Pre-Travelitis

I've been feeling completely overwhelmed this week with planning and packing for our Bahamas trip. I should be getting excited, feeling grateful to be going at all and carefully cleaning the house before we leave in 9 days. Am I feeling or doing any of those things? No.

I'm a list-maker, so I'm going to list what's bothering me:

1. No matter how many times I clean the house and do laundry for the trip (not wanting to do everything the day before, of course), everyone keeps on wearing clothes, eating and using the toilet. Okay...it may not be their fault, but it IS annoying.

2. I was amazed at how much little stuff I use everyday...toiletries, accessories and sh*t....contact lense case/saline/glasses, cleanser, moisturizer, scented lotion, deoderant, qtips, toothpaste/toothbrush, perfume, powder, razors, soap, shampoo, foundation/eyeliner/lipgloss/blush, and brush/comb/hair dryer. It's a bit crazy, isn't it? Nevertheless, I cannot do without any of them (well, maybe the powder or hair dryer....) so I've been trying to get those on a list for packing.

3. I'm sick over the amount of money I need to spend BEFORE the trip....new shoes, dresses, beachwear, bathing suit and wrap, etc. I thought we spent enough on the trip itself, but we haven't even left yet and I still have to buy our clothes (including new shorts and polo shirts for Ian). It's frightening!

4. The only slightly easy thing has been planning my knitting. The first thing I did was to order the new Knit Picks Harmony circulars for my sock knitting. They are sooo cute! That way, I can take my sock project on the plane and be happy listening to the lovely, soothing voice of Brenda of Cast On and the fantastic and spunky Marly of Yarn Thing podcast. They are definitely coming with me on my trip : )

5. And, lastly, there is the pool to close, the cat box and bunny box to clean out, the wood to stack and groceries to buy for the kiddies/my parents while we are away.

hysterical and unreasonable sobbing

Okay, I'm alright now....

One other sad thing to mention. I'm going to stop doing the Sleepy Eyes Knits podcast in October. I started last year in October and really think it's time to quit. Working at the yarn store, teaching yoga, spending time with the family and knitting/spinning is taking up all my energy and time...and I feel like it's not as rewarding as it was before.

(I've looked over the downloads and I was happy to see that I've gotten an average of 2000 downloads per month. That's pretty cool.) But, this is what I'd like to do. I'd like to end the podcast with a HUGE BANG and I'm asking for people to send me some great ideas/questions/essays/funny knitting stories/comments to me and let my last podcast be totally great. What do you think?

Can you help????

On another, happier, note, I have some pictures to share with you:

-The wonderful Julie and fantastic Patti from the Yarn Sellar at our Friday Night Knitting group last week. (oh, the fun we had!)



and



-The beauitful Jackie in her newly finished Children of the Liur stole:



-The Group at the Yarn and Fiber Co. last week:



-The yummifying Socks That Rock yarn that Ericka and I ordered last week. Front to back: Backstabber (mine!), Puck's Mischief and Tide Pool (Ericka's). I send Ericka a silly "yarn blackmail" email, too...so go and check out her blog to see how she responded!



(I have three FO's that I'd like to share, but I'm waiting faithfully for Friday....just in case I have no idea what to blog about...though they are already up on Ravelry.)

Anyone have any suggestions for my Pre-Travelitis?

FINALLY! I can blog about the WEDDING SHOWER!!!

(The wedding shower cake!)

With the exception of the Manchvegas Knitters, most of you had no idea that I have been knitting and planning SECRETIVE things on the "side". Today is the day that I can finally, finally tell you about it and share all the wonderful (and sometimes stressful) details.

But, before I go into the hows and whys of it all, I am dying to share the pictures of a couple of things I knitted during this time. (It was HELL not being able to put these things on Ravelry!)

First, THE WEDDING AFGHAN!!



