WHY didn't I have my camera???

I worked yesterday....a very busy day at the shop, but I loved every minute of it. I unpacked about 80 lbs. of yarn, entered it all into the computer, printed labels, got it all priced and shelved in a beautiful rainbow of colors. Sales were pretty good too, so I was exhausted when I got home. I am loving playing with the yarn again. I don't think I realized until yesterday how much I missed working in a LYS. Getting on the phone with Brown Sheep and Berroco, it's just FUN! Tina and Rebecca had rearranged the entire store on Thursday so I had to take the tour of all the changes when I came in the morning. Things flow much better now.

Mike didn't work yesterday so he had dinner waiting when I walked in, then I changed my clothes and we were off to a 50th Birthday Bash for the city of Warren, which is where my BIL/SIL live. There was a midway, art show, etc but we mostly were going for the free concerts (Blue Oyster Cult and Foghat) and the fireworks afterwards. It was a gorgeous night to be sitting and listening to (too loud) music and enjoying the fireworks.

All night I was wishing I had thought to bring my camera. OH MY did I see some interesting people last night. Old "rockers" who never left the 70s...too funny. And of course the carnival always draws quite a crowd of characters. The beer was flowing too, so that just adds to the people-watching enjoyment.

There was a guy there in a BRIGHT yellow suit jacket with the words "Spaghetti Man" graphically printed on the back. He also was wearing black pants cut off below the knees, and black shoes. Just in that getup he would have stood out. The entire night he did a crazy dance all through the crowd. He was quite a sight. I said to Mike at the end of the evening "is it any wonder that he's so skinny?" He must burn a ton of calories dancing like that for hours on end. Maybe THAT'S why he's Spaghetti Man. I just don't know. Oh, to be so carefree and not give a thought to what hundreds and hundreds of people are thinking of you as you just give in to your emotions and whims.

Update...I googled Spaghetti Man and found this article about him. I also found there are several videos of him on youtube.com at different music venues around the Detroit area. Who knew? He seems to be somewhat of a local celebrity!

Mike's nephew knows the guy who was running the midway, so he was able to get free wristbands for all the kids to ride as long as they wanted. All we had to do was buy an elephant ear in appreciation (why do those things cost $5 now? Dang!) So the kids had a blast....Mike (and my BILS)stayed at the BOC concert while I was at the midway with the kids and my SILs. After a couple hours I was ready to fall over, my knee was killing me, and I was ready to sit down and relax. When we got back to the concert, Foghat was playing, and that lasted about 90 minutes.

The fireworks were great! I saw some that I have never seen before and it was really enjoyable. That lasted over 1/2 hour. They played some great oldies during the fireworks, bringing back a lot of memories, especially of early in Mike's and my relationship. I love how a song can just bring you back in time. Sometimes the memories take you right to a frozen moment when you heard that song together. Anyway, the weather was perfect, the sky was clear, there was a gentle breeze, we were all singing along with the music.

Then it was the very long trek back to the car, (about a 15 minute walk) but like I said, the night was just gorgeous and besides being exhausted and my knee hurting me, it couldn't have been a better evening.

Today I am going to try to finish up the commissioned B4 Bag, and hopefully felt it this weekend. The lady wants longer handles though, so I have to gear myself up for yards and yards of I-cord. Not my favorite....Maybe if Mike goes to send off his brother to FL after his visit this week, I'll put on a movie and knit I-cord for a couple hours.

I have a couple of birthday gifts to get in the mail, so hopefully I can get those packaged up today or tomorrow and finally get them in the mail on Monday morning.

One of the recipients is Jane. Oh my, did she have a special birthday this week! The Yarn Harlot was visiting Atlanta, ON JANE'S BIRTHDAY! What a way to spend your special day! Not only that, but Stephanie had spun some great yarn a while back, and then donated it to a charity auction. (You can see that beautiful yarn by going to Steph's May 16th entry) Guess who won it! Yep, Jane! So she knit a scarf from yarn that was spun by Harlot, and wore it when she got in line to get her book signed. She ended up on Steph's blog, of course. It was 12 hours of knitterly-Harlotty birthday fun for Jane! Since she got several early birthday presents, and then such a GREAT birthday on Wednesday, I've decided to extend her birthday a little longer by sending a belated gift. Never mind that it's merely my procratination that is getting it to her late. I'll just say that it was my intent to get presents to her on the late end of the celebration to balance out the early presents she got. Yeah, that's what it was.

