeze (an Australian yarn that is part wool, cotton and lycra) for socks in a light lilac and white...the pattern for these socks is from the new "Yarn" magazine from Austrailia...it's SUPER awesome...great pics, great patterns, book reviews and articles.

The last thing I bought was Heather's handpainted, superwash, sportweight yarn in "What Else?...Watermelon!". I had eyed it last time she brought it to knitting group, but wasn't sure if I wanted to take on ANOTHER sock project (I already have like 4 going)...I know, I know, "Socks Don't Count"...but how far can you REALLY take that? It's like Weight Watcher points...you can have a ton of zero point soup...but it does have calories, so at some point, your soup consumption will be up to, like, 10 points for the day! Ugh!

But, when I saw Heather's pattern right next to the yarn, I knew it was fate. So, without further ado, here is one of the wonderful watermelon gauntlets that I knitted up...which I have nicknamed "Happy Hand Huggers": (The other is 1/2 done)



What do you think? I tried to "pose" next to the beautiful new birdseed holder that my close friend, Chris, got for me. Isn't she pretty and peaceful? This next picture is a close up of the detail of pattern and yarn. Awesome, huh?



After knitting up my ipod holder, I noticed my ipod and Ian's ipod next to each other on the counter...each in its own felted ipod cozy that I'd made. At that moment, I knew I had to take a pic of both of them together....with a little felted "love heart" between them. (Everyone say together...."AWWWWW!" and shed a tiny, romantically-related tear.)



Before I go, I wanted to share a pic of the "boys" in my life (plus one) when we went apple picking yesterday. We got TONS of fresh, crispy, tart and sweet apples (YUUUUMMMM!), which will provide us, not only with apple pies/crisps/sauce, but also healthy digestive systems for at least a few weeks. Yeah! We also bought some freshly picked peaches, which I came home and immediately made Peach Cobbler out of. Though....poor me...I didn't even get ONE bite! Both Ian, Tim and his friend Mike had 2 dishes each. Wahhh! (guess I can always make another!)



Here is Ian, Ben, Mike and Tim.....what a cute picture. Ian, of course, is wearing one of his "lucky" tshirts...SpongeBob, which delights many children when we go places. It's too bad that it's almost in pieces...with huge holes underneath SpongeBob's eye and near his nose. It really needs to be retired soon. (I'm kinda glad though, because every time we want to be "intimate"...aka "have hot, steamy sex"....and Ian is holding me close to kiss, I end up eye level with SpongeBobs' huge, bulging eyes....Ian is quite taller than me..him being about 6 feet and me being 5'1". Either I've got SB, one of the characters from South Park, Ozzy Ozborne or a picture of the kids STARING at me when he's hugging me. Definitely NOT romantic!)

Remind me to buy him some new tshirts with better pictures...perhaps Keifer Sutherland from "24" or one of those hunks from "Lost" or Ewan McGregor...hmmm.......

How do you spell incompetence? C-A-B-L-E G-U-Y!

*Before I start my ranting, here is a pic of the Yummilicious "Goody Gumdrops" sock using Heather's self-striping fingering weight sock yarn. It's my own pattern which, by the way, is featured in a sock contest at my LYS, Ewe'll Love It. Wish me luck...I'd love to win! It's a $25 gc and a set of the new Lantern Moon dpns in that gorgeous exotic wood. DROOL!*

Okay, so I THOUGHT that I would have cable internet on Wednesday night. I was very, very wrong. The alleged "cable guy" (who could have been a brick layer for all I know) came to the house and spend 20 minutes trying to find the cable that goes from the house to to outside. Finally, I found it in the living room. (check one for me) Then, he said he couldn't find the outside cable to connect the inside one to...(at this point, I suggested looking underneath some of the plants and ground cover that was beneath the spot where the cable came out)...he says, "uh, I already looked there. It's not there. What you have to do is to get a company to dig up the road and your property so we can connect the cable lines from down the street to your house. I don't think the cable line is here."

So, I look at him funny and say, "But, 5 other people have had cable in this house....it says it on the order slip. So, where's the cable? It has to be here somewhere!" He says, "Uh, well, they must have dug it up out of the ground, I guess." And I say, "Why the heck would they do that??" He says, "I dunno." And proceeds to leave. (During this time, he keeps getting cell phone calls from his wife, who keeps screaming at him, "Are you LISTENING to me?????")