A bunch of the Manchvegas Knitters grabbed their knitting needles/crochet hooks and one ball of Moda Dea "Washable Wool" in ivory and created a 12x12 square (design of her/his choice) for the engaged couple of our group, Chris and Ericka.

I collected all the squares and created this afghan (and pillow, not pictured) with it (and I even crocheted a border around it!). I think it came out beautiful....all of the individuality of each of the knitters/crocheters shines through.



Knitters/Crocheters in order from left to right, top to bottom: Denise (who recently got married....Congratulations, D!!!), Melissa, Laurin and Me. Me again, Heather, Jackie, and Marion. Julie, Laurin (two), and Mike. GiGi, Heather, Jackie and Blogless Amanda. Sarah, Lora, Caroline and Denise again. (Donna and Amanda also made one, which went into making a matching pillow.)

Second, THE WEDDING SHAWL!!:



In April and May, I bought some Knit Picks Telemark in the Poppy Colorway and made Ericka a shawl for her wedding. (Her wedding dress is a gorgeous ivory with red trim....red is her favorite color.)

I used the "Children of the Liur" lace stole pattern from Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls by Martha Waterman...a fantastic book for knitting lace shawls...a must have for any lace knitter.

The pattern was simple, but very elegant looking. Here is a close up of the lace...the wrong side is facing:



Whew! Now that I got THAT out of my system.....I can share more of the Knitting-Red-Origami Themed Wedding Shower!

I'll try to be quick, so you're not reading all day....

-The Invitations I Made (it's handy being a scrapbooker!)...this one is Ericka and Chris' copy, with a few more embellishments than the ones I sent out.



-A sample of the origami cranes that we all made for decorating my house...this one was made by either Marion or Caroline....(I think we had over 120 cranes in the end!)



-The tiara I picked out for Ericka so she could feel like a queen on her shower day...



-Ericka's face as she opened the door....she was expecting a birthday party for Donna, another Manchvegas Knitter...but was totally surprised that the party was for HER! (Chris, the MVknitters and I had been trying to keep this from her for MONTHS! She had no idea...which made it absolutely perfect!)



-Here she is wearing the shawl and tiara, while opening gifts. Gigi and Jackie look on at Ericka's left and Chris, her fiance, on the right.



-Here is Chris brandishing the butcher's knife that Jackie got them....with a card that said, "Ericka, don't use this on Chris." LOL!



-Lovely Julie sitting at my Ashford Traditional wheel to try it out...She's getting one for herself to try out for an unlimited time! So cool!...with Marion looking on.



-Here is group photo of everyone who came to the shower (please excuse the lack of linking....my fingers are very tired...look above for links, k?)....



(L to R)
(back row) Marion, Sarah, Gigi, Mike, Julie, Melissa, Patti, Blogless Amanda, and Jackie.
(front row) Lora, Donna, Heather, Caroline, Laurin and Chris's mom, Donna.
(Just Ericka's sister, Mandy, isn't in the pic...she came with Ericka and Chris)

-Did I mention that Julie and Patti, the owner of the Yarn Sellar came all the way from Maine for the shower??? It was pretty wonderful to see both of them and I know that Ericka appreciated it. She was very surprised!

Besides me slightly freaking out as hostess (you know...I get very nervous before parties...I want to make sure everyone is having a good time), I think it went extremely well. Everyone had fun, we knit, danced, Jackie and Lora did cartwheels in the backyarn, we drank LOTS and LOTS of liquor (Melissa is a fabu bartender!), knit more, drank more and laughed constantly.

The favors (oh, man, I forgot to take pics of those!) were donated by me, Donna and Sarah. Donna bought some gorgeous mini skeins of yarn (in green and brown) from WoolGirl, I got red hearts of Lindt chocolate truffles in a red gauzy bag and Sarah gave the patterns and gift bags. We also had a big basket full of skeins of cotton to make dishcloths/washcloths, as well. Heather brought the basket with some yarn and me, Jackie, Amanda, Marion, Laurin and Sarah filled the rest of the basket up with yarn, tied with white ribbon. Donna printed out copies of 6 different free dishcloth patterns for us to pick to go with our favor bags. I think everyone liked them!

