Alpaca Visit, Knitting, Spinning, Stash Arranging, and Hand Issues......

It's been a busy month. Two Saturdays ago, I went to the Spinners Guild meeting and after showing my beautiful Rebel, Rebel batt from Copperpot Woolies was encouraged to start spinning it right then on my empty bobbin. We laughed, talked, and ate goodies as usual.

I had a chance to catch up with Kimberly last Wednesday night at Borders, which was fun.
Last weekend, I had a terrific day with Sandi and Marva. After a delicious lunch in Hope Valley with both of them, Marva and I headed off to the alpaca farm in Westerly. The "boys" greeted us by checking out the car as we drove up. We were also greeted by the 2 dogs, chickens and roosters. After a cup of hot tea and crackers with homemade pepper jelly, and fun conversation, both of us bought some lovely alpaca roving for spinning. Then we got to visit with the newly hatched chicks along with the other creatures.

After leaving the farm, we did a bit of shopping at Job Lot. I finally found a deep fryer I liked and a rug to use when spinning on my new spindle. I was afraid of dropping the spindle and having it break since it is stone/glass. I still haven't had a chance to use it yet. There were several steamers on the shelf as well, so I picked another one up. Someone had mentioned wanting one, but, if she doesn't care to take it now, I will just use it myself. Not a big deal. In the food department were several gluten free mixes, so I got corn bread, chocolate cookies, pancake, and 13 bean mix for Pat. Maybe tomorrow I can make him pancakes before I take off for part of the day. It would be a treat for him since he hasn't had them in a long time.

This Wednesday, I was at Panera with Ceecee, Marva, and Richard (he's from the Spinner's Guild) where we watched Ceecee work her magic with her Cricut machine as the three of us knit on our socks. Richard was knitting with some of his beautiful handspun yarn, Marva was starting a pair with Happy Feet from Plymouth yarn and I was using my Tofutsies from SWTC. As Ceecee created the card characters, it was fascinating to watch them develop as she puts them together. It also takes a lot of time and effort for each one.

This week also saw the treadmill finally moved downstairs and me re-arranging my yarns and fiber stashes in a more orderly manner to go into the craft room. I now have the yarns separated by weights. There's a bin of lace, worsted, dyeables, and three bins of fingering/sock. Then there's the four bins of fibers. I tried to keep them organized by putting fibers from the same person all in the same bin. One is mostly from my WEBS trip Pat took me on last Friday. I did some serious fiber shopping that day. Also, I picked up a couple of books and some hand dyed sock and lace yarns.

My red batt is still half spun. I'll work on it tomorrow at the Sit and Spin at Sue's shop in Chepachet. I'm trying to finish the test knit socks first, so that I can concentrate on my two shawls and the DkKnits KAL I'm in.

On Tuesday, my therapist told me she thinks my hand is as good as it's going to be without surgery. On Thursday, the hand specialist told me he doesn't think I need surgery at this time, but, is sending me to a hand specialty therapist. I stopped there to make the appointment and was lucky to get on for the same day at 3pm. I now have a "tape brace" on my thumb, wrist and arm. I can take a shower and not worry about it getting wet, just pat it dry and let it finish air drying. I'm to keep it on as long as I can and see her on next Tuesday again. I think it will be on until then without a problem unless the glue wears out. For something so minor, it gives a nice support to my thumb and wrist. I also was told to continue with the spinning and knitting, just remember to take a break and stretch the hands about every 20 minutes or so.

I'm heading out now for a bit of grocery shopping. I also feel like having some fish for supper, so that's on the list too. Maybe a piece of salmon with some lemon and a baked potato and salad......Hmmm...sounds good.......

Knit Nights and Spinning Saturday.....KnitPicks Order

This week has become very busy. Last night, Tuesday, was Knitting Night at RI Handspun located across from the Burriville police station. There was much laughter and knitting happening there as well as some fiber/yarn stash enhancements. I finally found a wool blend to ply with my natural/ cream alpaca I've had for a while. That's all I bought. I was very good because just before leaving, in the corner, I spotted some merino/tencel on sale. It's still there ...... until my next visit. I passed the new spindle around and all the spinners tried a bit on it. It spins like a dream.

Tonight is Panera in Cranston, where I am planning to see Caroline who is from New Hampshire, Donna, Marva, and maybe some of the girls from the Craft Night group. I will have to bring my goodies from yesterday to show to a couple of the ladies tonight.

Thursday night is the Knitting/Crochet Guild meeting. Always a good time there, too.

Saturday is to be the shearing demo and then Spinners Guild meeting.

I don't plan to buy anything else in the fiber/yarn area for a while, now. I am still looking for that cabinet to help house some of my eye candy already residing here..........

My Knit Picks order arrived a couple of days ago. There are all my new needles, Harmony DPNs and Options fixed circs, as well as a couple of tool containers, the Hippo and the Dolphin, to accommodate my sundry of tools. There is some lovely Bare in the Merino/Silk blend for me to try with the "Lily of the Valley" sock pattern I also bought. I am in a mood to make a sweater, so there is also enough of another yarn to make one. Some lace weight was on sale, so that's there, too. Oh my, I did make quite a big order, didn't I???????

What Deborah Means

You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

New Fiber Snuggles and Yarn Cuddles

Recently, I have been finding some irresistible fiber and yarns online, especially at copperpotwoolies which is one of my favorites places now. The fibers are breathtakingly lovely and the service in phenomenal. Delivery is super-fast. I fell in love with so many of her fiber mixes, they just fell into my shopping cart and begged to come home with me. I ended up with several including "Rebel, Rebel" and "Sultry Shadows" which are special blends. Out of her regular rovings I picked up"Mango Berry", "Shooting Star", "Pixie Dust" which is full of sparkly bling, and some white in both Merino and Blue Face Leister. There was also a "Mystery Blend"ordered of which she sent me two. I now have the decision of which to spin first.

Over on another etsy site, butterflygirldesigns I found handmade spindles and more fiber. I chose a "Pink Opalite" spindle, along with fibers in "Strawberry Swirl", "Citrus Fizzi", and "New Fallen Snow II" to accompany it.

Then I headed over to dkknits , where I bought a huge amount of sock yarn. She has theme collections and I fell in love with the "Franks Fem Fatales" which is based on Wizard of Oz. Then between that visit and another one, I managed to pick up another 9 skeins of sock love. One was "Ruby Slippers" which is merino and tencel, has a soft gleam to them.

After all that Etsy shopping, I dropped in at spunkyeclectic and picked up the color of the month, "Walking in the Sun" in BFL roving and sock yarn. A second recent visit found this month's color, "Neopolitan", along with "Thin Ice" and "Mountain Majesty", all in BFL roving in my basket crying to come home with me. These three arrived yesterday.

On top of all this fiber goodness, I bought some more yarn from MomSue84 on Ravelry.

On a shopping trip to Walmart, I picked up two more big clear plastic bins to house all the new additions. Unfortunately, I need another bin because I found some "missing" fiber packages that were in the bedroom. These were items I had bought a while ago and put away until I was ready to spin them up. I did such a great job of this, I completely forgot about them until going through some things in that room. It was a nice surprise to find them, and was like buying them all over again.

