Apples to apples

I received a few things on Saturday but the hubby confiscated them until yesterday so I could open them on my birthday.
First up this hilarious card from G. Oh my gosh, I laughed out loud when I pulled the card from the envelope.

Thank you Gaylen for the hearty laugh and birthday wishes :D.











Next up was a thoughtful and delightful gift from Grace. A comical book of knitting that is sure to bring a smile and another good laugh.
And look at the little gnome. I've wanted to knit one of these for awhile but I've never gotten around to getting one finished.
I've dubbed him, Mr. Apple due to his clothing choice and the apples that accompanied him. Thank you Grace. He is perched on the antique cookstove keeping watch.

A Wee Birthday

We had a very important event to attend over the weekend, our granddaughter's 1st birthday. The year has flown and we can't believe how much she has grown. I am cautious to show her beautiful smiling face on this public domain but trust me, she's a beauty.

Layers of tulle were measured, cut and made into a tutu for her big day. You can't see it but the onesie has the #1 and her name embrodiered on the front. I made a pair of bloomers and there are bows on the legs and a cupcake embrodiered on the backside. A matching bow completed the ensemble.

I don't think I've ever seen our son and DIL so happy as they were on her birthday. We had a good visit with them and we're looking forward to another visit soon.

I skipped the trip to Costco for birthday supplies and chose to baby-sit instead. Much more fun, you know.

Little MC crawled to the kitchen and this is where I found her.

Since I'm a grandmother I opted for the camera to get some really good shots. Hey! That's what grandmothers are for, camera shots.....LOL

She is a very happy baby and an absolute delight. We love her to pieces.

On another note, Chan's blog has quite a few posts about the Nook. The college DD has been looking to purchase one and now I think I need one. I believe I would read more since getting to the library is a task. Her blog posts have successfully convinced me to plunk pennies into the piggy bank. She's such an enabler but ssshhhh.....don't tell her :).

Goodies Galore

I'm trying to win at the game of procrastination and thinking it's a no win situation. I received this box of goodies from Chan a week ago. A beautiful merino/silk roving aptly named Gypsy after my own little Gypsy. I love the colorway and it's from all my friends who sent the e-spinner to come live with me. Thank you all so very much. Miss Victoria Vespera and I will enjoy the spin.

Also in the box of goodies were scrapbooking stamps, instruction booklets, a skein of Ella Rae silk sock yarn and a book, The Mayflower.

Dearest Chan, you have succeeded in keeping me occupied. Housework has gone to the way-side and I'm knitting, spinning and now reading. Thank you, Dear Friend.

Of course there were goodies from Chan and the girl gang.
Miss Gypsy sniffing inside the box. She knows there are goodies for her in there.

I set the bag of cookie treats on the chest and Mr. Bettis could barely resist but he did. Because of his good behavior he was rewarded with a special treat. *sigh* Of course, he has no idea why he was rewarded but he was licking his chops and wagging his tail.
He and the gang send paw shakes to Sissy, Gretchen and of course their owners for including something for them in the goodie box.

I've been eyeing hackles for quite some time. They're a bit pricey and I would rather try one before buying. My dad made this hackle and presented it to me last evening.

Needless to say I've been playing. It works fine for me and I'm happy with it. The spinning DD is eyeing the hackle and the wool. I seriously need to padlock the wool stash room.

It's hot and humid again. Is it fall yet?

A ramble of sorts

The college DD was home for the weekend. Hubby picked her up. The trip was a 7 1/2 hour trip to and from due to the city traffic. I won't mention any more about traffic except to say I don't like traveling city traffic. Period.
The homecoming game commenced and our team won!! YAY!! Playoffs are next and if they win those then they're statebound.
While she was here she gave this book to me as a belated birthday gift. She saved her pennies (she's a poor college student, you know:) and found this book at a bargain in the campus book store. She knows I enjoy Christmas books. Cost never matters to me. My most precious gifts are the ones that have been so carefully thought out.
As if I don't have enough knitting to finish before the holidays I wound this skein of Araucania worsted to make a pair of pop-up paws for a gift. It is a blend of wool and alpaca and is so very soft.

All is quiet here for the time being. I have to wonder if this is the calm before a storm of some sort. The holidays are fast approaching and we're getting ready in this household:).