My mom and dad are on their way to South Dakota to visit my sister. Sure wish I was going too!

Baby Kasie

My good friend Debbie, fellow knitter, and member of our BeeGees Thursday night knitting group, had a beautiful baby girl recently. She's the one I knit the Trellis sweater for.

Kasie joined us last Thursday for her first knitting lesson. She was not even a week old. The few of us who happened to be in attendance that night were lucky enough to meet her, hold her, sniff her head (sorry, I have a baby head sniffing addiction...I can't help it. I'm fully aware of my problem, and I readily admit it. But I'm not hurting anyone, so just let it alone, people!) and try to get her to open her eyes for us. When she did, it was mostly just her left eye, which cracked us up every time.

I'm not sure if Debbie wants me posting her photo here or not. I'll have to ask her. Meanwhile, just know she is a beautiful little sweetie pie, and I am so happy for Deb and John. Let the fun begin!

Catching up

Stitch 'n Pitch was fun. Unfortunately we were not made aware of some of the festivities going on before the game, so we were under the impression that it was rather a non-event. How frustrating to find out afterwards that there were booths set up with demonstrations etc. on a level below us. I wish when we had bought the tickets, or picked them up, there had been a handout or some sort of informational sheet about what would be happening. We certainly could have planned to be there earlier. Drats. Maybe next year. Looking at the Stitch 'n Pitch website, I can see that some towns that host it really make a big deal of it. I don't know if it depends on the folks at the stadium, or the event planners, but we were all left wishing there had been a little more to it.

Here's our view of the game (which the Tigers lost, by a lot...oh well) from the nosebleed section:



And here are the knitting hands of Sharon, Kim and another lady Kim knew from Heritage. Tam was on the other side of me, and unfortunately I didn't get a shot of her knitting.



Miri's shower was Saturday and we all had a blast. The food was wonderful, Sharon and I won the 2 games and came home with nice prizes, and I know Miri was thrilled with the whole day. She got some wonderful gifts, including hand-knit items from some of us. Here are the pix of the knit items she received:

The oh-so-soft blankie made by me. Yarn: K1C2 Fleece.



Cutest little bebe sweater made by Sharon (hiding behind it...can you see her lovely entrelac vest done in Silk Garden?)



A beautiful Aran made by Clare. Hers is done in Debbie Bliss Rialto. OH MY! So soft and cooshy. I'll definitely be scooping up some of this yarn from Labor of Love very soon. I wish I had gotten close up shots of Clare's and Kim's sweaters. Darn!



Another cute sweater with hood, knit (and designed!) by Kim. Done in Araucania Nature Cotton. I love the nubby texture of that yarn. The design is darned cute too!



In other knitting news...I have been commissioned to knit a B4 Bag for a semi-local lady. She had seen the SWTC ad and wanted one, but she doesn't knit. She wanted me to double the Karoake to make the bag larger and sturdier. I've done 4 bags in Karaoke, but they have all been single strand, so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out. I'm progressing, but am waiting for 5 lbs. of beads to show up today so I can carry on.

I've finished another snake scarf, this one in Paton's SWS. I love how it turned out. I guess I need to get a picture of that!

Still working on the market bag made from Butterfly cotton. I am almost done, and need to go to Joann's to find something for the handles.

And finally, here's a better picture of the B4 bag I made for Labor of Love. I still think it's my favorite one yet!



On the design front....I have 2 new bag designs in my brain. I have already started playing around with creating the first one, and can see that I need to make some adjustments. I'm not sure if they will both end up being felted bags...I may do one in cotton or hemp. We'll see. Stay tuned for more info!

Teaching again.... Yesterday I taught the 2nd in a 3-part Magic Loop class (we are doing FT's felted mittens). It feels really good to be teaching again. I'm so thankful that I've been given the opportunity to work and teach in a great new yarn store. As time goes by I'm sure I'll be spending more and more time at Labor of Love Yarn and Fiber Arts. And that's a good thing!

Stitch 'n Pitch Today!

