Treats All Around!

It’s been another long week here in the Woods, so the boxes of kindness have been truly appreciated.  Sissy even managed to post about a package just for the fur-girls.

It’s not the best photo in the world, but as the Knight and I were rushing out in opposite directions, I managed to snap a quick photo of the package dear Jessi sent us.  Yarnie goodness, notions, and yes, EVERYTHING has cables on it – the blue bag, the rusty pencils, the note cards!  The plastic bag with Starbucks Via in it also holds candy for the Knight – or did.  Sweet Jessi timed it so well that the Knight and his little treasure headed to the meeting together the other night.  He doesn’t drink coffee, so he did kindly ditch the Via packets on his way out.

I know, I know, you want to see the yarn!

Isn’t is purdy!?  Beautimus?  I just have to say here that I can only accept Jessi’s decision to end her dyeing career (for now?) because I have so many other talented indie dyers as friends.  Mourn with me, but don’t ask me to share anything other than photos.

If you look to the left, in front of and behind the candy/coffee bag, you’ll see the fur-girls’ toys.  They’re the un-stuffed dog toys.  The raccoon squeaks in a rather standard fashion, but the rooster makes a grunting-like-crowish sound.  If you look closely, you can see that a certain very little young lady claimed the fowl as her own, and wouldn’t even let me take a proper photo for all her ridiculous guarding.  As I type, the rooster is shoved under the throw pillows at one end of the sofa and I think I’m sitting on the raccoon.  Hem.   They’re safe, for now. 

Of course, the girls are currently tug-tugging with the lion, but if you want to know more about that, see Sissy’s post linked above.

What’s ahead for your weekend?  I’m doing some serious re-charging, but I do need to do a dry run through the pattern I’ll be using in a Magic Loop class I’m teaching.   I’m modifying a friend‘s mini sock/ornament pattern for worsted yarn…  Oh, just come back later and I’ll share it!

Got a Spell on You!

Tricks are for rabbits, so you’ll only find treats here!  After all, it’s little friday and Dogs on Thursday…

Some of you might recall that Gretchen’s registered name acknowledges her magical heritage.  While we suspected that Mugsy was a crup – a wizardly version of a Jack Russell – it was clear from day one that Gretchen – and all the names she was called by before that one – had magical powers and cast a spell on everyone she came in contact with.  Heck, her destined to be Dadaw was smitten before we even got to see her in person!

Maybe that’s why the witch’s hat is the only headwear she’s even kinda’ tolerated in the history of her life in clothes?

Being models is serious work.  Clearly, I had more fun dressing them up than they had posing in their assorted looks, but if you want to see more, you can pop over to their blog.

Interestingly enough, we don’t do much with Halloween at our house, other than dressing the dogs up for blog photos.  In fact, I think I’ll just call it Howloween from now on.  Is Halloween a big deal in your house?

Oscar the Slouch

Don’t look now, but I actually have knitting to report on what was once a knitting blog!

Meet Oscar the Slouch.

Pattern:  The very prettily named Felicity hat is a very simple, quick knit.  I didn’t change a thing!

Yarn: Now, you’ll understand how I went from a nice, feminine pattern name to a rather out of character Sesame Street name for my project.  The yarn is Creatively Dyed‘s Pan Yard in Oscar.  Pan Yard doesn’t seem to be in Ravelry’s database yet, but it’s a nice wool-silk blend that I couldn’t resist.  (It also isn’t on the shop’s website right now either.  Guess everyone else snatched it all up at the fall fiber festivals!)

Needles:  Cast on with a #5 circ as instructed, but if I did it again, I’d go with a #6.  Bulk of the knitting was done with a #7, which is just fine.

Verdict:  Loved the project.  Delighted with the results.  I’m not at all sure it is the hat I intended to make for my weekend and play wear, but I love the colors, so I’ll be keeping it!

I do want a hat for DAILY wear, but given my rather untamed locks, I’m thinking I’ll try A Better Bucket next. 

Do you wear hats in the winter?  If so, what style?  When?  I could wear this to play with the dogs or to work in the yard, but my hair wouldn’t be fit to be seen without the hat afterwards.  The individual strands are fine, but there are LOTS of them, and each has a wavy, frizzy mind of  its own, so I need something with a looser fit if I’m going to have to take my hat off in public…

Old School

The fur-girls checking out Gretchen's new bag

We’ll just pretend today is Thankful Tuesday.  Gretchen’s already put up a thank you post to gMarie for her present, and now, I’m doing a thank you post for my prize package from Eternal Arts & Crafts’ giveaway! 

