Lifetime Stash Expectancy Exceeded

This morning was CRA-ZY! Got a call from my parents, who are on vacation with my teenage nephew at WDW this holiday week. They alerted me to the monorail accident that happened early Sunday morning, as they didn't want me to worry when I heard about it on the news. Two monorails collided with one another, pretty badly. My family is all fine......no where near the accident site when it happened, but still a bit scary, none the less.

As a former WDW castmember, it's scary to hear about any type of accident, but when there's a resulting death, it hits hard. The accident was a freak occurence, but the driver of one of the monorails, a 21 year old from the College Program was killed. Tragic, but so lucky that there were not more injuries. I think time of day (or night, in this case) was not only a contributor to the accident, but also it's saving grace. There were only 5-6 passengers on board the monorail at the time.

Prayers to everyone involved.......

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Days turned to weeks.......then weeks into months, but it was finally finished today.....MY FIRST COMPLETED KNITTING PROJECT !!!

I was giddy as a schoolgirl, as I was casting off.......then the horror, that......with all of my efforts, the dang thing was still too large in circumfrence......DANG IT!!!

Will have to frog, at some point.......but can now say.....I HAVE FINISHED A PROJECT!!!

Take that, you naysayers........

And until I do frog it, a new project on the "needles"

Toast by Leslie Friend

Hopefully, this one will fit much better....

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I fell under the spell of a rapture called NAMASTE.....their bags are to DIE for....not only for knitting, but for the every day. I happened to catch a sale over the Memorial Day holiday, and scored a Newport style in Hollywood Pink......I was on the fence about a bright PINK bag, but I love it, and use it every day----I have enough room for my knitting and my "everyday life" stuff too.....

I love it so much, I have another, a MALIBU style on order, which I will be picking up from LYS this upcoming weekend. Oh, and the designers sent me a little gift, as I contacted them about a bag question and gushed to them on how much I just LOVE their stuff

So, if Toyoda wants to send me along a Prius as a free gift, I'll be happy to GUSH away.......

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As promised, alot of stash-bragging needed, as I've been busy collecting fiber:

Sundara is my new love......I would like to just emass myself in a pile of Sundara (preferably her Aran Silky Merino, which is a 50/50 silk-merino blend......absolute PERFECTION!!)

I've gone a bit overboard this month, so please forgive the obsession!

First the sock:

Year in Color - April 2009......Charcoal over Blue Lagoon

Seasons Collection Sub - WINTER colorways

Cranberry Chutney and Lunar Landing

Seasons Collections sub - SUMMER colorways

Coral Reef and Under the Sea

(Coral Reef is being traded to Liz in my Presto Kniters group)

Guava

Plum (traded with Liz from Presto Knitters group)

And then there's the ASM...."Hello, LOVER!!!"

Sitting by Stream Aran Silky Merio

Floating Downstream Aran Silky Merino

and more skeins are coming........like a said.....it's a DRUG!!!

I also received recently, my first skein of yarn from my MEAN GIRLS YARN CLUB

It's called "Aunt Sarah's Pussies", in reference to those evil SIAMESE cats from Disney's Lady & The Tramp......to me, it reminds me of a DERANGED Girl Scout's box of Thin Mint cookies......

Oh, and I scored a skein of Creatively Dyed in a Ravelry trade......I am definately buying another skein (or two) of this yarn at Rhinebeck.....the colors and dye patterns can't even be described, they are so cool.......

Finally, my first POSH yarns.....only taken over a year to FINALLY score some of this awesome yarn. Nice and soft and squooshy.....YUMM!!

The oh, so elusive.....PINK package.......

Three skeins of sock....Esme in Foliage and Roman Holiday and Daisy in Impresario and two skeins of Claudia Lace in Fey

So, now off to bed, and back to the workweek.....I've got knitting night tomorrow, at Presto, and Friday night is the potluck with Wendy Johnson, who'll be in town next weekend at my LYS.....hooray!!

Happy July 4th!!

Happy 4th of July !!

(photo credit: MichaelDuquetteFowler on Flickr)

America's Birthday......and DH is working all weekend, family is away in Florida, and I am home alone with the critters.......what better to do than knit!!! I am bound and determined to finish my Rhinbeck cowl/hood, so stay tuned for a finished project post!!

In other news, I've been enhancing my stash with some of the following--note, more stash enhancement photos to follow later today, but in the interim, here's a sneek peek:

STR Mediumweight in Count Cluckula (now on vacation.....had to stash up before it was gone.....)

STR Mill End - determined to be Tanzanite.....one of my favorite purple colorways!

Miss Babs Yummy(my first skein of her yarn) in Rainforest.....pretty green loveliness!!

DIC Smooshy in Beach Fog......too pretty for words!!!