I've got my shirt, I've had my ticket for months...and this day seemed so far away, but it's finally here! I'm so excited to finally be participating in the Stitch 'n Pitch fun that has been sweeping across the baseball world for the past couple seasons. The Detroit Tigers have been in a bit of a slump lately, but have come back and we're riding a 4-game winning streak that I hope improves to 5-games today!

It rained all night but it looks like the system has moved out and we should be completely dry by game time. I'm hoping to take lots of pictures, and see lots of my knitting buddies from across Michigan. I know folks are coming from as far as Lansing, so I look forward to seeing lots of my buds and knitting acquaintances all in one spot. Oh, what fun we're going to have!

GO TIGERS!

Off to pack my knitting for the game!

Back to School

Jake started 5th Grade yesterday, and Kaitlyn is now a Junior in High School. They are sure getting all grown up. Next year is going to be a big year. Having already gone through the Senior Year stuff with Kim, I know there will be lots of events, lots of expenses all year long, and then the big event at the end of the year. Jake will experience his first year in Middle School next year. Ack! I'm not sure I'm ready for all of this! Ok, let's get through this year before we start stressing about next year.

Here's a picture of my big boy on his first day of 5th grade.It was a hot day, but he insisted on wearing long sleeves. I think he wanted to show off the cool shirt he got at Silver Lake this summer. Good thing his school is air conditioned. Jake loves his teacher, and I think he's going to have another great year. He has been so fortunate to have such awesome teachers every single year. It makes such a difference! Hats off to teachers!



I've got a few other pictures to show you. This one is my version of the Everlasting Bagstopper on Knitty.com. I decided I wanted a round bottom, and a slightly bigger bag overall, so used the Pinwheel baby blanket pattern to get started. I stopped when I had 14 stitches in each section, so 140 stitches all together. Then I did several more rounds in stockinette without any more increases. Switched to size 11 needles and started the pattern stitch. It took me a while to realize that I probably have too many stitches...it's going to be quite a large bag. I think 120 or 130 would have been a better stopping point. I'm using some Butterfly Cotton from my stash...I think I'm going to add the orange in as a wide stripe, and then finish off again with the turquoise at the top (since it doesn't look like the turquoise I have is going to be enough)



Here is a photo of another Garden Gate Scarf I just finished. This one I knit for SWTC with their yarns. I used Bamboo for the scarf, and Karaoke for the stems and flowers. Some of the flowers are felted, and some are not. Jonelle at SWTC wanted me to make it that way. I think she said she may add it to the Karaoke trunk shows that are going around right now, showing how Karaoke felts. I wanted to get a better photo of it, but it was about 90 degrees today, and Kaitlyn refused to pose for another scarf picture in the heat. The photo of the Garden Gate Scarf on my website was taken with Kaitlyn on another 90 degree day in the spring. She put up a fuss that day too. Poor baby....it's not like I don't ever do a THING for her. Looking at this picture, and the other one that is on the patterns, (look up there at the sidebar) I think I like the criss-crossing of the stems better than having them run straight up. What do you think?

Misc.

Time to catch up with a little bit of this and that. Some knitting content, and just some other "stuff".

Last week I was pretty sick. Monday started out fine, but by the time I left a physical therapy appointment around noon, I could feel that little scratchy feeling in my throat that I always get right before I get sick. By mid-afternoon I was feeling pretty bad. Tuesday I spent all day on the couch. I was able to knit, but that's about all I did. This scarf is what came of that day on the couch. I just love the pattern. I used Karaoke...just about 2 skeins.



Wednesday I couldn't even get out of bed. I laid there, unable to do anything but doze and watch a little tv. I finally dragged my butt out of bed at 5 pm because Mike had come home from work and cooked some dinner and it really smelled good. I took a shower, ate, went to the couch for the rest of the evening.

Thursday I was able to come out of the bedroom, but once again, only made it to the couch for the day. I intended to go to the clinic for some meds, but couldn't even find the energy to get dressed and drive there, so I just laid on the couch in my jammies. No energy for knitting. UGH

Friday I felt slightly better (I was supposed to work, but when I called Tina on Thursday, the first thing she said when she heard my voice was STAY HOME!). I did a quick grocery run, and quickly realized that was overdoing it and had a bit of a relapse. I started feeling better on Sunday. Every day this week I felt a little better. I'm feeling fine now, though I am still coughing a bit and probably will for a while. I sure hope I don't catch THAT bug again anytime soon!