My husband is promising to get my treadmill downstairs in the basement and to build me a nice, big bookcase for my craft room so I can organize all my books in one spot instead of two smaller bookcases. This will free up a bin which is presently full of fiber books, and floor space, as well as create a better looking room. Sadly, I will have to fill up the space with all the bins presently stored in the bedroom and living room. I think he has started to question the size of the stashes as the bins keep arriving and filling. There must be a way to camouflage them somehow.........

I'm off to look for a big cabinet to hide yarn/fiber in and to buy another bin...........

I've been Meme tagged!!

I've been tagged by Sherill, at http://nowandthen.blogspot.com/ with this meme. Here's what you do:

Post the rules on your blog. Link to the person who tagged you. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website. Let’s go:

1. I love thunderstorms, even the day ones.
2. I rarely go to bed before midnight or 1 a.m.
3. Waffles with peanut butter and jelly are tasty.
4. I need to face the door to fall asleep at night.
5. My favorite books to read are romances, especially historicals.
6. I love ice coffee, but am allergic to the flavor shot used in most coffee shops, so I have to drink it plain. The beans are o.k.

O.K. Now here's my links:

AnnaMarie at http://www.princessofpink.net/

Donna at http://knit1spin2.blogspot.com/

Lisa at http://www.nativeknits.com/

Sarah at http://sarahmackenzie.wordpress.com/

Anne at http://carpoolknitter.wordpress.com/

Caroline at http://dipndip.blogspot.com/

Fiber Festivals Plans, Lastest Purchases, Bad Pooh Puppy....

Well, I'll start with the bad Pooh puppy first. He is now over a year old and hasn't been chewing on anything. All of a sudden, he's after the kitchen cabinet door trim. Pat had to block it for now with a long board to keep him away from it. I picked up a package of four rawhide bagel chewies that will hopefully deter him from the cabinets. He won't share with Hanna and Babs, so only one is given at a time. He will just keep taking them away from the others if they have them and sit with a pile in front of himselt. Greedy little munchkin.

I stopped by Yarns at Lace Wings just to see what was on sale, if anything. I came out with enough Cascade 220, not on sale, for another sweater. Now, I have no pattern in mind at this time. The color just called to me. It's a shade of blue with a subtle hint of green if you are in the right light. While I don't usually like greens on me, this one was too pretty to pass up. I bought 10 skeins. I know I don't need that much, but don't want to be short when I get to the end of a sleeve or the neck edges. If I have full skeins left, I will probably use them for a mittens and hat set. The excess will probably go in a pile with some other yarns. I'm playing with the idea of crocheting a blanket from scraps and left overs. That's all I bought.

Now, for the festival part. I'm planning on attending the CT Festival at the end of April. I would like to go to the NH Festival on Mother's Day weekend, as well, but don't know if I can due to other commitments. The Annual Pottowamut Family Yard Sale is the same weekend and so is my spinning guild meeting which is also being held at a sheep shearing at Watson Farm in Jamestown. The following Saturday, May 17th, is the 2nd RI Annual Wool and Fiber Festival held at Coggeshall Farm in Bristol, RI. My wheel and I are participating as well as attending that one.

Other exciting things are in the works as well, but until something definite is planned, I won't post about them here.

Pain the the Wrist, Rainy Days, and Fiber .....

I'm sitting here debating if I should take a short nap before heading out in about an hour to meet some friends at Panera for Craft Night. It snowed last night, but, the dreary heavy downpours of today have washed it all away. It's been dark and gray and miserable weather all day. If it was snow instead of rain, we would have had nasty blizzard conditions to deal with. On the other hand, it is good snoozing weather, or a cuddle up on the sofa with some knitting and a good movie kind of day.

Instead of doing either of those things, I had to go to the doctor's for my wrist followup. I thought it had improved with the therapy exercises even though I have been having tightness in the mornings. Nope. He decides the tendons and muscles were too tight. This meant a Cortizone shot. If you have ever had one you know how painful it can be. If you've never had one, consider yourself extremely lucky. I only accept getting these as a last resort for relief of pain. My first experience was with a shoulder injury in 2000 and it was horrific. No pre-numbing spray and that doctor missed the spot. When I needed one in my ankle, in 2004, I made the doctor wait a month before giving into it. That one was no where near as bad as the first. The one today wasn't too bad. My ortho doctor was a gentle as he could be and also sent me home with a wrist/thumb support to wear as needed and instructions to ice the wrist, which I've done.

On the way home, I stopped and checked the mail box. Goodies galore were waiting for me. My sock yarns from DKKnits had arrived and are snuggly soft and vibrant as always. Another box held my black Icelandic roving from Annawolfsong , from Ravelry, who has been doing a major de-shash over there. The third and smallest package was the Buffing Polish I had ordered for my wheel. It smells of lavender and will make my wheel shine so nicely. It needs a good cleaning again with all the spinning I've been doing lately anyway so this is perfect timing.

O.K. My bag is ready to go in an hour, so I think I will snooze for a half hour now.......

Spinning Retreat, Alpacas, Newborn Lambs, and Knitting.....

The Spinning Retreat from last weekend, February 1st until the 3rd, was so much fun. The Bayberry Spinners hosted the retreat and invited the RI Spinners to attend. The place was fantastic. The "house" was in Watch Hill, RI and is huge. It had a double kitchen, dining room, room for the food to be served in, sitting room and huge living room/great room for us to gather in. There were two wide staircases so no one had to navigate around anyone going up or down the stairs. The bedrooms and several baths were on the second and third floors with panoramic views of the ocean. There was also a terrific stone porch for us to sit and spin, knit, work with a drum carder, or just relax on. The food was tremendous and more than anyone could need. There was a "snack" table set up the entire weekend for nibbling. Wine, water, soda, and coffee were available to all whenever they wanted a drink. There was much laughter, spinning, knitting, sharing, and good fun happening. There was even a sock teaching session and a fiber/yarn swap held.

One of the retreat participants mentioned a local alpaca farm and arrangements were made for a visit. These sweet animals let us feed and pet them until our hearts content. They were so friendly, trotting up to the fence, as they were making humming noises at us. I would love to attend another retreat in the future.

My wrist was a bit sore on Monday, but I think I moved it the wrong way while helping to rearrange the furniture. I lifted the sofa with the hand more than the wrist. I still have tightness in the mornings, but, work it out during the day until it doesn't hurt as much.

I decided to buy a Woolee Winder, which was being offered for sale on Ravelry, for my wheel. It came in Friday, but I need to finish the bobbin I have on the wheel before switching it to try it out and have fun with it.

Last Wednesday evening was the Panera meetup with Marva and Donna. We knit, ate, and had a good time together as usual. Yesterday, Saturday was our monthly Spinner's Guild meeting. It was held at Jen's house. Her ewes are delivering lambs this week. There was a week and a half old, a two day old, and a one day old lamb for us to see. The oldest is white and the other two are black or brown. They are just so sweet and precious to see. I went to The Beads Go On with Marva after the meeting, but was good and didn't buy anything.

Today, I had to buy a new driveband for my wheel, so Marva met me at the LFS. After that, we decided to go to Sakonnet Purls, since she had never been there. Because I knew how to get there I drove. I also knew, thanks to an email newsletter from them, they had solid Alpaca Sox Yarn in as well as a book I was interested in. I came home with both these items plus yarn for socks from the sale shed. Marva shopped for some goodies, too. From there we went to Cracker Barrel in Coventry for delicious pork chops. They have an antique drum carder on one wall and sock blocker on another wall. No spinning wheel though. We headed across to the SuperWalmart, did some shopping, and came out of the store to snow falling so hard, you couldn't see in front of you. The squall stopped before I got back to her car in Warwick. Then I headed home for the night to fix my driveband and spin or knit. I've restarted my Pi Shawl four times now and hope this time it's correct.

