Well, Darn

I am so disappointed.  I was all set to get up before the crack of dawn -- waaaaay before -- and get on a plane tomorrow at 6:15 to go to NYC.  My team at work had planned a meeting where all of us would meet next Monday and Tuesday.  I had decided to fly in early.  I had BIG plans.  First off, I would have brunch with my niece Erica.  Then I'd head into Manhattan for the 2011 NYC Yarn Crawl, where I would do what else?? -- BUY yarn of course.  I even contemplated going to the Yankees vs Tigers baseball game.

But it all went kaput when the meeting got cancelled and moved back a few weeks.  Darn, darn, darn.  I even had my suitcase out, my travel size toiletries, and set aside my clothes.  I wound several skeins of yarn into center-pull balls so I'd have plenty to knit with over the next several days.

You know what the say about the best laid plans, right?  Never fear.  I will have plenty of things to keep me busy this weekend.  Now I have time to work on my double faced wool jacket, which is cut out but needs to be constructed.  I also can knock off a couple of felted hats.  For retail therapy today, I bought two new patterns at Ewe-Nique Knits:  Square Peg, an updated poncho, and Bubbles, a really cute kids' hat pattern.  As if I needed more patterns, or projects, or things to keep me occupied.  Both patterns are available on Ravelry, and if you don't know what Ravelry is, leave me a comment and I can point you in the right direction!

It's going to be a chilly night tonight -- right now it's 41º -- I just might have to kick on the furnace.  I was hoping to hold off until October but I guess we're almost there, right?

Hope you have a great weekend, wherever you are.

Fingers Crossed

I don't want to jinx anything but it's looking like my roommate might be on the verge of obtaining a full-time job with benefits -- woohoo!  Send your positive thoughts his way, if you please!!

A Different Knitting Technique

Several years ago I met Berta Karapetyan, the owner of School Products Yarn in Manhattan.  Of course, at the time I didn't realize who she was but I've since figured out she's a very knowledgeable knitter and here's her video demonstrating her Eastern European knitting techniques.  I'm going to give it a try and see if it relieves the pain I've been having in my thumbs lately.

Substitutions

Today was my Door to Door Organics delivery day.  They usually have some leaf lettuce on the list and I change it out every time, usually for fruit.  I should just put it on my do-not-send list.  Instead I asked for more of the Starkrimson Pears -- they are SO good!

I was supposed to get some bananas but they weren't up to snuff so they didn't send them and instead credited my account.

Yesterday I had a different substitution.  My regular barber went on his honeymoon Saturday for a week and I desperately needed to have my hair done this week before I leave for my business trip.  Kyle set me up with Lyle (not making this up, I promise) who also works at the Berkley Chop Shop.  Kyle left very explicit instructions for Lyle and assured me everything would be fine.

I don't know when I've had a more nervous cut & color.  I felt bad for Lyle and I suppose threatening him with great bodily harm if he stained my face was not the best way to start the process.  My pet peeve is having someone be reckless with the hair dye and getting it all over my skin, leaving the tell-tale sign for all to see.  I'm pretty sure Lyle broke the record for slowest cut & color.  I was there for 2 hours and 15 minutes and I was his last client of the day.  On the positive side, the shampoo was great -- massaged the heck out of my scalp.  Too bad the water rolled down my back, soaking my t-shirt.  No biggie.  The color turned out fine and the haircut looks fine, so all is right with the world.

I really appreciate Lyle taking care of me.  I think he was out of his element but he was a trooper and I'm sure he was relieved when I left the shop.  Tomorrow when I wash my hair myself I'll be able to tell how well the cut & color turned out.

Shaping Up

If you're like me, you've got a few areas on your body that could use some toning.  OK, in my case, everything needs toning!  I found a cool website to assist with that.  Or at least it gives me ideas -- now I need to execute them!

Whipped, Again!

Today was the second day of this year's Sheep & Wool Festival.  The weather started out cloudy and turned sunny by mid-day.  Thank goodness!  We were all very fearful that the rain showers would come and ruin the day.

Traffic was light but I did have a few more sales.  I had visits from several friends:  Barb, Eddie, Tracy, Kate, Janet, Ann, plus a few return customers.  Overall the day went well.  It took me 65 minutes to pack everything up and get on the road home -- a record for me!

I bought this super cute candle from the folks at Bernie Bee:

This special onesie for my favorite grandson:

And some basic laundry soap:

Both items were from Sleepy Hollow Herbs in Armada.  I tried the laundry soap tonight -- so far, so good!

Here's a satisfied customer of mine who chose her very own felted cloche:

I have a busy week ahead, capped off with a business trip where I foolishly booked a 6:15 AM flight on Saturday -- WHAT WAS I THINKING?????

So Much for the Weatherman...

All the weather forecasts for today pointed to one outcome -- chilly, rainy day.  Bah Humbug!  I think the temperature hovered around the upper 60s for the high and the sky was blue with clouds appearing only in the afternoon.  Unfortunately, I think the doom and gloom forecast kept many people away, including most of my knitting friends -- missed you!!

