Well I am not going to be able to get mom’s cruise stole (a.k.a. Hanging
Garden Stole,a.k.a. Team DBN Spring Training, a.k.a. current project)
by this sunday night. Atleast I have strong and severe doupts. To get it
done I had thought that by now I’d have 5 repeats completed. I am only
nearing the end of the third repeat, a full day behind schedule. Either
my allergies are having a massive effect, or I’m trying to come down
with something. I will keep plugging away at it.
Sometimes I can be such a joiner. I signedup for Secret Pal 8, http://secretpal8.blogspot.com for the fun of it. I know, it makes me
such a joiner, but it will be a complete blast! I won’t be assigned a
partner for atleast another month and a half, but I have already
started gathering little “general” nick-knacks. So what if they don’t
“fit” this swap’s partner, they’ll go for a partner in another swap!
That being the case, I hesitate to mention any of them right now.
I can hardly wait until this all begins!!!
Well I might not be able to do alot of posting tomorrow. We are
due to get storms later tonight/tomorrow morning, into the after-
noon. If we get them I won’t be able to get online safely. But rest
assured, if I can get online I will post something…even if it’s just
babbling.
Well today I mailed out my KTC April Fool’s Mystery Swap Package to my partner. I sent it via Priority Mail, so she should get it thursday, friday at the latest. Just in time to meet the deadline of April Fool’s Day. I did the best that I could, althought that isn’t much. I sent 2 paper back “Nancy Drew Mysteries” because she said she’d always wanted to read those. She is a devout Christian, so I included 4 little nick-knack crosses in soft colors. She said that she liked doing socks, so I included 4 balls of sock yarn from knit picks dot com that I pulled from my personal stash. I wrapped these items in pink bandanas that I had gotten. I also included two boxes of 4 each of Cadberry Carmel Eggs, Cadberry Creme Eggs. Like I said, I just wish that I could have done more.
I stopped by a local gift shop, Sissy’s Place, on the way home from the post office. She is ordering a copy of a book by an author I recently learned that I like. She had the hardback, but this will be paperback and thus about half the cost. She said anytime there was a book that I wanted for my KTC group that she’d be more than happy to order it for me if she could.
While there I got a little lamb stretch elastic bracelette, well two of them, one for me and one to put back for another swap later on. I got a little bunny bracelette of the same type for my dgd, to be included in her Easter Package that I hope to mail next week sometime. Anyway, these bracelettes have a tiny button on back that when pushed in will cause a little flashing light to go on and off inside of the carachtor! So cute!
I also got a little butterfly decoration for my mom since she loves butterflies. I got a little initial magnant for a differant swap that I am in, the initial being that of the person that I am to be sending to. Then I got myself two Mary Englebreit plastic bookmarkers. (If I am going to be getting into reading as much as I hope to be doing, I need some decent bookmarkers!)
I am plugging away at mom’s cruise stole. I am doing my best to have the knitting on it done by sunday night. That would give me monday to get it blocked. Then it would be ready to give to mom on tuesday when we meet for my birthday lunch. (My bday isn’t until the following friday, but she works that day, so tuesday it is.) I think the stole and butterfly is a good very early Mother’s Day gift, don’t you?
Well I had better go and get something housework-ish done. That way I can atleast look I was somewhat busy by the time dh gets home from work.
Third Time is a Charm! 
Well this is the third attempt at the “Hanging Garden Stole” from knit picks dot com, aka mom’s cruise stole. I figured out what I had been doing wrong. I had been scrambling the order of the rows. So what I did this time was to use a sheet of “Glad Press’n Seal” wrap on top of the page protector that the pattern sheet is in. Whenever I complete a pattern row, I use a sharpie marker and draw a line threw the directions. Then I know to always do the row just bellow my markings.
Now I have a supply of extra page protectors and normally would just mark directly on it. But this stole has a total of 13 pattern repeats, and going threw 13 page protectors is a bit much even for me. So I decided, yesturday when having to start over for the third (and hopefully last!) time to use the “Press’n Seal” over the page protector. Badda bing, badda boom, problem solved and it’s working just great!
With the cruise not until June what’s my rush? Well Mom is wanting it in time to show it off and maybe drum up some knitting business. (I didn’t know I was in business…lol) That plus this is my Team DBN training meet project and the meet is from last friday until this coming sunday. So I would like to be done with it, all but the blocking that is, no later this coming sunday. That way when Mom and I go to the Indian Casino the week after, I can give her the stole.
Today my Knit The Classics Mystery Swap package came in the mail! OMG did my buddy do me good, she spoilt me in fact. The first picture is of the contents of the box with Eggs unoppened, the bottem is including the contents of the opened Eggs. There were six lovely balls of my favorite type of novelty yarn two of each color: a beautiful blue, a lovely golden color, and my favorite color purple! There was a box 
of the yummiest chocolate truffles. A packette of Beautiful Spring Flower seads, a handful of address labels that she printed herself for me, and a wonderful collector’s edition of “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Authur Conan Doyle. It’s ALL of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries in one beautiful hardback edition. My camera just doesn’t take a good enough picture, or I’d show a close-up of the book, it’s sooooo purdy! It’s also a handy “tuck into the purse” size, and printed just small enough that dh has troubles reading the print. ( This is a good thing as he already attempted to snatch it to read first! hehehehe)
Thank you very much Paula Iden!!!
For all of my KTC friends:Please go to the group’s blog and vote for Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” May’s selection. thanks. (Can you tell which book I hope wins for May? roflol)
Tye Dyed
Here’s a picture of the koolaide green dyed “Paint Your Own” lace weight yarn that I got from Knit Picks dot com and dyed with green koolaide. I dyed it in such a way that it will give a tye dyed effect to a knitted fabric.