The funny thing was that we ALMOST didn't pull the shower off. For weeks, we'd been "talking" on our other website so we could email and plan without Ericka and Chris knowing....The Manchvegas Wedding group. And, at the last minute, I had to send off an emergency email saying that Ericka's wedding dress fitting appointment was on the same day and the same time as the shower! Ahhhh!!!!

After freaking out and trying to decide what to do..this was only two days before the shower, we decided to just move the shower time up a little by a few hours. We were able to contact everyone in time (well, except Blogless Amanda...sorry!) and everything went very smoothly. Chris called me off and on during the day of the shower to give me updates on where they were and what time they would be there. We are SO LUCKY that things happened just the way we'd hoped.

Ericka said it was the first time in her life that she was "speechless".

Mission Accomplished.

P.S. Wanna see what I knit during the shower?

I'm not usually a dishcloth girl, but I really liked this pattern! (Less than 1 ball of Sugar and Cream cotton yarn, size 7 needles and this pattern with a crocheted border.)

Too Eager

This is Ben when he is looking very eager. Eager to play, eager to eat "chips with green sprinkles" (Sour Cream and Onion), and eager to do new things.

With me, I am usually very eager over one thing. (well...one other thing as well...TMI, right?...LOL!)

Yes, you guessed it.

Buying Yarn



Before entering into the TKGA Knit and Crochet Show last Saturday, I said to Laurin, "Please don't let me buy a lot of yarn. I don't need it." After snorting loudly, she says in a tone I know only too well, "Ha!"

And, you know what happened?

Yes, you guessed right again. (You know me SO well!)

I bought more yarn than I meant to...or at least price wise. (Ian, don't read any further)

As soon as I found this Judith (I think) yarn, Reflections, at the first booth, I bought it. Oh, is it sparkly and gorgeous!



Then, I saw some hand knitted holiday stockings and just HAD to get the patterns for them. They are very unique and fun....



Then, I went to the Yarn and Fiber Co. booth and saw this shawl:

I just HAD to get it...the pattern is from the new book by Cheryl Potter of Cherry Tree Hill yarns, "Special Knits Using Only One Skein"...or something close to that. Isn't it beautiful???



Here is a closeup of the figure 8 design in it:



And, of course, I needed the laceweight yarn to go with it...



At the same booth, I got some of Heather's new hand carded batts: Coral Reef and Smouldering Embers...you can see them in her shop HERE. They're not only super soft, but the colors are LUSCIOUS!



(Heather also surprised me with this fantastic sock bag, too. I am in LOVE with it! I wish I hadn't already finished Ben's socks. Will just have to knit more, I guess!)



The other fiber I got (I cannot remember at all what the company was...I WILL find it...somewhere...) is, I believe, a super sparkly (golden) mohair/wool blend roving in the colorway "Autumn Leaves with Glitz". You can't tell how sparkly and lush the colors are from this photo, though. It's so nice.



Hmmm...what else did I get? Oh, a pattern (and yarn) to make the kids a soft as hell Teddy Bear.



It was a great day (despite my headache) and we all got to sit in the vendor area "cafe" to have lunch. They had nice, big tables and our group all fit at one. Some other shoppers sat there with us as well. I think it was Heather who asked the woman (sitting two seats down from me) what she was here for and she said, "Oh, I'm signing books for the Elegant Ewe." (That's a LYS around here.) And we said, "Which one???" She says, "I wrote, 'Never Knit Your Man a Sweater'." and we almost fell over. ( I MAY have squealed.)



We were so excited to be eating lunch with Judith Durant!!! She was sweet and friendly as can be. I'll just have to find a sweater Ian likes from her book so I can knit it up! That book is GREAT! (please go buy it and support Judith!)