My friend Kirstie and her family came, bringing me good luck, as sales were relatively steady all day.  I sold 9 knit hats, 6 felted hats, 1 felted bag (OLD inventory!) and one woven scarf.  Definitely a good day and hopefully tomorrow will be fruitful, too.

I took a couple of photos after the day got going and missed an overall shot of my booth space so hopefully tomorrow I'll think to do that before the crowds start appearing.

The Curtain

This is the curtain that's been taking up my time of late!  I started on it Sunday night and finished it Monday night!  Marathon work for me.  I started with 3 1/2 yards of curtain fabric plus 3 1/2 yards of black out lining fabric from Haberman Fabrics, here in Royal Oak.  They've got the best selection of "good" fabric and nothing's too good for my grandson!

I cut the fabric in half-ish and sewed it together to get a width of 108".  That's a lot of fabric!  There was a lot of sweating and slogging and even a couple of swear words.  I don't have a sewing room (YET!) so I really struggle with big projects.  I even took the curtain to work so I could use a large table to even out the edges before I finished it late Monday.

After work on Tuesday I drove out to see Baby Denver and have my son-in-law Mike install the curtain rod so I could hang the curtain.  I didn't get to hold Denver much -- he was snoozing away most of the time I was there.

After we ate dinner, Denver woke up, expecting his dinner.

He let us all know that he intended to eat - NOW!!

Monday night I stopped my sewing long enough to run over to Bed Bath & Beyond to pick out a curtain rod. I snapped this photo with my smart phone and Holly chose the rod on the top.  Isn't it nice that phones make this happen??

Here's a close up of the fabric.  The stitching went a whole lot better once I started using the walking foot.  Thank goodness I remembered what the gal at Haberman's had told me!  Don't look too, too, closely but the first three rows of stitching were done using the walking foot and the bottom row, uh, wasn't.  Big difference!

I'm so glad to have the curtain delivered so I can get back to knitting for my weekend show.  The weather is now looking really crappy -- low 60s with rain.  I can hardly wait.  NOT!!

Perfect Sunday Outing

How can any day go wrong when you start out passing by a field with beautiful sunflowers beside it???

Sunday morning my friend Sue picked me up and we headed out to Chelsea for the Fall Fleece Fair, offered up by the Spinners Flock.  I always tell myself that I'm going to be good and not buy too much but I don't think I've ever left their sales spending under $100.  It's good for the local economy, I tell myself.

Don't get crazy -- I didn't buy all of this yarn but I sure was tempted to buy several hanks.  See the pictures at the below the food for my selections.

We headed over to the Common Grill Restaurant afterwards for a fabulous brunch.  So many good options it was hard to decide what to order.  I went with a bowl of Lobster Corn Chowder (devoured before I thought to take a photo!) and a Chicken Frittata:

Sue ordered the Crab Cakes

Dessert choices were plentiful and scrumptious sounding.  I was naughty and ordered the Creme Brulee, again, nearly forgetting to take a picture!

From the restaurant we wandered into a couple shops nearby and found a lot to love about the Potting Shed. I'd been in their shop before but not since they had moved to their new, larger space across the street.  Sue and I each found must-have items there, including a pair of Sloggers rain boots for Holly, which were made in the U.S.A. -- woohoo!  They turned out to be too small for her so I think I'll keep them and get her the next size up when I'm there next.

So here's the yarn I had to have Sunday.  First is a large hank to make a sweater for Baby Denver:

Then I got two hanks of this denim-y colored yarn for a sweater or vest for Baby Denver:

Keep it between us okay? I don't want Denver to know yet!!

Here are a couple of mill spun yarns I want to use for hats for my shows:

Should be enough to keep me busy and out of trouble!

M.I.A.

I have been so busy that I haven't been able to post here.  Even Facebook noticed I hadn't been visiting there!  I've been working real hard to be ready for my upcoming shows.  Mt. Bruce is a week from TODAY! ! ! !  Yikes!  

Today I laminated my hangtags and trimmed them up -- did about 60 today.  I inventoried my current stash -- 50 knit hats, 13 felted hats, 10 woven scarves, 8 felted bags....so far.  I've got plenty of ideas -- all I need is time to execute them.  

I started the day by cleaning up the laundry room where my tub of inventory was stored.  One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was in full-fledged cleaning mode.  It's a good thing really.  I organized my quilt fabric that had been hanging out in the hallway on a bookcase.  This included the box of shirt and short fabric from my 9/11 firefighter quilt project.  It was time to put that away -- 7 years after I made the quilts.  Sheesh!

Kevin and I went over to the storage facility and loaded up my minivan with my show gear.  Now I just need to knit up a few more hats and I'll be good to go.

I pressed and cut out the fabric for Baby Denver's window curtain.  I still have to cut the lining but maybe I'll get that done tomorrow.