Drum Carder is HERE!!! More Yarn Goodies, Too....

I had ordered my drum carder from Manmade By Jonne and had a call one day about a week ago, letting me know it was in. I was surprised because I didn't think it would be here until this week. I've yet to use it because it needs to be clamped to a table and mine doesn't have a smooth edge. It has a graduated curve to it. My plan is to have Pat come up with a way to attach it to the table. If the craft room is cleared out, I should be able to use that table instead. Just getting it arranged is taking time. My husband needs to get the treadmill out of there first.

I've been playing with some dye as well. A friend of mine showed me how to dye some of my yarn and fiber. Now I'm addicted. I love the unexpected colors at the end. I thought some would be lighter or darker than they came out. The end result reminds me of stained glass in this aspect of not knowing until it's done how it will truly look. Of course, this new fixation of mine has led to a purchase from Knit Picks to see how their Bare yarn takes color.

Ravelry members who are de-stashing are also figuring in my fiber world lately. I've bought more yarns and fiber from a few ladies, and have a few more on the way.

I'm still working on the modified Pi Shawl. I had to start over after losing six stitches. Actually, I never lost them. I just miscounted the cast on row and was six stitches short. DUH!! That's what I get for not counting the row twice. MS3 hasn't been touched lately, due to other projects as stated above.

I have been spinning some of my fibers up. I finished up 3.75 ounces of domestic wool roving I had gotten from the Etsy shop, A Knitting Duck a/k/a LittleQuacky on Ravelry. While trying to ply from a center pull ball, I snarled up the last bit of singles, so I ended up with about 3.50 ounces and about 200 yards of yarn. Right now, I'm finishing up a lovely Merino fiber, "Violet Coral", I purchased last Fall from Knitspin at her Etsy shop. It's soft blue with violets and pinks. I weighed the roving out and split it in half making 2 two-ounce balls. Hopefully I have spun this even enough to not have any or very little left over after plying. I plan to make Victorian Lace wristlets with this.

I have to get packed for this weekend's spinning retreat. I have the fiber in the car already, and the suitcase with the clothes ready. I just need to add a few odds and ends and will be ready to hit the road. Oh, of course, the wheel goes in the car first. lol

A visit to the yarn store.....More Yarn Goodies... And Pretty Sheets of Glass....

Yesterday was a nice day for a drive so I went to Tiverton to Sakonnet Purls and met up with Kimberly. I ended up being very late getting there due to the long line at the post office. Apparently, everyone who wanted a passport was there yesterday to apply for it. I just wanted to pick up my package which was waiting for me. It was the one for the yarn de-stash purchase I did on Ravelry from MomSue84. If anyone is on Ravelry and wants a great person to shop from, this is the lady. Her choices of yarn to destash are terrific.

Anyway, I finally get to Sakonnet Purls. After a quick hello, I shopped for a bit. Actually quite a bit. Happy Feet, Schaefer Anne, Claudia, Alpaca Sox, Regia, and Malabrigio Lace were the yarns I bought along with some big buttons. I might use one as a shawl pin after I attach a clip or pin to the back of it.

After talking to Kimberly and the other ladies for a while, I headed homeward. As I approached the exit for Rehoboth, I decided to detour to the Glass Emporium glass shop. I came out of there with a few sheets of stained glass. All are mixed colors. There's a Yougaghani in a deep shade red with yellow and orange in it. Two of those found their way to the counter and into my car. I found one sheet which is predominantly green, but has many colors in it reminding me of a smudged, muted, field of flowers off in the distance. That's all I bought which is really good for me. Usually I buy a lot more at a time. There were only a couple of people in the store when I got there. The shop was closing at the time I got there, and the owner was nice enough to let me shop first.

I also managed to find a pair of pajamas I like at Catherine's. I need them for the spinning retreat on February 1.

Then I stopped for a pizza at Papa John's for supper before I went home. After eating, and sharing with the animals, I got comfortable and worked on the modified Pi Shawl for 2 hours until my husband came home from work. I didn't want to quit in the middle of a repeat, so I spent another hour knitting until my eyes were trying to close.

Spin, Spin, Spin, Knit, Knit, Knit......

Now that the wrist is healed, I'm knitting and spinning my butt off. I attended the Knitting and Spinning Guild meetings this month and had a great time at both of them. I've been busy acquiring all kinds of goodies as far as fiber and yarn are concerned. Now I can actually use it. My Coopworth in Natural is spun, plied, washed, and ready to become a hat and mittens. Also spun up is almost 4 ounces of roving from A Knitting Duck. It transitions in a very subtle way from green to purple to rose and flows very prettily along. I'm going to ply this from a ball tonight to see the end results. I have managed to spin it very thin so hopefully it will be fingering weight. The natural is between a DK and light worsted weight. That's a big difference from my heavy worsted/bulky which was my first yarn.

I joined the FINISHALONGPALOOZA on the Lime N Violet thread at Ravelry and here's how it's progressing:

The mittens that match Clapotis 1 for Aunt Barbara are finished, just needing the ends worked in. The modified Pi Shawl is started in "Medusa" lace weight from Skein Queen. This is a bright yarn, but, I think it will work well with this simpler pattern. If I chose a more complicated pattern I think the yarn would overpower it and you wouldn't really see the pattern. My test knit socks are cast on and have a bit done as well. These will be my traveling projects for now. MS3 is still languishing at home and has become my home project again. Clapotis 2 and matching socks will be the next projects after the Pi and test socks. I will be able to travel with both of these items as well. I just worry that the yarns are similar colors and I'll become bored with them. I might have to throw the Barcelona socks in to break it up a bit.

Babs, the dog, has made it to her 17th birthday on the 13th. She's on the left in this photo of her and her daughter, Hanna, on the right. I really thought she would be in doggie heaven by now and am glad she's still here. She does have the "postal" attack going on. She gets confused and starts growling when the other dogs aren't even near her. Lately, she's gotten her nose and face pointed toward a corner and can't figure out how to get out. Monday, she managed to slide her head under the heater/baseboard in the kitchen and growled with the back legs kicking. She couldn't get out. I went over and gave her a gentle push and she slid right out ~ she wasn't stuck. The other two dogs just sat and looked at her as if to ask "what's up with her?" It's a day by day decision now as to how long she has. Pat doesn't want to take her to the vet if she still has good days left. It's a hard decision.

Megan, the cat, turned 11 on the 14th. She has started to mellow a bit and lets me pet her more, sometimes even purring at me when I do. Everyone else is fine.

The Wrist Saga Continues......

On Thursday, I went to the podiatrist, then the orthopedic doctor. Ortho doc decided I needed an MRI of the wrist. I thought it was healing well, but, he didn't agree. I usually go for MRIs of my head every few years because of migraines, so asked to be booked at the same place for this test. Upon leaving the ortho office, I went by the MRI office. Now, I'm extremely claustrophobic and usually require a dose of Valium an hour before this test. This time, my appointment was for an hour after I stopped by there. No time to get a script for the Valium or time to take it. Cold turkey for this one.......Well, I went in, had the test, and survived fine. The only part of me out of the machine was my eyes and top of my head. It took a full hour for the test because of all the small bones in your wrist. Now, I wait to see the doc on Thursday to learn the results. I think he was looking for a cyst on the scapula because of the thumb pain. The rest of the wrist feels much better.