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This past Thursday I went to (hopefully) my last physical therapy session for my knee. I've been dealing with pain, loss of mobility and strength and a few other symptoms, since February. At the end of June I finally decided it was not going to get better on its own and saw a doctor, who prescribed physical therapy. I was a little skeptical about the PT at first, but I have to say I have come a long way in the 9 weeks of therapy. My strength and mobility have come back. Unfortunately I still have some pain, and it's time to accept the fact that I may need surgery to correct what my therapists think is a small tear in the meniscus. I am going to see how I do in the next few weeks with no more therapy, and see if I can live with things the way they are, or bite the bullet and get an MRI, and see the orthopedist for a diagnosis and course of action. For now I am just glad to not have to schedule my days around 3 sessions every week. And I am so glad to be able to walk without limping, go up and down the stairs normally again, etc. Thanks to all the folks at Health Quest who helped me get my knee back in shape. It's not 100%, but they have done all they can for me for now. I will continue to do some exercises at home to keep up the strength and see how it goes.

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Thursday was also the ribbon cutting ceremony/grand opening celebration at Labor of Love. This picture is of Tina and mostly Chamber of Commerce members that came to the opening to show support for the new business venture in town.Several members of my knitting group later joined in on the fun. We had some refreshments and chatted for a while. Debbie was there and I'm not sure when she'll be joining us again because she is due to have her baby this week! I'm so excited!



Friday morning Mike and Jake left to go camping. Kaitlyn and I stayed home. I worked on Friday and was supposed to work again today but Tina told me she didn't think she'd need me after all. So I spent most of the day knitting. I really need to finish up the Garden Gate scarf that I am making for SWTC out of Bamboo and Karaoke. It's been in the works for quite a while, and I really want to finish it up and get it to them. I've had to put it aside for several other projects (mainly baby items, but also the B4 bag I made for the shop) and it's time to get it done and in the mail!!

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This weekend is the Peach Festival in our little town. I try to stay away from the madness that takes over the downtown area, but decided I needed to go to the used book sale this afternoon. I scored these 2 knitting books for a mere 50 cents each! I love Nancie Wiseman's designs, and I couldn't pass up the Jo Sharp book for that price. I'm not sure I'll do anything out of that book, so it may be offered up as part of a contest prize at some point.

This week I really REALLY want to start a pair of socks from Cat Bordhi's new book. I think the Coriolis socks are going to be the first ones I do. I just have to decide what yarn I want to use. I seriously want to knit every pair of socks in that book. It is so incredible. I find it so interesting the way her brain works.

I have more than a dozen sets of letter markers made up, and hopefully will have them on my website within the next few days. Maybe even tomorrow I"ll be able to post them. Let me know if you need some! I've already sold a couple sets.

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I can't believe that school starts the day after tomorrow. Is summer really over? WAH! I don't want it to be over! On the other hand, I am kind of looking forward to some quiet time at home on the days when I won't be working or teaching. I have a few new designs floating around in my head that I need to start playing around with. I need add to and update my website. I have work to do, and I hope to find some time to do some pleasure knitting too. The holidays are coming, and I want to knit some gifts, but I really want to find/make time to knit something for ME for a change!

Support your LYS

My friend Kim of Knitting Matters is having a promotion to support the Local Yarn Store. You can get one of her patterns free (FREE IS GOOD!) Go to her blog or website to get the details. Click on either of the links above.

Just for fun, she's made a list of all the yarn stores she has visited so far. I decided to do the same, and I think I've come up with them all, but I may have missed a couple. Here's my list (so far!)

