Dud or Doosie

Long, long ago, I began blogging so I could participate in swaps.  It’s been a while since I’ve been in a swap, but the awesome Kathyb hosts a great swap and this was fun.   

The envelope arrived from Katherine.   It was filled with goodies.  The rules were simple; replace what you take with something of equal value, but if you open the closed package inside, you have to take what’s within.

I’m not good with not knowing, so…  I opened the little envelope.  As the writing on the outside suggested, there might be something neat or not inside.   I don’t know who put the item in there, but thank you!

I like the little project bag, and I also took the rusty orange – er, squash – Skinny Dyed Cotton.  Pardon the quick, sloppy photo, but doesn’t it scream fall? 

What does it want to be? 

In Wen news, I cleansed again yesterday afternoon.  I used 6 pumps initially, rinsed, and then put 2 pumps on the “ponyail” section as more of a conditioner, let it marinade for a while, then rinsed.

Today, it’s drizzly.  My hair is a little frizzy, but my scalp didn’t tingle and it’s not greasy so far today.   I honestly don’t know whether I’ll Wen again tomorrow or not.  Maybe the bottom half of my hair looks a little healthier, but I’m not sure.   I really expected to either love Wen or hate it, and … thus far, I’m ambivalent.   I don’t know whether I’d classify Wen as a dud or a doosie!

Now…  A New Leash on Death was definitely a doosie.  Susan Conant’s Dog Lovers Mysteries are new to me, and no surprise, this dog lover loved the first book in the series.  It’s not a new series, and I found myself laughing at the pay phone reference early in the book, but the author knows a thing or two about the world of dog shows, and about dogs.  I’ve already started the second book in the series.

Any duds or doosies in your world?

 

 

If it’s pink…

… Gretchen thinks it is hers.

Happy Thorsday, little friday and Thankful Thursday!  Gretchen has a little post up too, of course.

Those cute little freckled feet weren’t there when I staged the photo – for Ravelry and stash-tracking purposes – but I should have known better…  the wee one really does think all things PANK, pink or red are HERS.  We had to have a discussion this morning that my new hair fixin’ appliance was NOT HERS.   Hem.  So much for the notion that dogs are color or even shade blind.  I assure you, that’s not true.

Last month, I participated in a fun little dragon (as in… scaly winter skin) swap hosted by the most darling Kathy B.  I was blessed to be spoiled by the hostess.  Not included in the photo is the awesome moisturizer pair she sent.  It had pretty PANK flowers and in addition to Gretchen’s belief that all things PANK are hers, she has this gross passion for body lotions… hem.  It it currently living roughly 6′ above her wee head in the bathroom.

Anyway, there’s the dog sweater pattern (yes, for you Gg!!), the yarn – Madelinetosh in “Carnation” – and the PANK shower puff, which is also currently about 4 feet above ground level, behind the shower doors, because not only is it PANK, but the DIVA has this problem with anything humans use to scrub their bodies… hem.

Thank you, Kathy B!  I am pondering what to knit with the pretty yarn…  I think it wants to be a spring shawlette maybe?  Gretchen has yarn all picked out for her sweater, but it appears spring is on its way here, so…

Thankful?  Well, aside from being thankful for super swap pals, pretty yarn, all things PANK (or pink), I’m thankful for deepening friendships.  I’m thankful for the passionate, talented women who are already helping shape what the upcoming League year will look like.  I’m thankful for my patient, devoted friends – in the League and especially those NOT in the League – who never fail to delight in my small joys, who listen to COUNTLESS hopes, fears, plans and concerns about my upcoming step up to president of the JLC.

Courtesy of Target - Merona Erma Patent Wedge

And since this seems to be shoe blogging week for yours truly, I’m thankful for these little cuties I found at Target last night.  (Mine are a nude, beige, whatever… a darker neutral than what’s shown.)  Thank YOU Marjie, for convincing me Target is an unsung shoe resource.  They probably complete my outfit for the League May Dinner… but I reserve the right to change my mind and keep shopping.   Regardless, I’m sure they’ll be worn frequently this summer!

What are you thankful for today?

Putting the Dog in Dog House

Sis 12-10, sporting a DHY shop sample

We had a banner weekend.  You can read more about it on the girls’ blog, but Rosanne, Fritz, Mary and the Saturday afternoon shoppers at Dog House Yarns deserve a big shout-out.  See… for us to take Sissy to her quarterly eye vet appointments in Leesburg, it takes at least 5 hours in travel time alone, on top of whatever time we spend with the vet.  Unlike Gretchen  Sissy is a great travel companion, but we’re both ready for a pit stop when we hit Culpeper on the homeward, south-bound trip.

This time, Sis got to hang out in the back room.  She was a little fussy, but a couple of customers and their sons kept coming back to pet her, and that made it all okay.   Fritz and Mary also went above and beyond and “babysat” so I could shop.  Mary even broadened our horizons and we now know that Wasa Rye crackers are also Sissy-safe.  Trust me… it’s good to have options for a dog that’s allergic to most dog foods and treats!

