I Was Knit Together In My Mother's Womb

I love swaps. I love surprises!  Renee sent me a really cool package this week just to say thanks for hosting Project:ColorSwap. It is a multi-colored package of the most fun goodies.

You know, as I admired all of the fun things in the box, it didn't occur to me until a few hours later, as we watched Survivor, and the paint-filled egg scene, that Renee put together this whole range of colors to represent Project:ColorSwap!!! Very good Renee!  I love this package, and I think I will make a baby something from that sweet skein of  Bun yarn. Thank you Renee!!!! Renee has an amazing scarf that she is knitting right now...go take a look!

Another of my favorite bloggers is Lynda. Lynda blessed me with a surprise this week as well!

I've never done the Kool-Aid Dying before, and I think I will give it a try this weekend! Thank you Lynda!  You are soooo awesome...Lynda also sent along a very nice photo-album that has a vintage feel to it. She knows I love vintage.

Speaking of Vintage.... another apron from the Amy Butler book, with the BEST fabric ever....

 

Such a cool pattern!

I'm also gathering goodies for my One Yard Fabric Swap partner, who also loves vintage. I can share what I'm putting together, because she has no idea who I am!

I think I'll make an apron for her, too. The little zipper pouch? full of vintage candies!

With house hunting, house cleaning and sewing, my knitting bag looks lonely...

But I do have some projects coming together over the next few weeks...

Then, I can get started on a fall cardigan project! 

Guess what? JR and I had our tenth anniversary this week! September 27th.

  (I'm at work, and this is the only image I have of the two of us together!)

September 27th was also Maggie's 13th Birthday...Maggie, the Border Collie....Moses' best friend....

Will I survive the house-selling and house-buying thing? It's draining! Both emotionally and physically....I can say for sure that our house has been cleaner for more consecutive days than it has been in twenty years of living here. I actually waxed my wood floors for the first time this week!  I was so proud of how they looked! JR and I stood there, gawking at those floors, wondering why I hadn't done it years ago!

Liked it so much,  I waxed the

vinyl tiles in the foyer!  Then I waxed the bathroom floor as well!  We've touched up paint, painted doors, watched every episode of "Designed to Sell,"  "House Hunters," and "My House is Worth What?"  We've re-arranged furniture and cleaned out closets. After each viewing, I've removed another picture from the wall, and relocated extra furniture to the barn.  This house should sell!  I wonder what it is that keeps people from coming back????

Could it be the GIANT spiders living outside the entry door??????

Seriously, we are excited about this whole process. It does have it's ups and downs, but it's fun, I guess. And I'm quite interested to know, however, why most of the houses we've looked at have not been as "concerned" or "discriminating" about the way their homes are presented. Sometimes it is just plain difficult to see the potential beyond the clutter  or pet smell. I'm just saying... you can live how you want to live, but if you're trying to sell your house....for crying in the sink, people!

One of the other areas I am tackling is my basement workroom. I have shelves of fabric, left from my many years as a doll-maker.

And, I still have  a few of the ladies and their body parts laying around, too.

Spiders and body parts....should bring some really interesting potential buyers!

Last week, I was doing some blog reading, and I just had to leave a comment on Janet's blog, in which she  featured her sock monkey. But I promised I would show my sock monkey. 

This is Monkey Socks... I named him Monkey Socks.

    I've had him for many, many years. Sock Monkeys are a classic... they have quite an interesting history.

http://www.classicmonkey.com/Pages/page3.html 

My Monkey Socks has an interesting history as well.  My mom made matching sock monkeys for my very best high school friend and I when we were freshman. Dig this Dorothy Hamil do....

 

As best friends, Pam and I had to have everything the same. And what we didn't have the same, we would share. As in clothing, mostly...never boyfriends. I'm not sure what possessed my mother to make these monkeys for us, especially being 15 years old, But, I loved that she did it, and  Monkey Socks is one of the few things I have from my "childhood." He went to college with me, and has been in a closet ever since. I would peek at him every now and then as he flopped guard over the sweaters on the top shelf in my closet. In fact, he is there with Bear, who is Pam's bear.

