Saturday with Clover....and Yarn Basket

I had a rare treat on Saturday. Spending time with fantastic friends, visiting a yarn store and....most important of all....finally meeting Clover in person!!!

After many weeks of deliberation...we finally had a date we could all agree on to meet...Julie, Jackie and I....and, of course, Clover. LOL

Jackie and I drove up to Maine early in the morning and met up with Julie at her house (which is wonderful and very "Noolie-like"). We were greeted at the door by the little one herself...and, let me say, she's even more adorable in person than in her photos, if that's possible. She was a bit scared of us, I think, but was happy to let us sit and watch her play. Every second we were there, I wanted to nibble on those toes and squeeze those cheeks of hers...ooooh, the baby urge was strong!



I had knit Clover a little teddy bear before coming up and was able to give it to her in person...I think she liked it. She chewed on the ear almost immediately ; )



I love the picture of her at the start of the post...it's like she's saying to me, "Yeah, I'm on to you, lady. I'm going to accept this bear, but you're still a very suspicious person...."



This one's very cute of her playing and smiling....

When we had to leave, I was able to sneak a kiss to the top of her head (though she made a funny face...lol). I can just imagine how difficult it is for Julie to leave her when she has to go to work...oh, the strength she must have to leave that cutie ; )

After sadly leaving Clover, we all went to Portsmouth to the grand opening of the Yarn Basket. They're in their new location now...on the corner of Hanover and High Street....almost directly across from the parking garage, which is very convenient.



The place was not quite as big as I'd imagined, but definitely bigger than their old place. It still has that wonderful, friendly feeling and we were greeted right away by the new owner and by our argyle sock teacher, Jay Allen...one of the nicest and best knitting teachers around.

We had a great time shopping for yarn (see my loot below), chatting and soaking up the soothing (but also exciting) yarnish atmosphere. Because it was the grand opening, we were treated to a complimentary cookie (which I have to say was the MOST delicious cookie I've ever eaten...shortbread with royal icing maybe...I was dying for another one after eating mine at home) and a sample container of Soak wash.

Julie got some great yarn to make the Blue Sky Alpacas Fish toy for Clover, Jackie got enough Lopi in a super gray heather to make a DROPS jacket and this is what I got:



(L-R) 2 Skeins of Classic Elite "Lush" for a scarf, 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas "Brushed Suri" for two "KeyHole Scarves" (this yarn is soo soft, furry and has bamboo in it!) and a mini crochet hook...not sure what I'll use it for, but maybe to pick up dropped stitches?

We were famished after shopping and ran right over to The Friendly Toast. Although we had to wait for about a half and hour for a table, it was so worth it! I had the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich ever with homefries and a drink called, "The Pinky"....appropriate name, huh?



It was a frappe with a mix of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries. Oh, it was so good!

Jackie and Julie had some very interesting and yummy food, too. We were stuffed when we left. (But that did NOT stop us from visiting the chocolate store next and devouring some yummy chocolate covered strawberries, though!)

The day was so relaxed, so non-stressful, so....well, just wonderful! I think we all deserve a day like that...at least once in a while, don't you?

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?

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)

I've been TAGGED!

Here's the deal: Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog. I've been tagged by not only Julie, but also by Nichole. Okay, here goes....

1. I love green beans/string beans. I've loved them all my life and they are my favorite vegetable. Mostly, I love them stir fried with a spicy, asian sauce and lots of garlic (sorry, Ian!) and served over rice (god, I'm hungry!).

2. I am a total obsessive person about my bed. I have to have the sheets and blankets the "right way" and I must make my bed every day. I like to have a whole "bedtime routine"...I know...I'm so wacked...strangely enough, this bed thing doesn't extend to other places....like if I go somewhere else. Just my bed at home.

3. Before getting pregnant with Ben, I was on Weight Watchers (as I am AGAIN now, but not as motivated) and lost 132 pounds. After having him and gaining the 60 pounds of pregnancy, I lost more. Then, I gained. Then, I lost....the vicious circle of weight loss. Now, I have to lose a lot again (not the 132 pounds, thank goodness) and I'm finding it twice as hard as last time.

4. (once upon a time I was smart and geeky...though now...?) In high school, I graduated 5th out of 282 students and got scholarships to Boston University, Renssalear (I never spell this right), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (where I ended up going), Stonehill College and Northeastern. I now have a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics (which is not being used) with minor in Art History....oh, where did my brain go????

5. I used to have a horrible speech problem when I was little. I had to go to speech therapy (being pulled out of class in elementary school is NOT fun) and I was incredibly shy and couldn't talk to anyone. Now, I can't stop talking! LOL! In junior high, all of a sudden, I just "remembered" how to breathe before talking (though I sometimes forget this nowadays) and go more slowly. If I'm REALLY excited, I still do have a bit of trouble. But, boy, that air in the lungs truly helps.

6. If you know me personally, you know that I'm incredibly sensitive. Not always a good thing because I take things to heart easily and the smallest things sometimes hurt me very deeply. Being sensitive is good other times, though. I feel like I can more easily be understanding and compassionate. Doing Reiki helps to keep me more balanced, but on the whole...I feel like my feelings are all out in the open...to be cherished or crushed. Most of the time, they're cherished, so I'm lucky : )

7. My favorite doll growing up was Raggedy Ann. My great-aunt, Roberta, was a talented artist/crafter (I have some of her paintings still) and I learned everything from her. She made me my very first sewing basket (filled with goodies!), taught me to crochet, paint and "be crafty". Before I was born, she made me (hand sewn!) a Raggedy Ann doll which I love to this day. I slept with her and held her every second until I was in grade school. She even went with me to college! She is still alive....new arms, head, and clothes, though. (I used to always get her head stuck in the back of my chair...!) She is filled with all my childhood fears, tears, dreams and happiness. This doll was made with love and I hope that my aunt, who passed away when Tim was 4, knows how much she meant to me and how much I loved her.