Still to come......lots of Sundara & (wait for it)..........POSH !!!!

Nothing new......but the weather

Yes, I know....it's been forever. And it's not even as if I have a good excuse. Twenty lashes with a wet noodle, for not keeping up with my blog.

Nothing new going on here.......sans the fact that our company reinstated our work schedules to the full 40 hours (Yahoo!!) and gave us back the 3 personal days that they took back in February, because of the cutbacks (double-YAHOO!!!). Now, I definately won't be stressing about Rhinebeck! Work is busy and steady, which is what all of us want to hear!

On the knitting front.......still working on both of my cowls.....they are both about 70-75% complete. I ordered some STR MW in Count Cluckula, to make some fingerless gloves to go with my Rhinebeck cowl/hoodie......yes, it's grown so much, I may just finish out the skein of Icelandic and go with the hood look.......we'll see!

I've been going to Presto Knit Nights every Monday for the past few weeks. Awesome to just sit and knit with friends! Tomorrow will be no exception. This past Saturday's WWKIP outing was a bust....between the weather and schedule snaffu, I ended up just staying home and napping, inbetween the storm burst and the thunder. I did get some swatching done, mainly to practice my purl stitch (doing OK with it) and starting to practice with increases and decreases (I'm pretty set with the decreases, but the increases have me befuddled!!!). Definately, more swatching is needed.

I also traded a skein of my Sundara yarn a couple of weeks back, for a beauty---red WOLLMEISE!! I'm a bit behind with pics (I still owe pics of my Namaste bag), so I promise to try to get those done this week!

The one picture I did take, was some crazy SKY pics from Tuesday evening.....we've be having some really kooky weather her in the mid-Atlantic states.....and this was the sky after a torrential downpour.....


It somewhat reminded me of Hawaii (see my blog header picture---which was taken on Maui), just without the cost or the jetlag......

Coming up this week...some yarn arrivals, project updates AND Stitch N' Pitch (this coming Saturday night!)

Memorial Day - Family Style!!

Today being Memorial Day, it was a perfect day to relax with my family

My parents hosted my sister and her family, along with me and my DH.

First a glimpse of my mother's pride & joy.....her garden. This is just the backyard.....I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the side and front yards. She definately has the GREEN thumb of the family.

Her koi pond......she lost two of her three large koi over the winter. She's added a new koi and 2 goldfish. It's tough to see, but trust me.......they're in there.

My dad bought this iron koi fish for her, and my mom decided that the natural iron was just to "blah", so she painted it.......it looks SO COOL!!!

Mom's new birdbath


This is a HUGE hanging pot that she bought for $20.00 !!! I need to go and get one for myself.

Poppies.......such PRETTY Poppies!!!

and beautiful FRAGRANT Peonies.....ah, the smell is intoxicating!

Ok, and then it was time to EAT!!

Little man E, the youngest was ready at his own table....."Where's my HOT DOG??"

My Dad at the grill, with my BIL supervising

The kids playing in the yard......big brother C and little man E

Did someone say food???

BIL, my sis and my Momma!

Everyone's got their grub....but don't forget about.......

DESSERT!!!

Mini-Hamburgers made with Vanilla Wafer cookies, mini Pepperment Patties, red & yellow icing and coconut with green food coloring.....they were the cutest things, and the kids LOVED them!!

After dinner, we enjoyed the pleasant weather and relaxed in the backyard.

Little man E (with a light-saber as big as HE is) and his Uncle J (my DH)

The flirt, playin' with my sunglasses......

Poor attempt at a portrait with the kids (this is what happens when you try to take the picture YOURSELF)

Mr. HAMM.......he always knows when the camera is on him!!

"So long everybody.......hope your holiday was GR-EAT!!!"

Yarn PRÖN (image heavy)

First, the STR Mill Ends from The Fold booth at MDS&W

After much research it was determined that I got (from l to r)

Silkie Alina, MW Savannahlite, MW Jade, MW Lettuce Knits and MW MsLaRock

(YAY!!)

Shalimar Yarns-Zoe Sock-Tamarillo

Maple Creek Farm-Richmond-Limecicle

Blue Ridge Yarns-Bambie-Blue Lagoon

Censtari-DK Weight-OOAK colorway

Spirit Trail Fiberworks-Clotho-Blue Lagoon

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The following was aquired from my LYS

Blue Heron Yarns-Silk/Merino-Ocean

Mirasol-Cotanani-Turquoise

Kollage-Corntastic-Fire Opal

Dream in Color-Smooshy-Lipstick Lava

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These are from the last of my swaps for the season---I am taking the summer "off" from swaps, so that I can concentrate saving for Rhinebeck

These are from the Indi Yarn swap---my partner was from Italy, so these are all Italian yarns (WOO-HOO!!!)