I called my hubby and when he came home that night, found the cable underneath the ground cover plants right where I said it would be (check two for me). The next day, I have to recall the cable company to have them come back and they say, "Oh, the computer says that this job has been completed." and, after being on the phone for over 30 minutes trying to talk to a live person, I get very upset. I said, "He didn't do ANYTHING!!!!!" and proceeded to tell them exactly what happened the day before. SO....now we have to wait for the cable company to call and make ANOTHER appointment...hence, no cable internet...hence, no time to wait to upload a couple pictures because of very cute, but cranky children...hence, no blogging.

But, this morning, I have a few minutes (actually it's taken me an hour) to upload pics and blog...Finally!

1. A picture of the beautiful, awesome bucket bag that Jackie made for me ...I'm keeping all of my current small knitting projects in it. It is WONDERFUL!!!



2. A picture of the slippers I knit (and then felted) using the Montera (50% llama, 50% wool) yarn in pink and turquoise. The pattern is from the new book, "Knit 2 Together" by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark...totally super new book..funny, too.



3. Here is half of Rose's merino/silk fiber spun up into a 2 ply, bulky weight yarn. You can't imagine how gorgeous this yarn is and how silky, super soft it is. I really hope she'll like it. So far, I've spun up 117 yards of it and she'll have at least that much more from the second ball of fiber. Yummy!



4. Here is my lovely, lovely new pink iPod that Ian got me. This is the knitted up, unfelted cozy using Knit Picks Sock Garden in the "Star Gazer Lily" colorway and the Knit Picks pattern. I made one for Ian a year or two ago out of the "Yukon" colorway...now we have matching cozies! (cue...."Awwwwwwww!)



5. This is the finished iPod cozy....with all embellishments and which hangs perfectly from my neck so I can walk and listen to it. So super...the pattern is easy and fun, too.



6. Finally, the updated "COCK"....it doesn't look much bigger than the last picture, but it actually is...the circ needle that it's on right now (of course, an Addi Turbo) is small, so you can't tell that it's much bigger. It's so beautiful and the pattern is very easy to remember. I can't decide what it will actually be in the end....either a baby blanket, small shawl or throw, but it will be sinfully soft no matter what it turns out to be.



To all my loyal and super blogging readers, please don't give up on me. I will keep trying to blog as frequently as I can. Meanwhile, I will be knitting up amazing things and hoping to finish many UFOs before the year is out. Stay tuned!!!!

**Also....guess whose handspun, cabled yarn is in the newest "Spin-Off Magazine"?????? Check out page 86 on the left. EEEE! It's so friggin awesome! I know...a LOT of people get their yarn in, but I'm so pysched to see mine there along with others MUCH more nicely spun and beautiful. And, I'm the only one from NH this month...super cool!**

Equation Explanation

Why haven't I blogged for almost a week? Well, here are my 10 reasons, in no particular order:

1. Tim back to school (and new Algebra class) + much homework = Busy and Frustrated Mommy

2. Working 3 part time jobs on the weekend + lots of driving to work + being a full time mom and wife = Busy and Tired Me

3. Having hubby's friends stay over our house for 3 days - hubby + screaming and utter insanity and HELL = New PINK ipod for Me, the "best wife who is a saint", says Ian.

4. Slow as molasses dial up internet + uploading pictures of any size for blog = HUGE pain in the ass and up to 2 hours of waiting time to finish blogging x no extra time to blog = NO blogging for a week

5. Whining about slow internet + home phone line always busy so friends and family can't call = Cable internet being installed TOMORROW!!!

6. Mountains of laundry, dirty dishes and crumb filled floors - any help from any other family members = Days of cleaning and no time to blog

7. Being stressed out and tired with little time for knitting + opportunity to visit the yarn store, Ewe'll Love It, with good friend Jackie = Gorgeous yarn stash enhancement (and money spent...whoops!)

8. Bringing finished first "Goody Gumdrops" sock using Heather's awesome handpainted superwash merino yarn to yarn store + asking owner about sock contest = MY SOCK entered in contest !!! (if you'd like to vote for me...I'm number 16)

9. Having adorable pink ipod in hand + almost dropping it on the tile floor + metallic finish very easily scratched + extra Knit Picks Sock Garden yarn in Star Gazer Lily = FINISHED (and felted) IPod holder that is super cool.

10. Cable internet - crappy dial up + lots of pictures to show you + time to do it on Thursday = "SUPER PICTURE BLOGGING FRIDAY!!!!!"