I forgot that Bear was there...she gave him to me about 10 years ago for some bear repair. Bear is in pieces in a box.

Pam is in pieces in Atlanta.

Perhaps I should fix Bear and send him along to be a comfort to Pam.

Sock Monkeys are quite the thing. There seems to be a whole subculture of sock monkey fans out there! Just google "sock monkey" and you'll see what I mean. I found these interesting knit and crochet versions  of the sock monkey theme...

http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTsockmonkey.html

http://www.sockmonkeyfun.com/Goodies_1_Sock_Monkey.html

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_halloween/article/0,1789,HGTV_3274_4490133,00.html

http://breezeb.tripod.com/crafts/sockmonkey.html

This is perhaps the most interesting monkey knit that I found...

Actually, I'd just like to knit a pair of those red heeled socks. I searched for a good hour this morning for a pattern, and all I could come up with is this...

http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/socks/sock-monkey-socks.htm

All this sock monkey business has gotten me thinking I must knit a pair of those socks.

PEEK A BOO! I've been knitting, too!

I have never ordered anything from this place, and I'm not exactly sure why the link  would have been emailed to me.....but I'm certainly glad it was...this is beyond interesting.

Catirina Bonet Designs

And I haven't even had my coffee yet.

My husband just delivered my coffee. I've had my first sip.  I'm awake. 

       OR AM I ??????????

Last week was an most stressful week. Work was crazy busy, we listed the house and finished off the house business by putting an offer in on another. It was just one of those weeks. I am most fortunate that at least at my place of employment, we pray through these stressful times, and we are an encouragement to one another. I am even more fortunate that within a five minute drive of my church, there is a yarn store.  Now, I'm not suggesting that prayer and encouragement by fellow workers is not at all effective. I would also never want to suggest that prayer and encouragement are not paramount in dealing with stress.   What I am saying, is this: there is something about taking a lunch break at your local yarn store and sinking into that sofa with a new skein of yarn to ease the tension of overextension.  (In fact, I must confess, I do pray for the chance to get to that LYS on my lunch hour!)

I was there on Wednesday.  My intention was to swatch for JR's vest with some yarn we bought in Michigan.  As I swatched, and it wasn't working...compounding my stress, I might add,  I happened to mention that the yarn the pattern called for was Classic Elite's "Beatrice.'

"We have that. It's 30% off." 

Get out of town. Really? " Can I see it?"   JR is going to kill me. 

I only had $10 on me, with some change.  I bought two skeins.

That night, I secretly swatched as we marathoned "Desperate Housewives, Season Two". That man on the sofa? He really wouldn't kill me over a few skeins of yarn.

 

Especially when it is a surprise for him. And he knows that yarn therapy is right up there with prayer to get me in a good mood. So, I went again on Thursday.

 

And on Friday.  I feel much better now.

Over the weekend, I started my Toasty Toes Socks. I'm using a FiberTrends pattern called "Angel's Rest" and knitting them with Lorna's Laces "Tide."

Angel's Rest. See?  God understands what knitters need.

I did some sewing this weekend, as well. I had been waiting for the Amy Butler book to come to my mailbox so that I could make Lisa a birthday present.  Actually , I made two aprons.

What in the world would we do if we couldn't create things with our hands? If we couldn't pray?  If we didn't have the encouragement of friends in the workplace, or at our church or at a local yarn store? If we didn't have a friend for whom to make an apron? I think my head would explode from the pressures and tensity of life.

Are you in the mood for Mittens?

These are Advika, from the booklet, "Smitten" by the Mission Falls people. They were such fun to make, and were complete with the most fun details like the crochet frill at the top opening....

the embroidery and Shisa mirrors... 