I was delighted to win Knitting It Old School.   Most of the patterns are of a vintage flavor, and even the names are awesome.  You can find links to all of the patterns here, on Ravelry.  Some are silly, some are classic styles likely to end up in my queue.  I mean, how can you NOT want to knit a Watusi Dress?!   (Who remembers the song that has “Watusi!  Now Twist,” in the lyrics?)

Jodi also included some great, soft yarn so I can make a cube (Ravelry link) she made, once the pattern is released.   Here you can see my assitant inspecting the book.  (One international package, and suddenly, they’re both customs agents!)  Thanks so VERY much, Jodi!  I love it all!

So, do you like vintage?  If so, what?

Pass the Plates

See our purdy birthday sweaters?

We had a great weekend!  I’ve posted a few funny photos of the fur-girls in party hats on their blog.  Sis had a very nice birthday yesterday, and Gretchen had a lovely 2nd anniversary of her “Gotcha!” day on Saturday.

But you want to know about the contest winners, don’t you?  I had MJ pick two number for me, and I’m delighted to announce that Amy and Bonnie are the winners!   Bonnie, I’ll need your address ASAP so I can get your plates in the mail.   Thanks to everyone who entered!  If anyone else wants to order plates, you have until Sunday to do so, and then’ll they be retired, perhaps permanently.

Sissy & her Dadaw, OBX fall 2008

Today is also our 13th wedding anniversary.  Since I dont seem to have any decent photos of the two of us in Flickr, you’re stuck with one of my favorite candids of him from fall 2008. 

Our wedding invitations announced, “On this day I will marry my best friend.”   I sure did, and I treasure him more today than I did then.   It takes a special man to cater to my whims and to those of the very spoiled fur-girls, and the Knight manages to do all that and serve as chief of our local volunteer fire company, work full-time for his family’s business, and makes time for his host of friends too. 

What did you do over the weekend?

Whipping Away

Daisy dessert plates, photo borrowed from Pampered Chef

Thanks to all who have entered the Help Whip Cancer contest!   Discounting the “pingback” from the fur-girls’ post, we now have 21 entries, so two of you will win a set of those cute plates.  The deadline is Sunday night, so there’s still time to enter, and thus, generate more prizes.

Happy birthday, gMarie!  

I am sooo ready for the weekend!   I have absolutely no plans that might take me away from the house.   I do need to knit up a few samples for the Magic Loop class I’m teaching on the 31st at Dog House Yarns & More, but that won’t take but a few minutes per sample. 

What about you?  Anything exciting going on during your weekend?

German Vacation

Both frocks worn by Gretchen in today's posts were gifties from gMarie

Happy Dogs on Thursday, little friday and thankful Thursday!   Gretchen, being the queen of charm and graciousness, has already posted thanks to the DoT crew for remembering two special days in Haddon Woods this weekend.  Of course, because she really is so sweet, she had to send celebratory wishes to everyone she knows with a special day looming…  My departed aunt would be delighted to see that SOMEONE in our household has good manners.  Hem.  (Maybe they skip a generation?)

Haddon Wood's customs inspector at work

Since GG  has Dogs on Thursday covered, I can follow her lead and extend my gratitude to Eva, my German spoiler in the Ravelry Stash Sock Club group swap.   I’m not sure how Eva knew that I didn’t get to visit my favorite cousin while she lived in Berlin, but honestly, she packed the very things I would have wanted to bring home from such a vacation!

Why yes, you do see a beautiful, velvety, big ol’ ear on the right…  Most of the right side is that legendary German chocolate in several forms.  There are also some of the Knight’s favorite gummy bears in there – or rather, there were.  They disappeared in the night, and if you really need a hint, the fur-girls went to bed when I did. 

Yes, you see THREE sock yarns, but I know, you REALLY want the close-up of that Wollmeise!

How ’bout that?!  A fur-girl colorway of Wollmeise!  I’m just itching to cast on, especially since I’m about to be one WIP shorter; I realized yesterday that I don’t like mystery knit alongs, don’t like what I’ve seen thus far of the sock so far, so…  I’m frogging it.

You also have to see the handmade gift Eva included.  Isn’t that the most elegant lace you’ve ever seen?!  I’m pretty sure Eva made the lace as well as the bag itself.  I haven’t decided how I’m going to use it yet, but it’s about the perfect size for a long-lingering needlepoint project I have…

There’s also a heavenly tin of tea in there, and FOUR bottles of floral scents I can’t wait to use.  Thank you again Eva, for the most wonderful swap package!