This is MALABRIGO SOCK!!

Velvet Grapes----I am in HEAVEN!!!

Laines du Nord-Stripes-Colorway 9

(a pretty wine/brown combo)

Laines du Nord-Stripes-Colorway 6

(a brown/orange/tan color scheme)

This one arrived in a package from my tea swap--it was a DOUBLE HOT POTATO award!!
Manos del Uruguay-Manos Silk Blend-Magenta

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Recent arrivals from yarn clubs & online purchases

Yarn Pirate-Booty Club April 2009-Sweet Pea


Yarn Pirate-Booty Club May 2009-Zephyr

(too much yellow for me, do it's being gifted to another knitter)

Sundara Yarn-Sock (from March 2009 monthly)-Poppy

Sock Pixie -Oceana (not sure of this base yarn, as it was gifted by the dyer)

Sock Pixie-PixieLace-Purple Anemone

Yep, it's official......I am addicted to YARN!!!!

Warning: This is what happens when a yarn collector ACTUALLY knits!!!

First things first.....thanks to all for your concern over my foot and knee. Foot was sprained (which they say hurts WORSE than a break), and it healed quite nicely. My knees were badly bruised....more bone bruising, but the good news is that the hits didn't agravate my fractures, so I was EXTREMELY lucky. They are still, slightly sore, but the bruising is gone.

So, earlier this year I joked that here I was, surfing Ravelry, participating in swaps, frequenting my LYS and buying yarn online, and even BLOGGING about yarn, yet I had yet to actully start a project past a row or two. SHAMEFUL, right? How dare I call myself a knitter.....fearful that the FP (fibre police) would come and take away my beautiful stash. So, after MDS&W, a plan was hatched.......
Yes.....
wait for it.........
.

..

...

....

.....

I've started knitting!!!

Now, the biggest reason that I've avoided starting a project is purl stitches......for some reason, I have had issues with RE-learning this stitch. So, rather than buckle down, I've just been in total avoidance. So, with trepidation, I decided to wade into the shallow end of the pool, and knit something in the "round".....easy because I can just knit---knit---and knit some more. Great, because now my knit stich is pretty darn good!

So, without further ado, my two projects:

Both are cowls (which is probably one of the easiest things to knit). The first is my "Rhinebeck Cowl", which I plan to premiere in October at the festival. I'm knitting it with Blue Moon Fiber Art's ICELANDIC in their "Count Cluckula" colorway. I am knitting it on size 11 20" circs.


The second one, is my "summer" cowl. Now, you all must either be thinking "Man, Delaware must have some CRA-ZEE weather in the summer...." or "this HULA is a NUT!!!". Actually, my desk at work sits directly under a air vent, and since I wear my hair in a ponytail most days in the summer, my next is exposed. I decided to knit my summer version in a cool & comfy cotton/bamboo blend---Kollage's TEMPTATION in "Lime Sorbet" Since it's one of my favorite colors, it's perfect for my summer wardrobe. This one's being done on size 8 20" circs


Both are about 50% complete---not too shabby for 3+ weeks!!

I also have gotten the confidence to start going to Saturday knit-ins at my LYS. These ladies have been most welcoming and I hope to learn alot, just by association!!

Yesterday morning, I got up at the CRACK of dawn to hit OLD NAVY's $1 flip flop sale.......OMG what a mistake that was. I got there at the normal store opening time.....they had decided to open at 8am instead (DUH). By the time I arrived, there were no COLORS to be found.....only Black, White, Brown, Navy and some Gray and Tan. I found what I needed from the sale (plus some of the half-price one's), waited in line for an HOUR and came home with this score:


Some of these will be going back, as I don't think I really NEED 12 pairs.....Most of mine from last year are still in good condition. The bright blue, red floral and black & white zig-zags are DEFINALTY keepers, though!! But I still need to find both Green and Orange flip flops........if you see any......lmk, I'm a size 10/11!!!

With summer arriving soon, I've also been going out more with some of my work friends. When I was younger, I socialized more and would go out to bars & clubs on the weekends, but had gotten out of it. Recently, a bunch of us have started hanging out on Friday nights, and yesterday we started a "new" thing of going to brunch.......YUMMO!! One word......MIMOSA!!

Love them so much, had one again this morning when DH and I brunched!! I had Lobster Eggs Benedict too.......Brunch is my NEW weekend activity!!

Today has been a lazy day......after brunch I spent a hour at the grocery store, aka CARNAGE in Aisle 12. It was an absolute MOB scene! I got everything I needed for tomorrow's family BBQ-we're doing Corn-on-the-Cob and I'm making my world famous (ok, FAMILY-famous) deviled eggs!! Tonight, since it's just the two of us, I bought shishkebobs to cook on the grill---Double YUMMO!! I also spent some time updating photos of new yarn aquisitions and watchin HULU....my new obsession. I got to watch the pilot episode of Fox's new show, GLEE, and I was hooked!!!

a PHOTO-HEAVY post is forthcoming (to show off the yarn.......)