Here is my progress so far on Mom’s cruise stole. The pattern is from Knit Picks dot com, it’s their “Hanging Garden” stole. The yarn is from Handpainted Yarn dot com. (Links to both are in a previous post.) I am about 2/3 of the way threw the first pattern repeat. Only 13 2/3 more repeats to go! It’s turning out so good this time.
The “blue” has mostly lifted.
I think that I am in the midst of major PMS-ing. I am just too down to write much. Well, okay it’s more like what I feel like writing is way too personal for a publicly read blog. That being the case, this will be short.
I have started, frogged, reworked, trashed, restarted, frogged some more, reworked some, trashed, restarted, and am finally making some decent progress on my mom’s yellow cruise shawl. I decided to make a few smallish changes to the pattern. (#1) I am using #5 needles instead of the size 3’s that are called for. I just like the lacier look of the slightly larger needles. (#2) I am not putting the beads on in either the cast-on or bind-off as called for. I will either add fringe and include beading in the fringe, or I will simply leave the beads out all-together. (#3) I am currently considering reversing the directions of the pattern for the second half of the shawl so that the “Garden” hands outwords from the center. But this is just a thought at this time.
I koolaide dyed the “Paint Your Own” lace weight that I got from Knit Picks dot com. I used lemon-lime koolaide, and did it in such a way that will aid in acheiving a tye-dyed look in the knitted fabric.
I sure hope that tomorrow some of this “blue” fades.
*FYI*
The van company that serves as the local form of public transpertation doesn’t opperate in my tiny town. They opperate in three small towns in the area, and run in the next town over. Anyway, they had bringing a lady over for federally mandated job training (she was on welfare).
*****
Yesturday (tuesday) the plan was to take what suffices for local public
transpertation into the next town over and spend some quality S-n-B time at the LYS. My dad was going to pick me up there and bring me home so that he could help dh fix the lawn mower. When I called the van company I made a horrible discovery. They nolonger come over to my tiny town! The lady they had bringing over here had graduated the program.
So I called my dad and asked if he’d take me to yarn shop and got his pat “I’ll think about it tomorrow” answer. Okay, disappointing but not alot I could do about besides whine.
Well this morning my dad calls and asks if I was ready to go! Yup, sweet ole dad came and took me to yarn shop this morning. He then returned to pick me up and bring me home. He then stayed and helped dh fix lawn mower when dh got home from work. {THANKS A TON AND BUNCHES DAD!!}
Today I happened to talk to someone from the local van office. He mentioned that the Big Boss {The person over all of their opperations!} had mentioned that she was considering an occassional run over to my town for me since I seemed to ride somewhat regularly. I told them to tell her that I was willing to garuntee atleast one, often times more, trips a month if she did do it. I’d even let her pick the day of week and which week of the month! I’ll keep y’all informed as to whether or not this pans out.
At the LYS I used the shop’s ball winder and swift and wound the remaining hank of yellow yarn for mom’s shawl. I also purchased a set of straight needles, since I had sat on and bent the cheapies that size. I got a set of circs in a size I needed for mom’s shawl. I got a hank of pretty blue lace weight wool for 50% off and had it half wound when dad arrived. (The owner had me clip the thread and take what I had gotten wound. She will finish the remaining half for me and keep it until I can go back in to get it.) And lastly I got a magazine. I thought it had lace patterns in it but cannot locate them now. So I think I got my second choice magazine. (I’ll call tomorrow and have her hold one of the one’s with lace in it for me.)
Well tomorrow I have got to do some cleaning before dh blows another personal gaskette! Afterall, he is my knitting/yarn addiction’s main enabler!
Well I have been trying to post, but blogger has been “nutzos” the last several days. So posting wasn’t easy, so I didn’t. I tried to a few times, but deleated since I couldn’t view the page when I was done. Oh well, it’s working (for now) so I am making a written post only.
I am doing “Ella” from Knitty dot com. ( http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTella.html ) I am using the “ice blue” 50/50% silk/wool blend lace weight yarn that I recently got. Anyway, I am at the divinding point of the “V”. I am still trying to decide whether or not I realy want to do the V, or just do a triangle shawl. I am, however, strongly leaning torwords going ahead and doing the V. I’ll decide after just another row because that’s the point to start the V shaping or go ahead and do a triangle.
I am trying to make arrangements to purchase 15 fifty gram balls of Navy Blue “cobweight” weight 100% alpaca yarn from someone on one of my knitting lists. If I do get it, I’ll let y’all know. (Hmmm, more lace?…lol) She also has some red alpaca, but I am waiting to find out more information about it.
I got the yellow lace weight wool in friday. I told my mom that I think she’ll realy like the yellow, but cannot get a way over to her to show her the yarn. I am still awaiting the KnitPicks dot come orders.
Finally, I got a message from my KTC’s swap buddy. I have a package on it’s way from her! I can hardly wait until it gets here! Now this would realy be a superfantastic week if (a) my KTC package came; (b) both knitpick dot com orders came; (c) and our tax refund came in! Oh well, two out of three ain’t bad.
Blogger seems to be having some problems atleast for last several hours. I won’t go into details about what kinds of problems I have been having, but I am not the only one having such problems. I have a little news, nothing earth shattering, but right now it’s tough to post as it is. So I will try again in a few hours. I just wanted y’all to know that this time it isn’t me at the cause of not posting!