Color #679

I suppose you want to know what I bought?  Well, my weekend was hectic enough there are no photos, but thanks to this Google thing and the internet at large, I can show you anyway.  I’m doing the jacket/cardi KAL in this fab heathered dark teal, blue-green… whatever.   (Again…  me lurvers a NAMED color.  I’d call this Black Watch Heather.  What say you?)

Anyhoo, I’m most excited about this little thang and it’s knitting up quickly – as chunky/bulky yarns tend to do.  I’m at least two finished object reports behind though, so don’t hold your breath, okay?

I also scored some of the coveted (by me anyway) Rozetti Marina yarn so I can try to knit one of those cool, fluffy scarves. 

Vogue Fall 2011

Then, I got some grey wool to do the Cranberry Capelet.   I’m still undecided on what yarn and color I want to use for the Vogue dress (show to the left).   It has to be something soft that won’t leave me with a baggy bum in the back.  Suggestions are greatly appreciated – in the realm of yarn.  Hem.

We also had the most fabulous meal Saturday night at Timberwood Grill.  I’m pretty sure we were the only people in this area who didn’t already know what a find it is, but wow…  I had their Pasta Atlantis.  As a mussles lover, I was a little worried, being so far inland.  Ha!  It was truly the best mussles entree I’ve ever had, and believe me, I’ve had lots.  The Knight had the Honey Fire Tenderloin Tips – no onions or peppers – and declared it fabulous as well.  Next time, I’m trying the calamari too.

How was your weekend?

Knit Next?

The end is in sight for my pink project, so it’s time to ponder what will hop on the needles next.  I’m not sure the color is quite accurate… it’s one of those hues that looks so very different in different lighting, but since August is pink month in Project Spectrum, I’m calling this pink.  (This is a photo from VERY early into the project.  Just hold your horses and a finished object report will follow soon enough.)

September’s color is yellow, and that just isn’t likely to happen here.  I don’t have yellow in my stash, and while I’ve worn a bit of it this summer, it’s not my most flattering color and I’m not inclined to knit with it.  So, since purple didn’t make the list this time, I think since I’ve finished up with PANK, I’m going to grab some purple, you know… in Sissy’s honor.

This is a merino-silk blend, with just a touch of silk.  I’m thinking it wants to be this jumper, and two friends who knit and sew say that if I have it lined, then it should wear well.  I’ve never knitted a skirt, so part of me thinks I should try that first… what say you?  After my mojo problems earlier this year, part of me thinks I need to just let Mojo have what Mojo wants.

The other option is this great laceweight Waterfalls by Creatively Dyed.  There’s 1300 yds. there, so it could be one of the little cardigans I have in my favorites and queue on Ravelry. 

I’ll still have my purdy blue project to work on at the firehouse and in the car, and there’s still at least one more work in progress (or hibernating, depending on how you view these things) I want to finish up this year!

Are you knitting any big projects?  Have you knitted a skirt or dress?

 

Swapette

Friday evening, my sweet little swap box from Kathy arrived.   Many of you know I’ve been on a swap diet, but Kathy had a little, low-maintenance swap and it was so very nice!  Kathy and I were swappers, and she sent me some darling stuff.

The swap consisted of sock yarn, a pen and a gift certificate.  Isn’t this yarn yummy?!   I can’t wait to knit with it.  It’s actually a very warm, chocolate brown.  It will go fabulously with the happy little frock I hope to wear to Casino Night in February, so now I have to settle on a shawlette pattern…

Don’t you love the PANK syringe pen?  And Ben & Jerry’s…  I was hoping to get there last night, but we didn’t make it across town.  What’s your favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor?

Thanks so VERY much, Kathy.  It was truly delightful to get to know you even better.

The rest of the weekend was spent K1,P1, K1,P1 into oblivion.  The fur-girls and I did have a fabulous walk on Saturday while it was still cool and the humidity wasn’t outrageous.  Yesterday, the heat and humidity clamped down on us quickly and made for a shorter, not as wonderful walk, but such is life. 

How was your weekend?

Pinkadilly Tea

Whew.  I’d forgotten what it was like to actually have to WORK at work.  So much for getting posts up first thing in the morning!  If this continues, I might be forced to pre-post from home in the evenings.  I do realize many of you already do that, but…

Anyway, I believe I left you last with the promise of another post about Sunday’s Knit ‘n Tea, by Doghouse Yarns.   No disrespect to the Knight, our dinner companions or anyone else, but this truly was the highlight of my birth-4th weekend.

I meant to take photos, but as so often happens, I got caught up in the moment and lacked the discipline to step back, snap a few photos for you and then go back to enjoying it.   Luckily, Pinkadilly Tea at Smythe’s Cottage happened to have a little four-topper set up much like our tables…

Photo courtesy of Pinkadilly Tea's site

The food was fabulous.  The company was delightful, and the teas were delicious.  We started with their Cream Earl Gray, and then they also served the Hazelnut Vanilla and an herbal … angel something that I don’t see on the menu.  It was red and naturally sweet…  I bought some of that and their key lime tea of the month, which I don’t see on the menu either.  Their tins are cute though!  Too bad the names are taped to the bottom…  Hem.