Back to blogging, just in time for the 2009 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!!!

Today was the day…..my first-ever FIBER FESTIVAL. I went to bed last night all siked for a great day. I set BOTH of my alarms for 4am, since I wanted to leave by 5:30am.

Woke up (sans alarm) at 5:50am and scrambled to get ready. Was out the door by 6:30am, with a quick stop at the gas station for a fill-up. Once on the road, no real problems……other than the rain. As I drove further into Maryland, the rain subsided, but I then proceeded to get off at the WRONG exit for Towson, MD (how am I supposed to know that there are exits for 695 that go North, East AND West?!? I was supposed to take 695 North----I got off at 695 West. I wasn’t sure where it would take me, so I back tracked it back to 95 South and finally got the right exit. Still got there at 8:20ish.....decent parking spot.

Made my way into the festival....some tent vendors were open already....first purchase was at Blue Ridge Yarns! Then made my way to Barn 3 for the line at The Fold's booth for BMFA!!! Waited in line about 40 minutes made friends in line with some other Ravelry folks.

(This was the Festival Merchandise line....GEESH!!!)


(people who don't know about BMFA and STR must think we're NUTS!!!)


(knitting while waiting for MORE YARN, how novel!!)


(making new Ravelry friends!!)

We finally got in and I went straight to the Mill Ends, and was able to score FIVE that I could not leave behind. Lots of MW Mill Ends, but I also sall HW and Silkie there too. Did find less than half dozen skeins that were marked as RARE GEMS, but none of the colorways screamed BUY ME!! Did get to see the BMFA LSS and Woobu fibers in person......they are definately on my TO BUY list!!

(Wall of STR = HEAVEN !!!)


(and another view......)


(and another........)


(and another........)


(SOCK MONKEY ALERT !!!!)

(Yes, don't rub your eyes....that IS a Mill End...I think it's SAVANNALITE!!, but who cares--it's MINE now!!!!)

After leaving The Fold's booth, I went to the booth next to them and IMMEDIATELY took a header right to the ground! "Embarrassment, Booth 16" I totally missed the extreme difference in heighth from the paved area to the dirt, and skinned both knees and thought I was ok......only after 2 hours did I realize I wasn't.......I think I broke my foot again! (more on that later….)

I then ran into TurtleGirl in one of the vendor barns…..she was exactly like I expected her to be. Such a sweet girl!! She was wearing her Striped Noro Tomato sweater, which was even more gorgeous in person. We chatted for a few minutes and then went on our merry way.

I continued on, making sure that I checked out all of the vendor barns/halls/tents...there was alot to see. I skipped those vendors that dealt with roving/spinning.....I don't want to even THINK about getting ANOTHER hobby. Best to keep my distance!!

By then, it was time for the Ravelry Meet Up at noon……..it was standing room only!

Then when Jess, Casey and Mary-Heather arrived---it was like ROCK STARS!! Applause and cheers from the crowds, then they handed out Ravelry name buttons, and event buttons with BOB on them!! I even got to talk a bit to Jess, which was awesome!!



I then decided to make my way back to the car to unload my purchases…..that’s when I realized that I had done something REALLY wrong when I fell earlier. I made my way back into the festival, as I wanted to see some of the exhibitions and get something to eat. I stopped by FIRST AID first, but there was really nothing they could do, without taking me for an X-Ray (which they recommended). I promised that I would try to take it easy.

Then I was off to see some of the sheepies lambs & bunnies……I want to live on a FARM!!!

(AWWWE, wook ad tuh wittle buuuneez!!!)

("honey, can I have another pet???........")

(this one was getting ready to be shown in the main ring....too CUTE!!)

I then was going to get something to eat (so that I could take some Advil for my foot pain), and go and see the dog herding demo, but my foot was killing me, so I just grabbed a corn dog and began making my way back to the car. I then realized that I’d LOST my brand-new RAVELRY name button, so I stopped back to the area that the M&G had occurred and Casey was still there, so he gladly gave me a new button! By then, it was almost 2pm, and I was spent....so I sadly came to the conclusion that it was time to leave......(sniff, SNIFF!!)

(was your car there too?? It's like "Where's Waldo??")

By the time I got to the car, I was in so much pain…..which progressively got worse in the car driving the 2 HOURS home. I was going to go straight to the ER on the way home, but my fear was that I’d have it cast-set and wouldn’t be able to drive home. So, we’re going to the ER in the morning, if it’s still bad (or worse)

In all, a wonderful time was had and I’ve got it on the schedule for May 1, 2010!!!