What do you like to bring home as a souvenier from your vacations?

Help Whip Cancer

I’ve had in the back of my mind that I wanted to do a contest this month.  October is full of important dates for our little corner of the woods, and it also happens to be breast cancer awareness month, which means Pampered Chef is offering their Help Whip Cancer pink products online.  Since I’m blessed to have a nice assortment of readers, I struggled briefly over what to offer as a prize. 

Daisy dessert plates, photo borrowed from Pampered Chef

I’m crazy for these daisy dessert plates, and the pink flowers are unobtrusive enough that if you’re not crazy about pink they won’t shout at you.  However, if the winner REALLY doesn’t care for the plates, she can opt for a $20 Pampered Chef credit. 

How do you enter?  Simple.  Leave a comment sharing your favorite Pampered Chef product.  If you’re not already a Pampered Chef customer, you can take a gander at the products here.    (And yes, you can place an individual order from there too if you see something you can’t live without.)

Lilly Pulitzer Limited Edition Breast Cancer Awareness Murfee Scarf

Want a second entry?  Share another product whose proceeds benefit any non-profit.  You must provide a working link to said product, just in case the rest of us care to shop! 

There are no extra entries for sharing the contest here or through social media, but for every 20 additional entries, I’ll give another prize.  (So at 21, the second prize is added, 41, the third, etc.)  

The deadline for entering is midnight US Eastern time October 24th – Sissy’s birthday – and the winners (I have faith in you!) will be announced on October 25th, our 13th wedding anniversary.

The Help

I did manage to read a bit over the weekend.  I finished up Kathryn Stockett’s The Help and started the fifth book in the Tea Shop cozy series.

Okay, this book has been on my radar for a while, but I finally downloaded it on my Nook when I learned a friend was reading it as part of  One Book, One Denver.   Ironically, before I was more than a few pages in, our League President Elect (think president in training if you don’t speak Junior League) returned from a conference and shared how the Jackson League is involved in the movie, and is embracing the opportunity to clear up the image painted in the book of their League. 

This struck home on another level, because our own League is working hard on figuring out who we are, and more specifically, what niche we should fill in our busy non-profit community.  I challenge those of you who aren’t affiliated with a Junior League to get more information before you jump to conclusions.  We are not all young, wealthy housewives.  I stayed after a meeting last night in part because a small group of us were discussing diversity and the League, and diversity has been a passionate issue for me since early in my career as a firefighter.

At any rate, The Help is worthy of all the press it has received.  Yeah, there’s a long list of books set in the segregated South that stir up awareness and make us think, but this one is fresh and unvarnished.   If you haven’t read it, I hope you’ll consider adding it to your reading list.  If you’ve read it already, what did you think?

What are you reading?

Newlyweds!

My weekend was one big blur.  Traffic jams in the country due to road construction on the interstate on a Friday afternoon, but we still got to the rehearsal right on time.  Fast-forward to yesterday afternoon, as we were heading to the mall to return the Knight’s tux, when he got paged for a house fire…  It was just that kind of weekend.

I stole this photo from the groom’s aunt’s Facebook album.  I didn’t take a single photo all weekend, so I had to borrow from someone!

It’s always an honor to be part of the bridal party, but with that honor comes responsibilities.   Since the overwhelming majority of my readers are women, I think it’s safe for me to mention here that it’s a lot more of a labor of love to be a bridesmaid than it is to be a groomsman or an usher. 

Then, there are all the other people who step in and help out.  The aunt who doubled as the wedding coordinator, the great aunt who oversaw the food at the reception and the rehearsal dinner, the mothers of the children in the wedding, and the wife called in to pin all the boutonnieres on said groomsmen and the father of the bride.  I somehow avoided pricking anyone – myself included – until late into the reception, when I pinned up the bride’s former bustle, which a careless dancing foot had ripped from its designed fastener.  I poked a deep enough hole that I had to scoot across the building (the reception was held in our firehouse’s banquet facility) and get a little ribbing and a bandage.  I am delighted to report not a drop touched the ivory satin gown.

The Newlyweds are enjoying their sunny, warm honeymoon.   I know the Knight already misses his faithful assistant, and being a small, family business, we all notice when one (or more) of our staff goes on vacation.  Here’s to a loving, relaxing start to the rest of their lives together!

How was your weekend?  Oh – and I didn’t knit a single stitch.  I spun a tiny bit, finished a book and started another, and I did carry a sock with me, but I never had idle hands!