The only adjustment I would make is in the size. As written, the pattern is too big for the average woman's hand. I had to shorten the length, and I would decrease the number of stitches around, the next time around.... I didn't know I had such dainty, delicate digits!

This was a fun pattern, and I look forward to doing a few more designs from the booklet.

When I first got the "One Skein"  book, I fell for the Cabled Anklets....in fact, I knit them for Leah, my Yarn Aboard pal. The pattern uses Lorna's Laces Shepherd worsted wool, and lo and behold, our LYS had it! I did resist the temptation to buy it...having to say to myself, over and over and over... "Lynne, you have lots of worsted wool in your stash....lots of worsted wool in your stash." This yarn begs to be fondled...it is the softest wool ever!

      And, I never did buy it.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived home yesterday to a package on my mailbox!  Abigail, one of the ColorSwap gals, sent me a lovely surprise package just to say thank you for administering this swap!  What an incredible gesture! This has been an amazing swap, and I can only credit those ladies that participated it with it being such a success. Their willingness to make this a great swap experience is  the sum total reason it was as great as it was. We had only two swap ditchers in seven months!  And it was because of the generous spirit of people like Abigail who went beyond the call of swap duty to assure that EVERYONE had a great swap experience.  Someone gets ditched? That person gets wonderful gifts from other swappers. They made it happen.

I have participated in lots of swaps in the few years I've been blogging and have had only the best experiences. My love language is gifts, and I admit, any gift will do. You can send me a box of packing peanuts and as long as you throw a sticker or two on the box or wrap the contents in tissue paper, I'm a happy camper. I also love, love, love giving gifts.  I found a fun swap this summer which involved flip flops, summer and yarn, and it was a small swap and not a secret swap, so I couldn't imagine that it would not be wonderful.

I got swap ditched. I sent an awesome package, the girl I swapped with got the package, and what did I get? Emails with nothing but excuses about delays, work schedules, more excuses, and then no response to my emails, and today, I see she has taken down her blog. Nice. I did let the administrator know what was happening, and haven't heard back from her yet. I really just wanted to know if J. liked the stinking package, is all!   But in the end, you see, people like Abigail more than make up for non-swappers like J.

So. I went fabric shopping. And how could I not come home with these? Shhhhhh...they are for surprises for some special people.....

Ann was my One Skein Pal.... She sent a most wonderful package from Bainbridge Island, Washington. Do we all know what is on Bainbridge Island?????  Churchmouse Yarns and Tea!

Once discovering this sweet little shop on line last year, I ordered my first Koigu from them. Ann included a bag of Honey Lemon Tea Bears from the shop ( l look forward to popping one or two into a cup tonight). And the fragrant sachet, also from Churchmouse, is now daintily scenting my undies. 

Ann not only made me the cute One Skein felted clutch, but she made the soap bag as well, and filled it with a huge chunk of French hand-milled soap! She also included a very very nice tube of French hand cream, which I love!  But, do you want to know that best thing about having Ann as a One Skein Pal?  We have become fast email pals, too!

Thank you Ann!!!!

A few books were also delivered by my mailman this weekend, and made for perfect bedside reading...

My favorite? The much anticipated AMY BUTLER'S

"IN STITCHES!!!!!! "       

Oh, this book is fantastic!  All of the patterns are included in a rigid built-in envelope in the front of the book...

     There are the most wonderful designs!

 

And I want to get some fabric right away. Right. Away.

There was knitting accomplished this weekend. Remember all of that 1824 Wool? Remember the Advika mittens from "Smitten?"

 

Here's a little peek....

JR and I did some Geocaching Sunday, and let me tell you, we had such a good time searching, figuring out clues, and doing the most incredible scavenger-hunt, huckle-buckle-beanstalk game of search that I've ever done!  So, the best part was, we found the cache...our first one....and in it was  a travel bug, which we will leave in a cache when we go to North Carolina next month....

  and today, my butt hurts from all the climbing we did! I can tell you though, from my perspective, it sure beat sitting around watching football all day!

This is a work in progress... I am a work in progress.