Basketful of Yarn (Clarkston, MI)
Brown Sheep Factory Outlet (Mitchell, NE)
Busy Hands Yarn and Gifts (Ann Arbor, MI)
Crafty Lady Trio (Macomb, MI)
Elaine's Yarns (Davison, MI)
Ewe 'n Hook (Romeo, MI) Closed 2006
Ewe-nique Knits (Royal Oak, MI)
Heritage Spinning and Weaving (Lake Orion, MI)
Indigo Rose (Sterling Heights, MI)
Inish Knits (Cedar, MI)
Knit Knit Knit (W. Bloomfield, MI)
Knitter's Kove (Commerce Twp, MI)
Knitter's Mercantile (Columbus, OH)
Knitting Up A Storm (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
Labor of Love Yarn and Fiber Arts (Romeo, MI) <---COME SEE US!
Little Red Schoolhouse (Lansing, MI)
Nautical Yarn (Ludington, MI)
Personal Threads (Omaha, NE)
Rae's Yarn Boutique (Lansing, MI)
Skeins on Main (Rochester, MI)
String of Purls (Omaha, NE)
Susan's Yarn Garden (Sioux City, IA)
Sweet Celeste's (Mt. Clemens, MI)
Threadbear (Lansing, MI)
The Wool and the Floss (Grosse Pointe, MI)
Yarn Knit (Sioux Falls, SD)
Yarn Quest (Traverse City, MI)

I'm waiting for my copy of Cat Bordhi's new book New Pathways for Sock Knitters to arrive any day now from Threadbear. There is quite a buzz about this book, and seems like there is going to be a demand for the "letter markers" that everyone is talking about. I read somewhere that there is a prediction that before too long, letter markers will be used for most stitch marker uses. Who knows?

Anyway, today I made up a couple sets in a few different styles. I have ordered some more of the beads in both colors (they are porcelain). So if you want some, they will soon be available here and on my website. You can preorder by emailing me and I'll send them out to you as soon as I get them made up. You can make color/style requests and I will do my best to accomodate your wishes. I have a LOT of beads, believe me!

The style below will be $7.00 for A-D and $11.00 for A-F. This price will include first class postage.

This style will be $6.00 for A-D and $10.00 for A-F. Also includes postage.

FO revealed

Debbie's baby shower was yesterday, so I can finally reveal what I've been working on for a while. It's the Trellis sweater from the Spring '05 Knitty. I made a size 2, so that it would be grown into, rather than quickly grown out of. I had originally started knitting the Baby Pea Pod sweater in size 6 months, but ended up frogging that when I realized how small it was and that it would hardly get worn. It's a darned cute pattern though and I really enjoyed knitting that while it was on the needles. If you go back a couple months, you can see the beginnings of that sweater in a photo. That one I started knitting in Dream in Color yarn, but the Trellis was done in Cascade Superwash.




I really loved knitting the Trellis sweater. The patterns really kept me interested. Assembly gave me a few fits, but I think when all was said and done, it came out pretty cute. Debbie doesn't know if the baby is a girl or boy, so I gave her a selection of square buttons in green to match, and also bright pink, yellow and turquoise. She can choose when the time comes.

I covered a child size tube hanger with matching yarn and tied ribbons around the neck of the hanger. I knit an i-cord long enough to slip over the hook of the hanger, and then I crocheted around the rest of the hanger (Boy, did THAT take a lot longer than I expected!). It added a nice finishing touch to the sweater presentation.

I recently knit a B4 Bag for the new LYS where I am working. Here it is while it was blocking, before buttons, and then a rather blurry shot at the shop...I need to get a new one of it totally finished, cuz it is darned cute, if I do say so myself!



If you live anywhere near Romeo and haven't stopped in at Labor Of Love Yarn and Fiber Arts, please come see us! More and more goodies are arriving every day!

Weekend with my Knittin' Buddies

I haven't gotten around to writing about our camping vacation last week yet, but this weekend I am at Bonnymill Inn Bed & Breakfast in Chesaning with 4 members of my knitting group. Here is where I laid my head for 2 nights...what a cute, comfortable room.




Sharon A. and I drove together, and stopped at a great yarn store in Davison on the way. When we got to Bonnymmill, Pat had already arrived, but Sharon and I both needed a little snooze (I had been up since 3 am....don't ask...) Dozed for a bit then met with Sharon A., Pat, and Sharon H. (who arrived while we slept) for dinner in the Bonnymill dining room. Then we knit for a while, and after Sharon A. went up to bed, the rest of us headed down to the Malt Shop for some ice cream. (Seen on the left in the photo below. On the right is the Showboat Restaurant where we went for lunch on Saturday after Tam arrived)



We took over the corner of the very large wrap-around porch for most of 2 days. We had a nice breeze, but unfortunately we were very close to the road and it was quite loud at times. As you can see in the background, the scenery was not the best either, but we didn't really care about that. We had knitting to do and fun times to share!