I went to Yarnia to treat myself for doing so well during the test. I came home with a skein of Cherry Tree Sock yarn in solid black, and two other colors of a soft yarn for socks, one yellow and one lilac.

Magazine Arrivals....Visiting WEBS.....Spin Group Meet up

First, my back issues of Interweave Knits arrived along with my new issue of Spin Off. Lots of good pleasure reading ahead of me.

Second, On Saturday, I went with Marva and Jean to RI Handspun, owned by Sue DiNola, in Chepachet, RI. There were several other members of the guild as well as a few people I didn't know also there. Sue is a very nice person who makes you feel like you've always been visiting here for years. Of course, the fiber called to me. I bought two 6 ounce balls in two colors. One is a purple blend merino and the other is a Colonial wool in a blue blend. These are to have for the Spinning Retreat in February. The girls laughed and told me I definitely need more than that for 3 days. Along with the fiber, I bought some pencil roving and sock yarn, both for spinning. Sandi and Marva had a dye session earlier this week and showed us their finished products. When Sandi gets ready for the next dye session, I'll be there. She was nice enough to take my dye products with her so I won't lose them at home. Could happen in this fiber pile. lol
I can't wait to go back next month, hopefully with permission from the doctor to spin.

After the sit and spin session, which I was told was the largest to date, (about 15 people), Sandi, Emily, Jean, Marva and myself all headed up the road to Wright's Chicken Farm for supper. OOOOOOOOh it was so tasty. I hadn't been there in about 22 years and it was still just as good as I remembered.

Third, Sunday, yesterday, I went to the yarn mecca of Massachusetts, and possibly New England. WEBS. I didn't think I was going because I waited for a friend to call me regarding the trip. Then Pat was busy with the car and then we had to run an errand. We got back around 1:30 so I figured that's it, no trip. He said get ready so we could go. Around 2:30 we left and arrived there about 4:15 leaving me 45 minutes to shop. He napped in the car while I was inside. I scanned the store to get my bearings and an idea of what I wanted to head for first. The back room. I only walked through and looked this time. I decided to save this for the next trip here.

I really was good. I bought some Merino roving, 3 color blend balls at a pound each. Cranberry, Baltic Blue, and Rose Quartz. Also I did buy some Lorna's Laces and ShiBu, and artyarns for socks. I went for lace weight cones and to check out the drum carders. The drum carders were out of stock and I decided to save the cones for the next visit when I looked in my basket. I didn't want to scare my husband when I came back to the car with my goodies. I left the fiber in the car with the ones from Saturday. These will travel with me in a few weeks to the retreat along with some of my Romney fleece, hand carders, and wheel. I'm already planning to go back for more yarns, fibers and goodies in the near future.

A very fun, fibery weekend, indeed......

Pooh All Grown Up...Sort Of



Pooh at 1 year old. He never stops running around. He's a bundle of energy and very loud with his demands for constant attention at times. What can I say. He's spoiled.



Here's Pooh with his new toy a few days before Christmas. He punctured the old one, so got this one a bit early. He loves this thing. If I say "bippie" he runs and gets it for me to play with him.

My Special Bear.....

This is the bear I received from my friend, Bella, as a retirement gift. She knows I'm a knitter and have cats. I think its adorable.

My Clapotis is At It's New Home.....

This is my first Clapotis which was given to Aunt Barbara as a Christmas gift. She loves pink, so this was perfect for her. The yarn is Cascade 220Heather in Pink.. I had enough left over to make matching mittens. As soon as my wrist is healed, and I have permission to knit again,the thumbs will be finished.

I've Got Progress Bars!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to Casey at Ravelry I now have progress bars for this blog. Thanks to Kimberly, they are installed. I just couldn't figure out how to get them to work.

I just got home from a great day spent at Sakonnet Purls in Tiverton where I met SlothKnits and her MIL. Also, Katrinkles, her mom, Beetsie, and her dad were there. It was nice to see them again. Since I can't knit, I shopped. There was a new sock yarn from Reynolds that was so nice, I had to buy 4 colorways. Well, in all honesty, as soon as the wrist heals, I will be knitting and spinning much more than before now I'm a lady of leisure. Upon leaving Sakonnet Purls, Kimberly and I stopped at Panera for a relaxing lunch by the fire. My turkey sandwich and French Onion Soup were delicious.

I stopped by the Post Office, but they already closed. This means I have to wait until Monday morning to pick up the 2 packages waiting for me. I didn't realize they close at 12 on Saturdays at this particular branch. Maybe Santa will be nice and deliver my other packages from Amazon on Monday too. I ordered an ottoman which came with a free small one. The big one is also able to be used for storage, most likely for yarn or my collection of books near the desk. Either way, it will de-clutter the desk area quite a bit. Then there is the rest of my book order yet to arrive..........

Off to the store to finsh gift shopping for the DH........

Happy Retirement to Me!!!! .... Yarn Arrivals.....

O.K. The clock is on the final countdown to Midnight. I have about a half hour until it's official. I am retired after 28 years on the job!!. Yippee!! Don't get me wrong. I loved my job as far as the patients and most staff were concerned. You know the old adage "It only takes one to spoil it". Well, this was very true. I worked with several people who were very nice and great to be around. And then there were the ones who played favorites and kissed ass to get their way. Sorry I don't kiss ass for any one. My feelings are everyone should be treated with respect and courtesy in their workplace ~ not snapped and screamed at by the boss like I was the last few weeks of my job. I think that was partly due to other situations, such as lay offs, that have been going on. These people have my heartfelt sympathy. Part of it also could have been jealousy that I am in the position to leave now and not worry about my future and she's not. I hope some day she realizes the world doesn't center around her. I truly won't miss the stress from work, just some of the people.

My blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight are all down in the three weeks I've been home with the wrist. Also I only had a small headache tonight. That was because I hadn't eaten enough and it was getting late. No stress ..... that's why everything is better.

The doctor said still no knitting or spinning until at least the next visit on Jan. 3rd. Earlier tonight, I managed to tip my chair over with me in it. It was so stupid. I had taken my shoes and socks off. When I bent over to pick up the socks so Tiger wouldn't attack them (they're hand knit and he has a yarn fetish), the chair rolled out from under me. I landed belly down with the wrist against my chest so I don't think I did any more damage to it than it already had. Hope not.

Now for the good news............ Yarn arrivals today! There are three skeins from DkKnits and I love the colors. One, "Whoozle's Whiskers",looks like my cat, Megan, with the orange, white, black and brown. Another, "Kaleigh's Kalico Komet", looks like my other cat, Tiffany, who went to kitty heaven a few years ago. It's white, gray, and a soft, creamy orange-rust color of her fur. The third is "Mauvic Monday" in a nice Mauve shade..... She always has such nice colors and the yarn smells so yummy too. Hmmm ~ makes me want candy.

The other item was one of the packages from Miss Violet's de-stash sale. It has a skein of Fleece Artist yarn called "stone" and several batts of fiber in greens/blues and some in pink for my spinning pleasure.