Can you imagine that all of these different yarns will create something wonderful? They will meld together so that you won't even notice which yarn is which....These are the experiences of our lives that make us who we are.

Yet, I substituted another cream yarn instead of using what the pattern called for...trying to save money, to get a mohair effect with Lamb's Pride from my stash,  without using a mohair add-in yarn. It didn't felt correctly.

I tried to do it my way, thinking I had a better idea than what the original pattern stated....  I do that alot in my own life. Trying to figure out the fastest, easiest, what-I-think-is-best-for-me way.  It doesn't ever work. Not with knitting, not in life.

 

But, there is no decision, no mistake that can't be corrected.... by some pruning. I was reading today about the pruning that is necessary to achieve the best result in my own life. The things that are a part of me that have to go, that can never bring forth much fruit in my life.

 

Pruning can be painful.

Then, I knit the center of that flower as it was written...I was obedient to the word of Noni.

 

And, although I can think of  re-knitting as time wasted, the pruning as uncomfortable, the additional hot water and time I used for felting as resources squandered,  I know that it was all necessary. I learned to do it the right way, which is not always my way.

And when it all comes together in the end.... perfection!

What are you knitting for Fall?  I'd love to know!  As I finish up the last of the "Summer Tank Series" I'm thinking of the sweaters I'd love to knit...

I have found some great Paton's classic patterns that I'm oogling...

    

Lynda did a Prosperous Plum Tank and is going to wear it as a vest...it looks awesome.  I like that idea.

I know that vests are the big thing again this year as well....

I will cast on for Bridgett, from Rowan Vintage Style.

  I already have the yarn for it.

And, of course, I do like the Simple Knit Bodice ...

So, these are my options.

I read today that the big Eighties Sweaters are becoming fashionable again...over leggings or stirrup pants!   Not for me...I will not do the BIG ICE CREAM CONE SHAPE ever again!!!!!

    ....  Well, let's see how this plays itself out 2006 style.

Oh, and those big giant sweaters? "Not for me" in yet another way...imagine how much yarn you would need for one of them???? Serious budge implications!

One of my favorite bloggers is Kathy B. She is just plain funny and quirky, and comes up with the most interesting ways to showcase her knitting. An ongoing favorite running series of mine is the   "Guest Blogger" spot, in which Kathy gets someone ( usually a man ) from the community to hold her knitting for her so she can get a picture. Seriously funny stuff (wait, is that an oxymoron? a contradiction in terms?). In fact, one morning, quite early, Lisa and I were on the telephone just reading the "Guest Blogger" stuff to each other and cracking up.

Now, Kathy has come up with a new idea...I guess to take the boredom out of photographing socks... Sort of a take on Dr. Seuss... Socks and something that rhymes with socks.

So, here you go, Kathy...my latest socks,   which I knit for my Yarn Aboard Pal...

  Socks in Crocks.   

Socks on Concrete Blocks.

   Socks on The Collection Box.  

I am Lame. I know it.

Look at what my new blogging discovery has sent! Another great blog, by a great lady, who has some very interesting things to say... She asked at the last moment to be a part of Project ColorSwap, so how could I resist? Especially when we have such similar tastes in decorating and yarn, and colors and lifestyle... Debby sent me this incredible box of neutral...

I have had a craving for Louisa Harding Yarn since I first saw it! And the lovely, lovely ivory Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn is so ......, so.... lovely!

Of course there where some other wonderful surprises, like the china teacup to add to my collection, and some items to remind me of Debby at the Seashore. It was a great box of goodies, and I do thank you, Debby!

Did you have a good weekend?  We attended two weddings, sorted stuff in the house while it poured outside, and further searched for houses. I have begun a new project...

and got my Mission Falls yarn in the mail on Saturday....

  so I can begin the mittens of many colors.  This is very nice yarn. 1824 Wool.

But I must finish my Bamboo tank first...perhaps I'll get to wear it once before the weather changes for good.