Many stitches were knit, many laughs were had, a few cocktails were consumed.




Yesterday afternoon there was a wedding on site and we saw the bride and her bridesmaids come out the front door and head down the porch to the back, where there is a gazebo and to where her guests (and groom) were waiting for her. The weather was perfect for a wedding. I didn't take photos to respect their privacy.

We ordered pizza for dinner and it was wonderful. After several more hours of knitting on the porch, we called it a day and headed up to our rooms.

After breakfast this morning, we checked out but stayed on the porch for a while yet, knitting and enjoying the beautiful weather.

We are thinking about the next time we do this...maybe in the winter...maybe somewhere we can sit around a fireplace and knit....what a fun time we had!

Happy, Happy, (I got my) Joy, Joy!!!!

Yesterday was a good day! It started out a bit busy (and way too early, after a very long, hot, eventful weekend with not enough sleep) Jake had an early ortho appt. (He's at the end of Phase 1, yeah!) and then I had a PT appt. I have been hobbling along on a sore knee for 5 months. I finally decided it was not going to get better on its own so I'm hoping the therapy will help. Otherwise I'll have to explore other options. I kinda need to walk (AND SPIN) for the rest of my life.

So around 1:00 pm, Debbie and I headed out, got some lunch and drove 2 hours to Threadbear. It certainly goes faster when you have someone to talk to!

When I was almost there, Rob called to ask where I was, and told me my friend Rebecca was there in the store (neither of us knew the other one was making the trip over there). When we got there, she and her friend Jenny were pulling up again (they had gone out to get some drinks). They came back in the store to hang out with Debbie and I for a while.

I was there to pick up my spinning wheel....I was so happy to finally be getting it...just in time for vacation. Yeah!

I also had a credit at the store so I picked up Nicky Epstein's new book Knitting Never Felt Better. It is such a great book! She is so darned creative... I'm in awe. I will get much inspiration from this book, I just know it.

I had enough credit left over to buy one of the last skeins of Rio De La Plata sock yarn that Rob and Matt had scored. In fact there were only 2 left (on the face of the earth maybe?) in the store so I took the other one for Diane. Cuz she deserves it. Aren't these skeins gorgeous?


I knew some of the yarn stores had already received their shipment of the Interweave Knits FELT magazine, even though the release date was supposed to be July 17. However, Threadbear hadn't gotten theirs yet. BUT.... When Rebecca and Jenny left to go to Little Red School House, they came back with the magazine in hand. Rebecca handed it to me, and I was practically begging her to tell me what page the ad was on as I was frantically flipping through it and then...I saw it....my B4 Bag and my name...right there in an Interweave magazine. Dang! That felt GOOD!






I don't know what was the best part of the day...getting my wheel, seeing my name and design in a magazine, bringing home a new book and sock yarn and not having to spend but a wee bit of money cuz of my credit. It was all good!

Here's Joy in her new home:



And some practicing with roving that Sabrina left in the bag for me:

Off to play some more!

Happy Anniversary to US!

Today is our 28th anniversary. Wow! Who knew, through all the trials and tribulations, we'd make it this far. Here's a photo of Mike and I on our wedding day...Oh, the 70s...weren't fashions grand? At least in this picture I am not wearing my big floppy hat! (I do, however, have my lovely parasol to block the sun)



Today is a BIG day for weddings....being 07-07-07 and all. In fact, we are going to a wedding. Oh yes, I mentioned it in my last post. At some point during the evening, I will have the DJ play our wedding song, and dedicate it to my dear hubby, Mike.

I just googled the song so I could link to it, and found something I didn't know before. Paul Stookey has donated all profit from this song to charity...almost $2 million so far! Wow! Read about it here.


Promised knitting content....


I'm working on a secret project which I am totally in love with. I can't wait to finish it and present it to its recipient. Of course it's in my favorite color which doesn't hurt. It's not the same secret project mentioned previously, (May 5), though it is for the same recipient. Unfortunately that project will be frogged. This one is better anyway, so I have no regrets. And that yarn will be used for something equally as lovely.