*By the way, the winner of the Giveaway was lovely Julie for her lightening fast and hilarious email. Thanks, Julie! Hope you're enjoying the yarn and goodies!*

The Green Eyed Monster

The question is: Am I a green eyed monster? No, no, no...but YOU might be when you see this totally rockin' yarn I got from Heather of Sereknity...formally A Crafty Kat. It's called "Gooey Gumdrops" and not only are the colors BRILLIANT and candi-licious...but....listen closely, my sweet readers....it's SELF STRIPING! (eeeeee!!!)

Ready for a pic...nah, I changed my mind....your hot, little knitting fingers aren't ready for such a shock.....

Or are they? Oh, okay...I'll be nice...



Can you believe how beautiful this is???? It's not only super soft (100% superwash merino fingering weight), but lovely, lovely to work with and I'm going to be a teasing, naughty friend right now and say "Nah nah- nah nah nah" to my super friend, Jackie because she won't be getting hers until tomorrow.....heh heh...I'm so evil, aren't I? ; )

Okay....here's what you've been waiting for....(or I hope at least SOME of you in the blogging world out there...jeez, I'm being super optimistic, aren't I?)....the GIVEAWAY!!!

Here's what my SleepyEyes self is offering the lucky winner:



1. 5 skeins of hand-dyed, Sleepy Eyes yarn...."Green Apple Martini", "Merlot", and "Garden Tomato" 100% wool yarns (feltable) and the set of "Jiggly Jello" 100% nylon yarn, some of these yarns are in my Etsy store right now. The others were fun experiments.

2. 2 books...."The Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting" and "Zen and the Art of Knitting".

3. And a special little something from me, which is a surprise.

This giveaway can be yours if you....

*Email me right now (go to view my profile and, on the left hand side, will be button to email me) and let me know you're interested. Give me an idea why you think you should win...be totally selfish here, okay?

AND

*You will have to agree to not only go to my Etsy shop to buy the "Green Apple Martini" and "Jiggly Jello" as soon you as know YOU are the winner (not before you win), but also promise to send me pictures before the end of the 2006 year of something you have made with one or all of the yarns. ( A suggestion I have is to make a felted bag or something like that, since the yardage on each is small.) If you blog about the prize you win, I will be even happier : )

So, before you all head off to email me (right???), I have a little bit of happy news....



Yarn Botanika and I are teaming up to create a cool, online shop called "Fiber Fanatics". Right now, the shop is in its "drooly, baby infancy" and will most likely be upgraded to a more "awesome, kick-ass" shop soon....featuring our fiber-y and yarn-y photos on all sorts of goodies....tshirts, stamps, mugs, baby items, bags, posters, color prints, knitting journals, etc. (If you want a sneak peek, go here.) Tell me whatcha think, K?

Another tiny, bit of even happier news....



I will be designing a lace sock pattern for Black Pearl Yarns, a company which will be selling gorgeous, soft-as-a-baby's-bottom luxury yarns....you should check out the blog, which will soon be displaying colors of the yarns...the names are amazing, too...very Zen and oriental. Think cashmere!!! (orgasmic!)

Have a super knitting evening!

P.S. My "COCK" (don't blame me...the name is back by popular demand) is growing nicely...so smooth..you should see the spirals! Fascinating!

Thank you....And time to shop.

For all of the lovely, wonderful people who read my blog and sent their sympathies for Little Miss Tubbsie....thank you. Thank you for the sweet, kind words and the understanding of my deep sadness for my little bunny. I didn't realize how much she meant to me until she was gone (something you hear a lot, but never REALLY understand until it happens to you) and it helped me so much to read your emails and comments : ) Especially, thanks to Nichole for sending me the ecard and link to Rainbows Bridge....so sweet and to Heather for calling me and listening to me the other day.

The beautiful picture above is a view from Mt. Layfayette in the White Mountains where Ian, my son Tim and his friend, Mike, went last week to hike. When I saw this picture, I was awed by the peacefulness and mystery of it. How lucky they were to be there, huh?

Speaking of peacefulness...I was able to sneak out of the house today and join the knitting group in Concord today. It was nice to be around new faces....and a comfort to be around some of my best buddies. I knit on my "Circle of Cashmere Knitting" (which strangely enough is....don't read the next words if you're under 18 please....."COCK"...wow, that's lewd...sorry), which is a pleasure in all ways....the yarn (a 100% chinese cashmere in a cream color I got off of ebay) is like some soft, velvety cloud and the lace pattern is simple enough for me to memorize and not have to look at the pattern (woo-hoo!).