Last night, I went to Lace Wings to give my friend her gift. She loved the custom dyed yarns from Skein Queen. I'm so glad. She gave me Brooks Farms yarn is a delicious colorway. I snuggled it for a while last night. And yes, Tiger tried to confiscate it. lol While at the shop, I also bought one skein of boot sock yarn just to calm the yarn/knitting craving a bit.......... Yeah. Right.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Sakonnet Purls in Tiverton. Even though I can't knit I can touch fiber and enjoy watching others knit. Several others are going to be there, so it will be fun.

O.K. Time for bed. Good night all.

Yippee!!!!...Interweave Press Called and My Magazine is Coming!!

I've been on a search for a couple of patterns ~ Swallowtail Shawl and Flower Basket Shawl ~ for quite a while now. Yesterday, I ordered the Fall 2006 issue from the back issues section of their website. In the comments section I asked if Fall 2004 was still available or if there was a chance the Flower Basket Shawl would be re-issued as a separate pattern.

I just got off the phone with a very nice person from Interweave Press who informed me they have only 2 or 3 copies of Fall 2004 available and wanted to know if I wanted to purchase one. Yes!! Yes!!

It is to be shipped with the other magazine. Yippee!!

Still No Knitting or Spinning Allowed.....Shopping........

My wrist still hurts and my thumb feels "funny" sometimes - gets numb every now and then. I need to tell the doctor that on Thursday when I see him. The brace is much better than the cast, though. I'm not having anxiety attacks and am sleeping much better now.

Just because I can't play with fiber/yarn, doesn't mean I can't shop for it.

Saturday was the sale/party at Yarns at Lace Wings in Warwick. I went, enjoyed it, and only bought 2 skeins of yarn. One was another skein of Tofutsies in a blue colorway and the other was a skein of Lamb's Pride in cream. Recently, when I saw Kimberly, she was wearing a cute hat she had felted. I found the pattern online and plan to use a skein of LP in pink I already have along with the cream to make it.

Ravelry is great for shopping. Several people are de-stashing yarns and fiber. Some fiber called my name and is now on it's way to me as well as the second order of yarns from the first person.

Amazon.com is another shopping spot I have found I like. I just bought some spinning and knitting books there as well.

Ravelry meet up, Yarn fun, and Retirement......

Last Sunday was the brunch for Ravelry members and "want to be's" which was held at Eva's Yarn Shop in Fairhaven, MA. It was great to see some familiar people and meet new ones as well. Much chatting, eating, shopping, and knitting was going on. This is a very nice shop with a diversified choice of yarns. There's a nice sitting area in the front near the door, as well as a table with chairs for relaxing, knitting, and visiting. The owner, Eva, is very helpful and friendly. The other ladies who work there also were nice and polite. There's a coffee pot which makes individual cups, so you can choose to partake of a coffee, tea, or chocolate of your choice. I was good and only bought one skein of J.Knits yarn in the color "Tampa" to make socks with eventually.

I've also been busy buying yarns from someone on Ravelry. This person, has decided to downsize her stash and the end result is some great buys for everyone else. For the first order, I picked up some Misty Mountain Jubilee in "Mossy Hollow", Apple Lane in "English Garden", and, Claudia in "Walk in the Woods". The second order was for a skein of Cherry Tree Merino in "Monet", Cherry Tree Potluck in "Water" and "Paradise", and Gypsy Girl Creations in "Watermelon" and "Crocus Way". This was two orders because she is constantly updating her de-stash. With all this great stuff she's getting rid of, I wonder what she's keeping.

My gift package arrived so now I can put the rest of it together. I hope my friend likes it as much I do.....

On Friday I couldn't take the cast anymore and had to go back to the doctor's. He wasn't there, but the person who puts casts on, Jose, was. He explained my problem was because I'm claustrophobic, I was having issues with the cast. He took me out of it to check my hand. After I saw how easy it was to remove, I felt better. Of course, since the doctor was not there, he had to put a new one back on me. After, I had an appointment to come back yesterday, Tuesday. As soon as my doc was told about my issues, he took me out of the cast, did a new X-ray, and put me in a brace instead. He told me I should have told him I was claustrophobic, but who knew a cast would cause so much anxiety???

So now I have a nice new brace, and another appointment on December 20. Hopefully I will be healed soon and can get back to knitting and spinning. Not to mention typing with two hands better than I have been lately.

As far as retirement, I've noticed my blood pressure is better as well as my blood sugar levels. Being home has no stress, obviously. Even with the wrist problem, I love being home now......

Meet ups, yarn shopping, and broken bones......

I hope everyone had a great Turkey day. Mine was the usual quiet one at home day. The exception was Pooh barking all day at my brother-in-law.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was a great day for meeting new people. I went to Mystic River Yarns in Mystic, CT. There were 7 of us present for the get together. The shop owner was very nice and helpful, and, gave us each a mug with the shop logo as we left. I definitely plan to visit this shop again. The layout is easy to navigate, yarns arranged in a pleasant display and very easy to locate by weight or desired project. Selection is good in most weights I looked at. I did end up with some alpaca I hadn't planned on. Just couldn't resist. I also found the Tofutsies I need for a test knit pattern.

Last Wednesday evening was Craft Night at Panera and it was fun to see everyone there again.

Most of my Christmas shopping is done. I just need to get a couple of more items. One gift is not in yet, but should be arriving at the post office soon.

Unfortunately, I can't finish my mittens to accompany the Clapotis because I broke my wrist last Thursday night. Originally, I thought it was sprained. After having it checked out at the treatment center, I was shocked it was broke. The doctor put me in a brace and sent me on my way.

I decided to call my orthopedic doctor because it's my hand. I stopped by Jonne's and he told me not to even think of spinning or knitting because it will not heal properly. This would lead to me not being able to spin properly or possibly at all. My visit to the ortho resulted in a pretty light blue cast instead of the brace. It's my first one in my life and I am having issues with it. My hand is constantly sweaty. I'm claustrophobic and don't like the confinement feeling. My follow up appointment is on the 19Th, but I think I will try to get in early to get it off ahead of time. Maybe next Wednesday, which would be half way between when it was put on and my follow up. Don't mean to be whiny, but, I really don't like the way the hand feels in the cast. The good thing about this is, Retirement starts NOW!!!!!

Saturday was the Spinning Guild meeting and Christmas party. Even though I couldn't spin, I went and had a great time. Everyone brought an ornament and we exchanged them by drawing numbers and matching them to the ornaments.

Last night I went to Border's and met Sarah and Kimberly, who were knitting.

On Ravelry, I started a group for Peke lovers. Other dog breeds had groups, but I couldn't find anything for my little ones, so started one.

Clapotis 1 is Finished and Yarn is Arriving......

Tonight, I finished the Clapotis for Aunt Barbara for Christmas. I have enough yarn left over to make a pair of mittens to go with it. If I can finish them, I will give them with the Clappie, if not, I may keep them. It did come out longer than I thought it would, but should be o.k. I will wash it in Eucalan this weekend and pack it up. Clappie 2 is inching along. I can devote more time to that one now.

My custom dyed yarns from Skein Queen arrived and oh my goodness!! All I can say is.....breathtaking......gorgeous......snuggly. I plan to make my Mystic Waters with the blue one, and am undecided about the cool jewel tones ones. Also, My three LnV skeins are in and calling me to make more socks. The rovings I ordered arrived the same day as the LnV........lots of fiber to play with.......