After lunch and much laughter, Jackie, Laurin and I were knitting at the table. Jackie and I happened to see (aka drool over, stare at and envy) a woman from the Dream Weavers Yarns table wearing the sweater we've both wanted to make.



It's the Sahara by the very, very talented Wendy Bernard. I always knew it was the most beautiful and flattering sweater pattern I'd seen, but it was even BETTER in person. Oh, I was weak. Very, very weak.

I ended up buying the pattern and the yarn...actually only 4 skeins of yarn total....3 of Pure and Simple and 1 of the Disco Lights in Ruby Wine. 100% silk. YUMMY! LOOK....



Actually, that was a huge mistake. Not because the pattern isn't fabulous...or the yarn...but for the fact that I am a.....

YARN BULEMIC

(This is not in ANY WAY belittling the people who have the very real condition of bulemia nervosa.)

The wise and witty Ericka came up with this phrase the other night and we couldn't stop laughing because it totally fits me to a T.

I get so super, overly excited about some yarn, I buy it impulsively and then have buyer's remorse the next day. I do love, love the Sahara...but, although I've never knit myself a sweater or tank top or anything, I did overspend on this. Yikes.

So, the Manchvegas Knitters came to the rescue. I sent out a "Yarn Distress Signal" and they came running. I brought some of my most luxury stash yarns to knitting group and sold them all to my friends so I could go back and put the money back for the Sahara "kit" I bought. All even and much, much less guilt. Whew!

Speaking of knitted luxury items....while we were at the show, Jackie almost bought the Mermaid Jacket kit. Look at how beautiful she looks!



The most fabulous Donna (our overseas yarn connection) told Jackie that she could find that kit for $100 less overseas and Jackie was thrilled. Woo-hoo for Donna! And Jackie!

Last, I have to show you this photo of our "Crochet Master" of the group, GiGi. She is holding a kit called, "Knitting with Gigi" and I knew I couldn't leave without taking her pic holding it.



Am I caught up now??

Not sure.

(I'm almost done with Ben's sweater, but have done nothing on my lace trim. I have to get motivated, dammit!)

Hope you're having a good weekend!

I Rock, U Rock, We all...Rock!

Right after I blogged, I went to check out my favorite blogs...and, in my travels, I read THIS. The fabulous and ever-so-prolific Julie Noolie has given me (and four others) the Rockin Girl Blogger award. Well, what else can I do?? I have to award some of these babies myself!!!

And, although I love all my favorite blogs (see right), there are 6 that I just COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT. Luckily, Julie has already received the award (for she is definitely one of my ultimate favorites that I check every day), so I can pick 5 instead of 4 more.

Drum roll please!!!! (These are the gals that are in my bookmark BAR, not just bookmarks!)

I hereby award this button to:

1. Jackie for her classy & beautiful pictures and style of writing...plus she is so inspiring to me.

2. Cayli for such luscious handspun, fantastic pics and also her lacy (and spinning) inspiration.

3. Amy for always creating something utterly unique and wonderful...her yummy recipes and gorgeous yarn and fiber.

4. Ericka for her dry, laugh-your-ass-off humor and always finding something interesting to knit and blog about.

5. Kimberly for always blogging with grace, style and beauty. Every single finished knitted (or crocheted) object is a work of art.

Yipppeeee!!!!

Spunk-a-licious!

CAUTION....had too many pics to post, so I had to choose only some. Sorry! Hope they all come through...



What can I say about a day spent at a fantastic yarn store with a to-die-for view and....best of all....Amy Boogie of Spunky Eclectic?



SpunkyTastic!!!!!

Melissa, Lora and I started off at Donna's house (Blogless, Koigu Donna) and headed to York, ME to the Yarn Sellar to meet the fabulous Julie, Brenda and, YS owner and sweetie, Patti. (Ericka and Chris met us there before leaving for Lisbon.) Here we all are before leaving...with Donna holding a basket of Heather's Sereknity Sock Options yarn.