A little late

Better late than never ;)

Enablers

My BFF called yesterday afternoon and said this book arrived. We ordered the books a week ago from Knitpicks. She was here in 15 minutes with the book.
This book is a keeper. I promptly went through the sock stash and grabbed a skein to cast on.

So far, the problem with this book is, I cannot tear myself away from the WIP to clean, cook or otherwise function:).










This skein of Harlotty has been hibernating for quite some time in the stash container. Again, it's a skein of color that I would not normally purchase and I'm still trying to figure out why I chose colors that are not in my normal color box. I have tried this skein in quite a few patterns and I just didn't like how the colors were pooling.
But the new book lends itself quite well to the yarn.
Thanks to Chan and Anita, I have plenty of needles now so I can cast away:)





It's a cast on kind of week. Dreary, raining and dull days results in my need to cast on new projects.
Grace creates the most stunning shawls from her needles. Go take a look. They are beautiful and inspiring.
So I will cast on this yarn for a lovely shawl.

Correction: this is not yarn, it's a spiiiider's thread(yep, I say spider with an Appalachain twang)!
If you look closely to the left of the skein you can barely see the yarn er spider's thread sticking out from it. Go ahead, get your magnifier and let me know what you think.
I'm going to look into stiletto needles for this stuff. Honestly I think I'd be better off checking in with the backyard spiders for their "yarn" vs. this stuff but I'm using up stash.


What is up with this? Mr. Bettis, Miss Gypsy and Princess Aurora? Taking a nap together on the guest bed? Since when? Oh that's right, this was taken yesterday on April Fool's Day. So that explains it.
Trust me, within the hour Mr. Bettis & Co were chasing Princess Aurora down the hall. So it was definitely an April Fool's joke.

p.s. Mr. Bettis & Co had better stay away from the new sock book.

Books, Needles and Bears, oh my........

I purchased this book a few weeks ago. It sounds like a good book. I managed to read the first chapter. Imagine my surprise that it takes place in an area approximately an hour and 15 minutes from where I live.

I left to get a hair cut and before I left I was certain to put the book on what I thought was an unreachable place for Mr. Bettis.

I thought WRONG!

He swiped it from the table and as you can see (Mrs. Attorney), it is wet with slobber and there are teeth marks. I think he was in the process of a good time with the book when I unexpectedly arrived home earlier than he anticipated.

This is where I found him after my rant over the chewed book.

ON THE COUCH!

He is not permitted on the couch! Why doesn't this dog follow rules?

Perhaps because his owner (the DH) excuses his bad behavior constantly. I swear I'm gonna send him and the dog to obedience school.

(sigh) I posted earlier that I was running out of double point needles. First Anita came to my rescue, then Chan.

This package of dpns and a lovely card arrived from Chan so I'll never be in need again. LOL

Thank you Chan. I now have one set in use already.

For many years I designed and made jointed mohair bears for sale.

A few years ago a very nice lady asked me to make bears from her deceased husband's shirts. He passed away suddenly during the Christmas season. She requested 8 of them for her grandchildren and one for herself. I thought I would share a picture of them.

These bears have a job (as all bears do:). They are soft and cuddly and that is their purpose. To be hugged and loved and to help bring them some comfort during their mourning.

Pay It Forward

Grace has started another round of Pay it Forward. I am paying it forward from Anita's blog.
Pay It Forward is based on the movie with Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey. It was a book first, written by Catherine Ryan Hyde. With all of the things happening these days, random acts of kindness are a good thing. I haven't read the book but I have seen the movie and it is worth watching!
This is what the PIF Exchange is all about. I’ll send a knitted gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange! I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, maybe not until 2009…LOL… but you will receive it within 365 days, that’s a promise! The only thing you have to do in return is then 'pay it forward' by promising to do the same on your own blog.
I think this is a wonderful idea, and I'm really excited to see who signs up! The only Extra rule that I have to add is, anyone who signs up must have a current & active blog. This is just to make my life easier, I can learn more about someone that way & be able to choose something to knit for them that they may actually like. :)

On another pay it forward note, please keep my friend Chan and the Knight in your thoughts. They lost their beloved Prince Mugsy over the weekend. He was a very brave prince through it all.