Justification of Yarn and Fiber Purchases

O.K. I'm going to be in so much trouble if my husband figures out what I just did....... I used his Paypal account for an Etsy shopping extravaganza. He has given me permission to use it if I want as long as I pay it off. I only spent about $200. ;)

It could have been much worse........ The justification? It's going to be winter soon and cold, I'm retiring next month, if he figures it out, it can count as a Christmas present...... sounds good to me.........

What did I buy you may ask? Just some sock yarns and some rovings to spin......

I do need to visit Yarnia for that other skein of yarn too........

White Fleece Progress.....Getting Lost in My Own State.....

On Saturday, I originally was suppose to do some stuff with my husband, but our plans were changed, leaving me with a few hours to myself. Instead of doing the housework, I played hooky. I decided to meet up with Marva from my Spinning Guild at Sue Di Nola's Sit and Spin in Oakland. Well, I got lost for over 2 hours, riding around in circles and never found the place. After all this time, I decided to head over to Woonsocket to Yarnia and meet up with Kimberly and Jen. Joseph was the perfect host and his mom, Linda, was great to spend time with also. I did cave in and buy some Claudia Silk Lace weight for a shawl in a beautiful light blue variegated. I also plan to head back there this weekend for that other skein of Claudia and maybe the Cherry Tree lace weight in bright yellow, red, and orange which was calling to me, begging to come home with me.

The white fleece is drying in the shed as I type. It's been there since Sunday. Hopefully, it will be ready for me to bag up the Saturday. With the temps being a bit cooler, it's taken a little longer to dry completely.

I took some of the gray to be checked by Jonne. It seems we were a little aggressive and pushed it under the water a bit too fast, resulting in a slight felting in some of it. Also he found dandruff in some of the locks. The recommendation is to toss that part because I will not be able to get it out properly. Besides, who wants that in their yarns? Yuck.

I am part of a Fiber Prep group on Ravelry. The founder is holding a blend-a-long, which I signed up for. I picked up some orange Merino and white silk. These are the fibers she wants us to use for this. I think the orange reminds me of pumpkins, with it's spice shade. The blended item will look like pumpkin mousse with whip cream worked in, or a dark cremesicle. I love the orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream treats. "No Pudge" used to make a great sugar free version. Unfortunately, I haven't seen them for quite a while.

Yesterday, I was checking e-mail and found the latest issue of my Knitting and Crochet Guild Newsletter. It was cool to see my interview published in it. Of course, I hated my picture, but, I did make good use of it. I printed it out and now it's my reminder to stay on track with the food issues. Weight Watchers suggests doing this anyway. I had a picture before, but it "mysteriously" disappeared. Hmmmmmmm.

O.K. It's time to get back to work on Clapotis 1. I'm about to start section 4. Hopefully, I can get this finished by next weekend. I need to also finish the MS3 by December 10Th in order to have a couple of days for blocking. My Christmas Party is on the 14Th and I really want to wear it for that.

Making New Fiber Friends.........

Last Thursday was the monthly knitting guild meeting. I went and had a great time working on the miniature version of Anne R.'s pi shawl. I had hurt my right wrist earlier in the evening, but, I really wanted to visit with the ladies and get that pattern. In actuality it hurt to much to knit very much. I ended up staying home Friday to rest it. Saturday was my first spinning guild meeting. This was also a lot of fun with much learning involved. I had previously met four of the people present and everyone made you feel very comfortable. Sunday, was fleece washing in the back yard again. I only have the big dark fleece with a lot of gray in it, and the white ram fleece left to wash this weekend. Plans are to try to get both done. I'm not sure about that since these are the biggest two.

Retro socks are finally finished. I'm working the seventh drop stitch part of Clapotis1 and Clapotis2 is still the same. I also am about to start Clue 4 of MS3. This is the longest part of that, plus, I'm making it longer so it will fit my fluffiness better. I still need to find a yarn I like better for Chrysopolis so I can recast that project. Twinkle Toes is to be cast on tomorrow for my Holiday KAL participation on www.socknitters.com and I'm also trying to work on Lacy Cuffs for the Socktoberfest KAL. My goal is to finish that pair of socks this month, but I don't think so. At least I managed to complete the other two pairs that had been languishing here.

Fleece Number 2 Washing, a Day at Slater Mill's Event, Spinning, and Knitting

Saturday morning was really hot here. I had already planned to wash at least one more fleece and this was a perfect day for it. I pulled it out of the bag and found there was almost no VM to clean. My doctor had skirted this one nicely. I pulled the edges away from the "blanket" part so I could do that part separately. It all fit in 4 mesh bags and took very little work or time to prep for the buckets.

My DH hooked up a rubber pipe to the kitchen sink for the hose to run from. We stuck the hose through the window and it was so much easier than lugging buckets of hot water through the yard. Yesterday was cooler around here, so the fleece were still damp. He flipped them over on the screen for me so the under side can dry better and evenly. The fleece looks nice and fluffy now, as it dries in the shed away from the possible showers we might have tonight.

Sunday also was the end of the National Spinning and Weaving Week. Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI had an all day event I really wanted to go to. We arrived around 12:30 and stayed until around 2. As we were leaving, I called Kimberly to let her know and she begged me to stay til she got there. How could I not? I waited for her and we finally left around 3:30.

I had a great time with the spinning guild, which I just signed up to join. After spending some time with them, I feel very comfortable and know I will enjoy the meetings. Several ladies also told me about some processing mills if I don't want to do my fleeces myself. I might use one if DH doesn't want to help me, but for right now, he seems to like doing it.

There was a roving where everyone could trying dyeing some of it. This was a community project and next year it will be a community spinning project. So cool.

Also, I learned how to use a hackle and a drum carder, both of which are now on my wish list. Jonne spoke on the proper cleaning of your wheel. I didn't realize you were suppose to clean the oiled parts after spinning for an hour. I came home and immediately cleaned everything on mine.

There were quilting, spinning, weaving and great wheel demos all happening. Hot chocolate was available, but I had a drink in the car so didn't get any.

Last night, I was heading into the bedroom, when I heard Pat ask me "You going to spin on your wheel for a while or what?" He just knew what I had planned. I plied the two bobbins waiting for me, spun a bit of my alpaca just to see what it felt like, and then did a bit of my natural colored roving before I quit. In all about 3 hours of spinning. I felt quite happy with that amount accomplished. Might do a bit more of the roving tonight.....

As for the knitting, it's all progressing at a snail's pace. I need to focus on one project and just finish that before moving on to another.
And since this is Socktoberfest, I must complete the socks first. All my Retro Socks need is the toe kitchenered. Meida needs 2 more repeats of the pattern and the decreases for the toe. The Lacy Anklets haven't been touched. My toe ups are crying for attention.

MS3 is almost to Clue 4, Clapotis 1 is on dropped stitch 5, Clapotis 2 is in the increase part. I cast on Secret of Chrysopolis, but frogged it because I didn't like my yarn color choice. I saw it in red and loved it. Now I need red lace weight yarn.......
My stained glass alpaca pattern is numbered and taped, waiting for me to cut up one copy and start with the glass.......

That's all my projects for now.

Fleeces are Here!!!!!!!