(l-r...Lora, Roger (Patti's hubby aka Bruce), Patti, Donna, Melissa, Me and Julie)

After stopping for a quick lunch, exchanging cell phone numbers (thank GOODNESS we did!), getting lost a couple times and then finally meeting up at a Dunkin Donuts/Mobil gas station (to refresh ourselves with waters, coffee and candy...namely, PEPPERMINT PATTIES...hint hint...wink wink....), we were on the home stretch to Spunky Amy's.

Donna made a very impressive, race car driver's sharp and short right turn into the parking lot at once when we screamed, "THERE IT IS!!!" and, I think, ralllied rather well after her heart stopping for a second or two. (and saying, "You are FIRED as the copilot for the next trip!" to me....which, of course, I've heard before, right Laurin?) Sorry, Donna!

Here is the view from Amy's shop...



Impressive, isn't it????

After getting a huge hug from Amy's adorable, squeeze-her-face daughter "Medium Boogie" (not to be confused with "Baby Boogie") and Amy herself, we all rushed like a mob into the shop. Although the size is small (especially for about 10 of us at once), everything is arranged very nicely and you know exactly where to go for what you want. Not only does she have YARN! and FIBER!!!, but also spindles, spinning wheels, spinning equipment, and her own handmade pottery, which is gorgeous. It was just like at SPA, we all kept going back in for more! Go outside, go back in, go outside, go back in....it was a vicious cycle of horrible monetary proportions. shiver

Wanna see pics of the store?? (of course you do!)

Exhibit A: The Yarn



Exhibit B: The Fiber



Exhibit C: The Spindles



Exhibit D: The Pottery



And, you know what else???

Melissa and Lora learned how to spin on the drop spindle!!!! Woo-hoo!! (Ericka and I thought to ourselves, "He he...we've corrupted MORE knitters!"...or at least, that's what I think we thought!)

Here I am giving Melissa a hand, though she was really a natural.



And Melissa and Lora succesfully spinning! (Lora, you are awesome at the S twist!!!!)



Most of the time, we spent on the porch, knitting (welll, I talked....mostly...shocker) I think I was getting a little too "photo happy" because Brenda and Julie looked at me like THIS:



And the lovely Patti...



I thought Chris and Ericka looked so cute here together...dont' you? Busy knittin' away....



I think we spent almost 3 hours there and it was the most relaxing and fun time I've had in weeks....I even got to draw chaulk pictures on the driveway with "Medium Boogie", which was almost more fun than knitting! (gasp!) Here are some pics that we drew together...



Boy, it really made me want to have a little girl....boohoo...but, no, I'm happy with my video game playing boys : ) Maybe I could just borrow Medium Boogie or Jackie's Little One sometimes....right?

On the way home, and Donna's trunk stuffed to the brim with yarn and fiber, we stopped for dinner and it was delicious! We had a waitress, Jamie, that rivaled Famous April for friendliness and that "je ne s'ai quoi" that we look for when dining and knitting. It was a long ride home and though I tried to give Donna subliminal messages on the way...(saying "Yaaaarrrnnn" instead of "Yaaaawwwnnn")....she wasn't really fallling for it. Damn it.

So, you ask, what are the treasures that you took home??? Well, here are some of the things I got....some are gifts and I didn't take pics of them. Wanna see????



(l-r) "Nuclear Flower" sportweight, "Walking on the Sun" laceweight merino, "Your Majesty" skinny sock, and "Killer Tomato" skinny sock.

Plus, I got "Pulsations" in green to knit up Amy's new "Pulsations" sock pattern...see HERE and a couple rovings for spinning.

All in all, it was a FANTASTIC day, although I missed everyone who couldn't make it. I'm sure we'll go again, though.

Oh, let me leave you with THE WALL OF GINA...



(Medium Boogie wrote my name all along the brick wall near the shop. I LOVE her!!!) Go visit Spunky's Shop NOW! (he he)