I'm knitting another Garden Gate Scarf (available over there on the sidebar). This one is in SWTC's Bamboo for the scarf portion, and the stems, leaves and flowers will be in Karaoke. Some of the flowers will be felted, some will not. I'm sending this to SWTC and I think Jonelle said it would be part of a Karaoke trunk show. I hope to get it in the mail to her very soon.


I also have a pair of socks on the needles, though it's slow going on those. I only pick those up occasionally. I'm about to turn the heels and then I have to decide what I'm going to do on the cuffs. It's not my favorite sock yarn, so I'm kind of anxious to have them done so I can knit with some of the wonderful Rio De La Plata sock yarn I got from Threadbear recently.


Speaking of Threadbear, I am headed there on Monday with my friend Debbie. The purpose of this visit for me is to finally pick up the Ashford Joy spinning wheel that I am buying from one of the gals who works at Threadbear. It is barely used, and I have been making payments on it for a couple of months. Unfortunately, finances on the homefront have been pretty tight, due to several recent layoffs for Mike. Thankfully they were temporary, but even still, put a halt to any frivolous spending. (Not that I consider buying a spinning wheel frivolous, by any means.....)


ANYWAY.....


I was hoping to have the Joy to take with us when we go on our camping vacation starting next Saturday. I had been picturing myself at the campsite, sitting under the awning of our camper, spinning away. It didn't look like this was going to happen. When I mentioned it to my sister the other day, my dear, sweet, wonderful, generous sister offered to loan me the money to pay it off so I could get my wheel. (THANKS DIANE!!! I LOVE YOU!) So Deb and I are going to head to Lansing. I know Deb....she's going to spend a lot of time shopping. Me? Well, remember that halt to frivolous spending I mentioned? I can't do much shopping. I do have a store credit I can possibly use. But while Deb is browsing (we spent about 6 hours in the store the first time we shopped there...to give you an indication....) I think I will spin some roving I will bring along with me, and get acquainted with Joy. I can't wait! Ever since I borrowed a Joy to spin on while I was visiting my sister in February, I have wanted my very own and in 2 days it will happen. Yeah!



I found this on Jane's blog, and thought it would be fun to play along....


Scattergories


Here are the rules:
~Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following.
~They MUST be real places, names, things…NOTHING made up!
~If you can’t think of anything, skip it.
~Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial.
~You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Have fun!

Your Name: Trish

1. Famous Singer/Band: Tim McGraw
2. 4 letter word: Tool
3. Street Name: Tienken
4. Color: Teal
5. Gifts/Presents: Toys
6. Vehicle: Train
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Trinkets
8. Boy Name: Tyler
9. Girl Name: Tina
10. Movie Title: Titanic
11. Drink: Tequila Sunrise
12. Occupation: Teller
13. Celebrity: Tom Hanks
14. Magazine: Time
15. U.S. City: Tampa
16. Pro Sports Teams: Tigers
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Tired!
19. Something You Throw Away: Trash
20. Things You Shout: Time Out!
21. Cartoon Character: Tinkerbell

Tom is home

My nephew, Tom, arrived home from his tour in Afghanistan this morning. A bunch of us went to the airport to welcome him safely home. Here we are with our flags and signs, etc.

Tom's brother Jason is getting married this weekend. We're so glad he was able to be home in time to be his little brother's best man!



We were waiting for Tom for about 45 minutes, and many people came by and looked at our signs, asked where Tom had been, how long he had been gone, etc. It was really touching. All 8 in the picture below are Tom's cousins, from 4 families, and these are only about 1/3 of the cousins on our side. Too bad they couldn't have all been there!


I was able to catch this shot while he and his daughter were walking to the luggage carousel. I'll have to be sure to send this picture to Tom.

As happy as we all are to have him home, what really brought a tear to my eye were the older men who would stop and shake Tom's hand, saying what war they were in, thanking him for his service. Or the moms who have recently sent their boys off to war, coming by to say how glad they were that our family member was coming safely home. I'm getting a little weepy right now again, typing this. It was really nice.

Back to the regularly scheduled knitting content in my next post.... I promise!