I picked up my fleeces last week after a visit to the foot doctor for a sore toe. (The toe is fine now.) There are 4 black ones from the ewes and 1 white one from the ram. I have had enormous amounts of help from Ravelry members on how to prepare them, especially the ram's. Also, Jonne helped me a great deal with some advise. I also ordered some supplies for carding my new fiber.

Today, my husband, Pat, and I did the first one. It's so soft and fluffy. Since these are Romney sheep they don't have as much lanolin as some other breeds. It was a lot of work, but, it's drying in the back yard now. I have to check it soon and see how it's doing. I went with the mesh bag in the buckets method. Then dried it on screens covered with a shear curtain, which was held down by bricks to prevent losing it to the wind or any stray varmits.....a/k/a squirrels and birds. I read on the Yarn Harlot's blog about her dilemma with that pesky fiber stealing creature and tried to protect myself accordingly.

The knitting has progress slowly due to added cast ons. I have made a few charity hats from Sheelagh's stash and am in a few KAL now. The Second Clapotis KAL has started as well as the secret of chrysopolis, and next week the secret of the stole starts.

I've been back to Fabric Place a couple of times and found a few more items to buy. Discount is now at 25%.

Well, gotta go check the fleece and run to the store...........

Knitting, Beads, Meetings......

I've been knitting on several projects this week. The Retro Socks are waiting for me to teach my friend, Bella, how to decrease the toe and work the Kitchener stitch. She did very well with the heel flap and heel turn. The Meida Socks have been quietly waiting for me to finish them. I only need to spend about 2 hours to do this. The MS3 is now into Clue 3. My first Clapotis is about to have the straight rows started. My Lacy Anklets are stagnant right now. I managed to complete 3 charity hats so far from Sheelagh's stash.

Thanks to Ravelry, I found out about the Clapotis Second KAL. Also, I signed up for the Holiday Sock KAL at Socknitters.com and plan to make a toe up sock in some of the yarn I bought from EJ Yarns when they were closing.

Today, I added another book to my library, "The Best of Interweave Knits" The Forest Path Stole, Icarus, and about four other items are already calling to me.

Last Wednesday, I stayed late at work with Robin and Sana. We made jewelry together. I find it very interesting to work the wire. I already work with wire when I am making a stained glass project, but, in a different way. Of course, the first thing I think of is ......stitch markers..... Well, on Tuesday of this week it's off to the store I go to buy myself some goodies. I now have a small collection of beads in blue, pink, purple, red, yellow shades as well as several findings, supplies, and tools.

Also, last Thursday I joined the Knitters Guild in RI thanks to Kimberly. I had a wonderful time meeting the ladies and talking with them. The items shown during show and tell made my head spin with the beauty of them all. Now I want to knit some of these items even more than I did when I only saw pics of them. lol

Happy and Sad Happenings......

It's been a week of good, happy events accompanied by a couple of sad ones.

One of the good things is more yarny accumulation. I have been breaking the yarn diet left and right. Since Fabric Place will close it's only store in RI in a few months, I have been visiting it - often - this week. I ended up buying 7 skeins of Cascade 220 Wool for the Tilted Duster pattern from Interweave Knits. After re-checking the pattern, I discovered I was a bit short on yardage. I went back yesterday and looked for the color, only to find I had bought the only skeins they had. This meant I could make the sweater and hope to squeak out just enough to finish, or, buy enough of another color to make it. I chose a lovely medium gray and bought 10 skeins. I know I don't need that much, but, the color will also make a nice pair of mittens or gloves to go with a couple of my coats.

On these two visits, I also picked up several skeins of Wash Day by Reynolds to make into solid color socks. The colors are a bright red, medium gray, and a shade that reminds me of watermelon. On the way to the register, I saw a copy of the Summer Interweave Knits I hadn't bought. I was undecided about that issue until recently when I found a couple of the patterns mentioned on line. Now I plan to make a couple of them. Also, there were pins with bigger, colored heads that will work for blocking. One box of these found their way into my basket.

All these items were 20% off at the present time. The only reason I didn't wait for a better discount is the supplies are limited. All the yarn is on the shelves for the most part and what you see is it. I didn't want to try to match dye lots and get frustrated to save a couple of extra pennies by waiting.

The other acquisition involved a lady named Margo. DH and I went to our usual flea market in CT on Sunday. As usual, I mentioned the alpaca farm, Safe Haven Alpacas, and my desire to visit it some day. Well, the sign was out for an alpaca store as well. He pulled right into the drive and headed for the buildings. The store is in a beautiful chalet style dwelling and is the whole first floor.

After browsing the yarns and finished goods for sale, I spotted a display of a blanket with a huge pile of fiber under it. This led me to ask if they had fiber for sale. I was directed to a basket in the corner and had a hard time choosing a shade. I loved the cinnamon, rusty brown shade as well as the natural, creamy shade. I ended up with the cream shade. There was about 7 ounces in the bag, so I just bought the whole thing. "Margo" was written on the plastic bag, which caused me to ask if the fiber was from her fleece. After learning it was, DH and I headed out to the barn to meet her and her cria, as well as about 2 dozen other alpaca mamas and babies. They are all so sweet and adorable.

Now, no more yarn or fiber additions are planned to come in the house at this time. Ooops. I forgot to mention the message from my podiatrist regarding the fleeces he mentioned last year. Both sheep and both Llama fleeces are waiting for me..........

This Wednesday was the Border's meetup with somebunnyslove, Kimberly. We had a great time, as usual.

The sad news is my car got sick and conked out on the highway last night. Fortunately AAA towed me home and DH checked it out. I need a new water pump and timing belt. He had just changed both of these things about 4 months ago. He thinks the water pump seized and this messed up the belt. Plans are to fix it tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'm using the spare car........

Another Happy Meet Up....More Yarn Goodies....Fiber Yummies......Kitty Antics........

Saturday was a busy day here. I had an appointment first thing in the morning, so I had to miss out on the breakfast get together with some local Ravelry members, Kimberly, Carine, and Nancy. I met them, along with Jen, at EJ Yarns in Pawtucket. Sadly, the store is closing for good this Friday. It was my first time there, and, I fell in love with a few yarns. Somehow, I ended up acquiring enough Berroco Pleasure yarn for a sweater. It just felt so soft in my hands.....I couldn't leave it behind. The color is a nice deep red and I also picked up the four skeins of white next to it in the basket. Just in case I'm a bit short on the red. I plan to knit the sweater from the top down and if I'm short, the ribbing will be done in the white.

Also, finding it's way into my basket (with some encouragement from Kimberly) was enough Lana Borgosesia in a lilac shade for a pair of socks. Along with that was Baruffa in navy and white for one pair, and a burgundy with cream for a second pair. These yarns are solids which my stash really needed. Since I bought more than 10 skeins, I saved an additional 10% for a total of 60% off. (Total was $110 from about $275)

I ran by Manmade By Jonne for some of his hand dyed roving. I have been looking at it longingly for a while and just went for it. I had told him on Friday I would be back when I stopped by and ended up with some yummy wool, alpaca blended roving and a complementary color for my other roving I had at home.

Since I had to go to Stop & Shop, I decided to go to the Rte.2 store. Co-incidentally, Fabric Place just happens to be in the same plaza. I used my last $7 of the credit slip, plus $30 more. Enough said there.........

