A good week for goodies!

This has been a good week for goodies.

I started the week using my Michael’s gift card (Christmas present from in-laws) to buy myself a set of knitting needles with lights on the tips. (Have I mentioned that I love gadgets?) Now I can knit even if hubby wants lights out. LOL They work pretty good -- they suit their purpose, but the tips are kinda blunt, so it’s harder to knit with some yarns.

Johnny surprised me with a Coach bag and pretty silky-type garments ;). He said it’s "just cuz I love you, honey". Aaaaawww. I’ve never had a Coach bag, and I love it.

I ordered some cotton yarns and a pattern from Peaches and Crème website. It’s scheduled to arrive on Monday. (Can't wait! I'm going to try making this ascot scarf. It might be ready in time for next winter. ::snort::)

I took the plunge and ordered a set of KnitPicks Options interchangeable cable needles. They arrived yesterday, and this morning I switched the dishcloth I had started on the light-up needles over to the Options. So far I love them. The cotton just slides off of the nickel needles. I had to shove them off of the plastic light-up needles (I like to knit the textured dishcloths really tight so that the patter pops).

I’ll have to be careful with slippery needles when I start my next project (the reason I even purchased the Options). I’m participating in a knit along to make this baby:



Scary stuff, but I’m going to take the plunge. I don’t know when I’m going to find the time to do these projects, but I’ll worry about that later. :)

I have no desire to purchase new scrapbooking stuff. Maybe that's not really accurate. I'm determined to find uses for the massive inventory of stash that I already have! I'm signed up as an alumni for Stacy Julian's A Library of Memories class. Hopefully, I will find the time to participate in it, get some scrapbooking done, and have fun doing it! (Translation: Let go of the pressure, creative and otherwise, and just do it!)

Miscellaneous knitting

Here are some squares and cloths that I’ve knitted and never shared (at least I don’t think I have). Sorry that some of the photos are blurry, but I haven’t figured out the best way of showing detail in the knitting yet. Also, I haven’t blocked these squares, so they don’t look “polished”, but you’ll get the gist. Maybe I’ll post new photos when/if I ever get these blocked.

This is the September Knit Along (KAL) for a group I belong to. The KAL started yesterday, and I’m knitting along as they post the pattern. Yesterday, 9 rows were posted. (I actually knitted 10 rows because we already know that every even row will be knitted across.) I’ve knitted cloths from KAL’s before, but I’m usually not able to knit along with the group. I knit the cloth later after the whole pattern has been posted. I’m going to try to actually knit along with the group this time. We don’t know what the pattern will be in advance, so the pattern on the cloth will be a surprise to us.

Here’s Day 1 of the September KAL:




This is the A+ Apple cloth that we gave to the student teacher at the end of last school year. We also gave her a simple, hand-made card. I’m not sure, but I think she might have been more impressed with the card! LOL



This is a cotton cloth for my father. It’s a cowboy hat. The image will show better when I’ve blocked the cloth. Can you see the hat? (Sorry for the blurriness.)




This cloth was a KAL, but I knitted it after the whole pattern was posted. It’s a cute swimsuit.



These two squares are knit from acrylic. One is a basic pattern. (I think it’s a basket weave.). The other is a plain leaf square from the book 200 knitted blocks.





Thanks for looking!

Back from the beach!!!

Last week, we went to Virginia Beach for some much-needed (and much-deserved) rest. Besides the record high temps (the highs were above 100 a couple of days with a heat index of 115), we had a wonderful time.

I was able to complete a knitting project and enjoy the most recent CK magazine, so I even fed my craft/hobby jones!

I worked while on vacation, checking and responding to emails and finishing a couple of projects. Right now, as I sit at my home office, it's taking everything I have NOT to flip through the mound of faxes sitting on the printer. The thought of them waiting there for me is actually giving me palpitations.

I'm going to leave this room and go back to my bedroom and knit and catch up on the shows I recorded last week. Work can wait till tomorrow. :)

Ravelry

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http://www.ravelry.com/people/WendyInMD