Knowing Rosanne’s – the proprietor of Doghouse Yarns – knowledge and love of tea AND her charming hostess abilities, I was anticipating a great afternoon and I was not disappointed.  I won one of the prizes donated by Blue Ridge Yarns, from their  All American Colors collection.   I think it wants to be a shawl, don’t you?  Yeah, it would make festive socks, but I love navy, white and red…  Any suggestions?

Isn’t the tag (the foot) cute too?!

Rosanne also honored each of the FOUR women (out of twenty guests!) having a birthday this week with a special gift.  I received the Get Your Knits bag, which is my passport to the program for 2011.  You can read more about the program by clicking on the link above…  I’m hoping to find a way to visit a few of the other participating shops this month.

(I apologize for photo quality.  For some reason, Flickr doesn’t care to save my edited photos today.  Hrmph.)

 

Also included in the price of admission was a tea cozy pattern and our choice of yarn.  I selected this pretty, pale heathered green because it will go with all of my tea pots AND look good in any room of my house.

Lastly, a yarn tasting was also on the menu.  There are seven small balls of yarn there, in a great patriotic theme.  Also included was a pattern for little gift bags, so no silly swatching here;  I’ll be using the samples to actually MAKE something!  (Three or four somethings, actually…)

My first tea in a tea shop only left me wanting another visit, back to Pinkadilly (wonder if they ever do doggie events?  Gg would have a BALL and could wear her PANK dress…) and more visits to other tea shops.  Is there an honest-to-goodness tea house near you?

Oh – and the show & tell was awesome too.  I really do apologize for the lack of photos…  You’ll just have to join me next time!

Finely!

Hark!  Chanknits has knitting content!

Photo borrowed from Knitting Daily

I think today’s Knitting Daily helped me see the light… you know, the light that shines down deep into my knitting bag, letting me see my missing mojo for the first time in months.

See Barbie’s dresses?  THAT is why I can’t knit, can’t finish what I do have on the needles.  I’ve been knitting with larger-gauge yarns/needles, when I know I enjoy finer/thinner yarns better. 

I started putting this together over the weekend.  ALL of the cardigans I’ve purchased this spring have been very fine-gauged, certainly no more than DK weight, and than one has a rather open weave.  Most are lace to fingering, to put it in knitter’s terms. 

Everything I have on the needles is worsted, save one laceweight project, which is the one I’ve at least been talking about finishing.  No wonder I can’t make my hue-appealing, worsted cotton pick a pattern it wants to become!  At least right now, I don’t want to wear anything that bulky, so…

Hrmph.  Pack up that pretty cotton and find me some Tofutsies or something…   I’m thinking a longer, thinner, crescent-shaped shawlette-scarf?  No need to scare my tender mojo away right off the bat…

Any suggestions?

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!

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?

Faceless

You’ll just have to take my word for it.  I went to the Fall Fiber Festival at Montpelier and met up with Ann, snagged a few goodies, had dinner with Ann and Dianne, but not a single people photo happened.  In fact, it seems faces just didn’t happen at all.  Hem.

I can’t show you everything.  I snagged a lot of gifts.  On the right above, you see a new bobbin for my Aura (wheel).  I happen to think a spinner can’t have too many bobbins, but these big beauties aren’t cheap, so I might just ask Santa for another and decide five is plenty…

Maybe I went a little crazy in the Tea Time Garden booth.  The owner is a fellow instructor at Dog House Yarns & More.   (You can find the fall class schedule HERE.)  However, a lot of what I purchased was in the above-mentioned gift category, so no photos for you, except of the honey white wedding tea that is for me!  I’d tried Bonnie’s blends at the spin-in a few months ago, but Ann and I  had a blast taking in the different aromas.  Bonnie is also gifted with a spindle, and I can’t wait to gleen some of her knowledge!

You wouldn’t have known I just saw Dianne and her Creatively Dyed booth the weekend before to see me shopping.  I’d gone in with a plan – nothing but gifts and laceweight for me.  This huge hank is destined to become one of those lightweight cardis that are popping up all over Ravelry.  (And yes, for ME.  It might be Sissy’s hue, but she doesn’t like clothes, remember?!)

I’d planned and was working my plan until Ann waved some sale yarn under my nose.   Panyard is a scrumptious merino silk blend that is likely to become mitts or a little scarf for me.

This is a little knot of superfine merino.  It’s just a bit for me to try.  The dark portion is actually a little purple, but no amount of editing could get it just right.

And that’s all I bought for me – honest!

I always seem to miss all the people I’d like to see at this festival.  I don’t know if it’s because it’s so local to me or what.  I didn’t go back on Sunday so I missed the Ravelry meet-up.  The mud was all but a non-issue, so I hope no one stayed away on its account.  My tires got dirty, but my shoes were so clean that I didn’t change into the spare pair I’d brought along before I drove home.

How was your weekend?  I also did lots of knitting, but we’ll talk about that later…