By the way, these yarn and fiber purchases are completely justified. After the computer trauma earlier in the week, I needed "sympathy shopping". That's my story and I'm sticking to it - no matter what.

Pooh had his stitches out today. No problems from the neutering. He was very good in the car for me. I was nervous to take him alone, but Pat was busy and not home. Now, I can take Pooh for car rides by myself and not worry. The cats are being their usual selves and cavorting all over the house.

Computer Woes..............Shortened Knit time............

Last night was a horrible night. I came home from work, turned on the computer, got ready to read my mail, and........wham!......My computer would not work. After trying to start the darn thing six times without success, I gave up.

I went to Weight Watchers and stayed for the meeting. I didn't lose or gain this week. That's o.k. New week started today, and hopefully, I will have a loss next week.

When I left there, I headed to Circuit City for help. The guys in the Firedog section of the computer area were great. They explained it sounded like my harddrive had crashed. It should not have been a surprise according to them, since my poor PC is about seven years old. I ended up with a new computer tower, which came with a new keyboard and mouse.

I came home and took the old PC cover off, blew it out with canned air, let it sit a bit, plugged it back in, hooked it up and prayed. No good..........It's still the same. My DH came home from work..........new PC is connected. Now the darn thing won't recognize any of my other equipment.

After work today, I'm back to Circuit City with the old PC so they can try to save my files. Especially my pictures, favorites, and knitting stuff. Also, the guy tonight told me to call tech support for my LAN connection. Finally, the modem is working, and, after 3 hours, I have drivers installed for the other equipment. Also, some of my favorites are saved again.

I do like this PC, but need to adjust to the differences between XP and Vista.

Thanks to my computer woes, knitting time suffered greatly today. I only worked on the sock for half an hour at lunchtime. I plan to make up for it tomorrow............

Time for bed........It's been an extremely long day..............

"Accidental" Yarn Find and Purchase.....

My DH and I went to the indoor flea market in Woonsocket today. We try to stop by there about once a month or so. I've gotten some good deals from the owner. Once, I found a pile of vintage knitting needles and he let me purchase the whole pile for $2 . Another time, he had some great plastic drawer containers that roll. I had found these at Walmart previously for around $30. I got the tall one and big 3 drawer one for $8 total. Other finds have been just as good.
Today, however, he was not there. Instead, a woman I don't know was working. As I walked around the shop, I didn't think I would find anything worthwhile.

Suddenly, there it was....just sitting on the floor. It was a bag of yarn. Now, this is older yarn that obviously was some one's stash at one time. Inside the bag I found another bag with 10 skeins of a dark heathered purple wool, mohair, viscose blend. Also, several cotton skeins, a few other small hanks, and a skein of lace weight natural in need of re-winding. I ended up with all except the cotton.

I turned the corner, and peaking out from under the bottom shelf was another bag of yarn. It had a one Pounder skein of bright red poking it's way out and caught my attention. Inside the bag was a fair isle sweater someone had started. I have never done fair isle, but, the yarn drew me in. I ended up with about 10 small skeins of DK weight in various colors and 6 small skeins of the same yarn in a evergreen shade. I don't usually wear green, but, this will make a nice pair of socks, possibly. I left the big skein of red and a few others. The small skeins might work up as striped socks, if there is enough.

As I pass the table on the way to pay for this splurge, I see.....another bag of yarn. This time it's all alpaca - purple again. There's a partially knitted sweater front and back as well as 6 more skeins. After frogging the knitted part, there should be about 9 skeins to work with. The sales slip was in the bag and the person had paid about $70 just for this portion.

Now, I don't see anymore bags, so I'm heading to the woman to pay. I'm expecting to pay a considerable amount, since I have two good size bags now. Hold on now. The grand total.......... $4 ........... Yep......You read correctly ....... Four dollars for the whole thing!

It's still in the car until I get ready to wash it prior to introducing it to the resident stash........

Oh No!...........More yarn.........

I decided to stop by Fabric Place and use my credit slip. There was a SnB being held, also. Since it was technically free thanks to the credit slip, Cascade 220 is now in my stash and entered into my Ravelry stash. It will become a Clapotis soon........

I refuse to acquire any more yarn or books.......That does not rule out fiber for spinning.......Hmmm..........Jonne's open late tomorrow night.........

Yarn Acquisitions, Knitting, and Library Thing.........

Sunday, at Sakonnet Purls, I met up with some Ravelry folks, Kimberly, Laura, Pam, and her friend, Kelly. We knit, talked, laughed, and had a great time together. Of course, it goes without mentioning some stash enhancement was also happening. I will only speak for myself on this. I bought a lot......I'm in love with the Malabrigo Lace yarns. I bought one skein of "Blue Surf," but plan to get a second one for the shawl I want to make with it. Also, I bought two skeins of "Floral". It matches my Maple leaf socks done in jessicaarts' Wildflower yarn! Also finding it's way into my hands was four more skeins of Claudia for socks. I went for "Oops" and "Freesia". I'm trying to veer from my usual purples, pinks, blues, and reds. The "Oops" is in that category.

When I came home, I had to check out Knit Picks sale. The book sale ends this week and I really wanted to add to my library. I placed an order for books only. No yarn. Yesterday, Monday, Knit Picks tempted me again. I ordered just books...and one skein of Bare lace weight. I might decide to play with a bit of dyeing or leave it natural. Don't know yet. Last night.....temptation struck again.......another order. This time, it's yarn and one more book.

New Hampshire and shopping will be on hold until later in the fall.........I told my husband I wanted to wait for the leaves to turn so I could see the foliage at the same time. In actuality, I need to pay the cards down a bit. They both had quite a work out this week ......... (He's paying for the yarn on that trip, but, I might find something else I want to buy)

I also finally entered several of my books into Library Thing. I think I have about half of them in now.......It's an ongoing project.

Yarn Shopping.......and Visiting Angel View Pet Cemetery

Whenever we go to Grafton, MA to the flea market we always pass a yarn store and I always tell my husband, one of these days I'm going to take a ride to check it out. Well, today he took me to it. It's called Knitting Pointers, but she doesn't have a web site. The owner Linda, is very pleasant and helpful.

I ended up with 2 skeins each of Claudia Handpainted yarn in "Passion Fruit" and "Just Plum". Now, I need to pick out the patterns for them. I also picked up Fiber Trends pattern for the Felt Clogs. I have been wanting to make these for a while. Now I have the pattern, I can check my stash for yarns and make myself a pair for winter. I plan to put the puffy paint on the bottom to prevent slipping. I have only hard wood and tile floors in my house. I am also thinking of making a pair for a friend. She is older and I don't know what to buy for her most of the time.

Also, Linda had a skein of "Dream In Color" yarn. This is a favorite of the Yarn Harlot. Let me say...........I want this yarn!!! This skein was her own personal one. She has a shipment due in soon. The colors are so vibrant and flow together so nicely..........And it's sock weight!!

Tomorrow........Sakonnet Purls trip.............

The Pet Cemetery visit was to gather info for the interment of our Babs. She's really slowing down now. When she gets up for laying on the floor or her blanket, she is limping. We think her hip is bothering her. She still gets around and perks up for food. Her vision is worse, too. I can tell because she doesn't come as close to get the food as she used to. Her perception seems to be off and she thinks she is closer than she actually is. I hope we have a bit more time, but, I fear the end is very near. My husband is going to have a hard time when it comes.............