This piece of knitting (which I probably can't keep referring to as "COCK"...or shouldn't, anyway) was supposed to be a knit along with Lolly of the Giving Flower, but I realized that the style is really not me. So, (sorry Lolly!) I've decided (with Donna's executive decision) to keep going with the spiral circle and just make a big circle for a shawl (or possibly baby blanket).



Oh, back to Concord...Denise was super enough to open up the The Elegant Ewe for a bit so I could get THESE goodies:

Classic Elite Montera (2 pink and 1 turquoise)...for felted slippers and 2 balls of the new Regia Bamboo sock yarn....for socks, of course. YUMMY! (I also snagged the book, Shawls and Scarves by Knitter's Magazine from Borders...love that book!)



Finally, want to share with you the gorgeous (and I mean, sooo fantastic) Finland jumperweight yarn I ordered from School House Press called Sakakieli. Wow! Will be using this for either the Serephim Shawl or one from the book I just got...haven't decided yet.



So, this week I hope to do these things:

1. Have the Giveaway...with pics of the yarn and books to pick.
2. Pics of the amazing self striping yarn that Heather of Sereknity dyed up...and I bought!
3. Pic of the super awesome bucket bag that Jackie made me...I've used it all weekend so far...thanks, Jackie!!!
4. Work on my grandma's Winter Wonderland socks and "Circle of Cashmere Knitting"...or you-know-what. Is my mind always in the gutter?

Yes.

MissTubbsie 10/15/05-08/31/06

LittleMissTubbsie
Originally uploaded by SleepyEyes.

We had a horribly sad experience last night. We had to put our little 10 month old English angora bunny to sleep. She had wool block for longer than we thought and, when I saw she was so lethargic yesterday, I called the vet. Luckily they had a cancellation so we got in right away.

At first, they looked at her teeth and bottom and said there could be hope, even after the xrays showed it was wool block, but later, the vet came in and said that any treatment would just bring her more suffering. This was so painful to hear.

Because of her large, fluffy white coat, we didn't know that she was only skin and bones underneath. The diet plan that was given to us was mostly to bring out a nice coat in the bunny...not really one to keep her healthy and strong. I've never had a bunny before, so I followed the instructions we'd gotten. But, the foods we were giving her (oats, sunflower seeds and pellet food) should have been eliminated and she should have primarily been fed hay (which we did give her lots of everyday) and leafy greens.

I can't tell you how much it hurt me to know that I'd fed her the wrong things. Thank goodness Ian suggested early on that she run around the yard every day (which I thought was dangerous for her, though it was probably actually one of the things that made her live as long as she did).

I made a fool of myself crying uncontrollably at the vet. Ian was very strong for all of us. I felt so sorry for my older son, Tim, because he was inconsolable and sobbed like I've never seen him do before. Neither Tim nor I have ever lost a pet and he kept saying, "Why can't we SAVE her???". We tried to explain how we would pay anything or do anything for her if we could, but she had been suffering for longer than we thought (we were told that bunnies easily disguise their health) and there was no hope. We didn't want her to suffer anymore. The vet didn't think she'd live through any treatments or hospitalization.

When I had to sign the euthanasia form, my hand was shaking so much....I could barely do it. I hated to do it. It was the most horrible feeling I've ever had. When the brought her in so we could say goodbye, I didn't think I could hold it together. I petted her (she was wrapped in a soft towel) and told her how sorry I was that I didn't do the right things for her. Both Ian and I felt like we let her down. Poor Tim couldn't bear to see her and had to sit in the car. I can't tell you how hard it was to say goodbye. It killed me.

We had her body wrapped up in the blanket I'd made and they put her in a nice box. Today, we're going out to buy a small tree or flowering plant and we'll be burying her in the backyard...having a small and loving burial for her. We wanted her close by and not in some pet cemetary, where she'd be lonely....sounds dumb, but that's how we felt.

Today is even more horrible. Seeing her bunny cage, her dishes and hay....the great new big cage that Ian made for her.....I don't know what to do. Tim and I keep crying. Poor Ben said on the way home last night, "Where's the bunny? Want the bunny!" and Tim sobbed even harder. Ben didn't understand that she'd died.

To my dear, lovely, sweet Tubbsie....I'm so sorry that I failed you and I enjoyed every minute of seeing you hop around the yard, holding you in my arms and seeing you munch on your hay. Thank you for the little bit of fur I have saved from you in plucking this year. I will treasure it always. I love you, my little girl bunny and I know you are somewhere safe, warm, happy and full of leafy green carrot tops, which were your favorite. Rest in Peace.

P.S. I'll have the giveaway another time. Sorry...I just couldn't do it yesterday.