I also cut out a pattern I drafted from my friend Kate's boiled wool jacket that fit me to a T.  I found the most outstanding double-faced wool at Haberman Fabrics the other day and I KNEW I had to have it.  I'm winging it a bit and I have to say, I'm a bit nervous about cutting it.  At $40 a yard I don't want to mess up!  The remaining fabric is probably already gone at the store -- a hot commodity according to the sales gal.

If you have any tips for working with double-faced wool, I'm all ears!!

So Much For Plans

I took today off from work so that I could take Holly to her doctor appointment.  I putzed around this morning and took care of setting up my credit card processing with Elavon for my upcoming show season.  I activated my account so now I'm ready to handle the throngs of credit card sales, right??

I vacuumed.  I cleaned the bathroom. And then I got a text message from Holly.  Her doctor had an emergency and had to move her appointment to Friday.  FRIDAY????  I can't take Friday off.  Darn!  Undeterred, I decided to visit her and the most beautiful grandson in the whole wide world anyway!  I picked up lunch for us at 'Wiches in Oxford on the way out to Holly's house.  Michigan Salad was good, Chicken Salad sandwich was delish, but the Lobster Bisque was bleh - no discernible lobster pieces and a bit spicy.

I took some special gifts for baby Denver.  First was a wonderful handknit Baby Surprise sweater and matching booties from my friend Harriet.  It's gorgeous but I forgot to take a picture (next time!).  Second was a beautiful quilt from my friend Sue.  Here are some pictures of the quilt and Denver enjoying it!

I can see the workshop with Diane Gaudynski is paying off Sue!!!

I also took out my special Denver items - a hat, a t-shirt and a bib, all from Cafe Press.  Here's my wee one sporting the hat:

My sister Denise, who is Holly's godmother, sent Denver a package last week -- his first mail!  In the box were three pair of super cute shoes -- his first pair of Keens, Merrills and these North Face boots:

Aren't they precious??!!

I held him in my arms while Holly took a shower and he was so content.  Seriously, he doesn't cry when I hold him.  I think he knows already how much I love him.  I was so glad to spend the afternoon with them, even if our plans did get changed on us.  I look forward to doing this again very soon!

Good Reading

Have you been following Ree Drummond's blog:  Confessions of a Pioneer Woman ?  I sure hope so!  She does a great job of mixing her love of cooking, family, and photography and gives us insight into a completely different lifestyle.  She's been a very busy gal -- she has a cookbook out and now you can watch her on the Food Network on her very own show!  Be sure to watch the sneak preview.  You know how Paula Deen loves butter?  Can't even touch Ree!!!

P.S. -- All my quilting friends -- hurry up and head over to this blog to leave a comment and possibly win some Aurifil thread!!!

I Did It

I actually went to the gym tonight.  Ugh.  I could have very easily faded off to sleep in the recliner but I didn't.  I had a little dinner, changed into my workout clothes and headed to the gym.

I had no misgivings.  I was not going to set the place on fire.  I managed 30 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the stair climber, and 5 minutes of stretching.  Big deal, I know, but at least it's a start.  Now I just have to keep it up.  

Figuring out when I can get to the gym is the big question right now.  It's so easy to make excuses.  I need to be firm with myself and pick a time to go.  After work is logical but that means doing without some other activities, like knit group.  On the the other hand, if I can just get to bed early I can get up early and go before work.

When do you like to workout?

Showers and more Showers

Today my roommate barely got the lawn mowed before the rain started.  Unexpected, as least for me, it's raining  pretty hard with plenty of thunder and lightning.  Looking for a rainbow on this sad day.

Yesterday was a fun day, though.  My friend Diane's daughter Samantha had her baby shower and most of the Chickens attended.  We had great food, played fun games and witnessed the unveiling of many, many nice gifts.

We decorated onesies with fabric paint:

 Pat, Marcy, and Judy look pretty serious about their creations.

We drew pictures of a baby on a paper plate atop our heads:

Here's Mary and Pat giving it their best.  Mine looked more like a toddler than a baby, I was told.

We all enjoyed our time together.

 Lee chats with Diane, the grandmother to be.

 Carol and Aileen pose for me.

 Aileen is shocked by something someone said.

 Carol and Joyce, who happen to be mothers-in-law, strike a pose.

Joyce and I seek refuge from the hot sun under some crazy hats.  Pay no attention to my nearly closed eyes.

Great-grandmother to-be Ginny enjoys watching Samantha open her gifts.

 Part of my gift was an earflap hat.  Gift opening assistant Alexis looks confused but it was really just a hat.

A nice family shot of father-to-be Adam, Samantha and Diane.

I spotted a rather large butterfly while we were there too:

And as I look out my window here tonight, a rainbow has appeared after the rain:

A busy week is ahead for me with knit guild on Tuesday and a trip to the doctor with Holly and Denver on Wednesday.  Every spare moment will be taken up with knitting more hats for the Mt. Bruce show in less than two weeks!  I really should get going on the yellow felted bag too.  Oh, how I wish I could have more hours in my day!