Whew...time for a little sobbing....okay...better.

So, now, I will tag Jackie, GiGi, Laurin, Ericka, Melissa, Amanda and Heather.

Knitting group tonight! Can't wait!! (did you see the new Interweave Knits? It's awesome!)

FO Friday with Show and Tell....

Sweater Sampler!!!!

*Note: just realized that I forgot to put the knitted belt on it...whoops!*

I can't believe I havne't blogged the trip with Julie's group, Chicks with Sticks, yet! I think it was mostly because I...

1. Forgot to bring my camera, so had no pictures to show
2. And been working frantically to finish 3 projects I've been working on. Two are halfway done and the Sweater Sampler was finished today. (see above pic!)

The trip to Maine was FANTASTIC! Not only was the ride up with Melissa, Jackie and Lora fun and quick, but with each mile away from home, my horrible headache was slowly disappearing. Very lucky I was.

The shop, The Yarn Sellar, is adorably cute with lots of wonderful yarns. I think I was most impressed with the friendliness of the owners (Patti and her husband Roger) and the great spot in the back of the store with the long, wooden table for sitting and knitting at. It is an extremely homey and welcoming place.

Not only was I able to see lovely and funny-as-hell Julie again, but there was a local reporter who just "happened" by to interview Patti and Roger about the store. Lucky us...you know why? She also interviewed Julie, Jackie and I for the article!!! Here is the link if you want to read it...it's soooo cool!

Newspaper Article

We had chinese food for lunch (yummy!)...of course, I had green beans (Jackie did, too!) and then knit and LAUGHED for the next three or more hours. It was, I have to say, the BEST knitting get together I've ever been to....with the possible exception of our last Grand View trip. (another one coming up in the fall!!!))

Went out to dinner on the way home with Ericka, Chris, GiGi and Heather.....it was some BBQ joint (can't remember the name) and I have to say that I truly missed having a waitress like Famous April....the sweet potato french fries were yummy, though : )

So, a quick note on the Sweater Sampler.....this wonderful book is written by the talented, Jacqueline Fee and I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend it to every knitter who is thinking about making or designing a sweater. Not only was this sampler fun to make (can you believe that it's as big as a sweater sleeve???), but I was surprised at how much I learned. I thought I knew most of the techniques needed to make a sweater, but boy was I wrong! Here are just some of the techniques you learn while knitting this:

-Cable Cast on (very pretty), garter/stockinette, ribbing (3 kinds), and connecting yarn
-Stripes, short rows, chain selvedge, buttonholes, pockets (2 kinds), increases, decreases
-Two color knitting, swiss darning, icord, knitted belt, lace
-4 kinds of bind offs.....icord, lace, ribbing and hem with intials
-Grafting and knitted loops

WoWWW!!! Well worth the money! Find it HERE. (I used one skein of natural and one of pink in Patons Classic Merino with size 6 needles...16" circ and dpns.)

On to the Show and Tell! (short and sweet)

1. Sparkly Fiber (Easter Egg Hunt) and Sparkle itself from Yarn Punk. So pretty!



2. More sparkly fiber (Lavender Green Tea and Fairy Princess) from Loop. Awesome! (oh, I forgot to take pics of that! Darn!)

3. New soaps from Ericka...in Lilac and Mow the Lawn! MMM....



4. Yarn and patterns I bought from our trip to Maine and the Yarn Sellar...



5. Beautiful lotus flower necklace from Heather....she is SUCH a sweetie!...and also fabulous "Blinging Berries" sparkly fiber (merino, tussah silk, silk noil, angelina and bamboo) from the talented HollyEEQ....wow! Thank you so much, Heather!!!





Here is the fiber all spun up into yarn.....can't wait to knit something with it!



6. Tofutsies sock yarn (in pink!!!) from Ericka...what a sweetheart! Can you believe it has chiton in it?...made from shrimp and crab shells! (she also got me a Hello Kitty rolling stamper, but forgot to take a pic...it's SO cute!) Thank you, Ericka!!



7. Heather's newest merino/tencel yarn (400 yards!!!) in colorway, Pink Lemonade! So shiny and wondrous!



8. The current state of my spinning basket and everything I want to get spun up....oh, so much! Pretty, though, huh?



Hope you all have a relaxing and fun weekend....hoping to get a lot of knitting and/or spinning done and finish up the next podcast. Look for it on the night of April 1st or 2nd.

Oh, it's also the 6 month anniversary of my podcast this month, so I'm looking for new sponsors! If you, or anyone you know, would like some cheap advertising and it's semi-knitting or spinning related, email me...gina@YogaGardenNH.com. Hope to hear from you!

FO FRIDAY: In 100 words or less....

Sweater (with SEPARATING zipper) is DONE!

Mistakes I Made:

1. Gauge VERY off, resulting in sweater TOO small.



2. Added garter stitch center panel to offset size. HORRIBLE IDEA!



3. Ripped out panel and zipper (which was NOT separating...duh) and threw in garbage. Very angry.



4. Cried. Got good ideas from knitting group. None panned out well. Still does not fit. Bought new zipper...added in. Grandma will have a newly knitted sweater for birthday in April.



Back:



*Bought new yarn from Amy in Mandy colorway. With sock yarn to match....thanks to Julie. May the Yarn Goddess watch over my next attempt.*