We’re off!
I’ll be taking a bit of a computer break as well. See you in a week or so!
More goodies
Finally, I’ve got some batteries and can show off my Fiberflix swap package from Jennifer. This is such a fun box of goodies!
Look at all the great stuff! The movie, “Brick” is a thriller I’ve been hoping to see and of course it has a bad girl in it, hence the kickin’ bad girl themed package. I totally love all this stuff: The yarn is “bad girl” from the Lavender Sheep; I can’t wait to knit this up! I also got soem yummy truffles, the chili pepper project bag, fun jelly bracelets, skin spread from Clever Girl, and a journal.
Thank you so much Jennifer for being such a great swap partner!!! I totally love this package:-).
Two more days until we leave for Estes and a million things to do. Any good suggestions on traveling 14 hours with two small boys??
Filed under swaps
More WIP
I’m so annoyed that I have no batteries. We always have batteries in this house and I can’t find any right now. I will be sure to pick up some this weekend so I can finally show you photos of Jennifer’s awesome Fiber Flix swap package. I am loving it and having a hard time not casting on and adding to the 4 pairs of socks I have on the needles. Thank you so, so much Jennifer for all the cool stuff! I promise I will show it off to everyone soon!
I also sent off six packages today. Jennifer’s for Fiber Flix, the Summer Dishcloth Swap, SP10, squares for Warming Grace, and more prizes from the Knitter’s Coffee Swap.
In the meantime, I’ve got another surprise WIP for you. It’s the Silk Lace Scarf from the Stitch and Bitch page a day calendar in Lisa Souza silk. You see, I have actually been knitting!
This will be a gift for the doula who attended both boy’s births. (say that five times fast). I’m halfway done.
Other excitement:
I got my Ravelry invite. Because I need more to do. (That place is awesome. It is also a major time sucker. That’s why my Bloglines says I have 536,896 updates to read.)
In one week we will be at Estes!
SP10 Strikes Again!!!
Honestly, my SP10 kicks some serious arse. Once again, she’s gifted me with an absolutely unbelievable package. Everything was individually wrapped, numbered with a little explanation about each one. So much fun to open, that I forgot to take pictures until my table was covered in tissue paper. Check out these amazing goods:
Two bars of soap, lavender cuticle cream, honey and tea, “The Twister Sisters Sock Workbook,” a Denise Schmitt stationary set (I love her fabrics and quilts!), a vase, a candle, some super fun socks (can’t wait to wear these!) and some Knitpicks and kool-aid to dye with. (Little Man and I have big plans for this!!:-) She also sent me a vegetarian cook book. (I love getting cookbooks, this one looks fun!)
And look! She even knit for me!! A lovely bag, perfect for summer trips to the farmers market. I was so thrilled to find this in there! 
Thank you SP10 for such a thoughtful package! (Can you tell by my bazillion !!!!!! that I really, really liked it:-)!!!!!!!
I can’t wait to find out who she is. We have a lot in common and it’s really been fun getting to know her this swap.
Filed under swaps
Ten Project Challenge
I know you were all snickering when you read my idea. But, although I’ve been lacking in actual knits-in-progress photos lately, I’m on the verge on catching up. Ten projects? Piece of cake! I just finished a dishcloth! (Come on, I get at least one, right?)
Here’s one I’ve started that will not be done quickly. I’m predicting August.
Swallowtail Shawl, from Interweave Knits Fall 2006, in Misti Alpaca. I actually started this while in Toronto, when I had time to concentrate on my first real lace project. As expected, it looks like a mess right now, but I promise, the pattern is actually in there.
Have a great weekend! If your local, we’ll be here this weekend. Hope to see some of you!
Filed under shawls
The Plan
About once or twice a year, I get into a frenzy. The Skeptic hates this, because it pretty much means I stomp around the house saying things like:
“I can’t believe we live like this!”
“How can this house be this disorganized? Am I the only person who cares that it’s organized?”
“I can’t find anything!”
“I can’t work like this!”
This, of course, all leads up to The Plan. The Plan makes the Skeptic want to run and hide, for although he is a hard working guy, The Plan usually results in the Skeptic putting bookshelves together at 11pm, messing with drywall, of making a checkmark on a list that says he’s cleaned the toilet for the week.
Of course, we are in the middle of The Plan right now. And since we are in the middle of it, the house is currently trashed and I’m doing more organizing than anything else. Soon however, I will have pictures of my completed re-do of all my stuff and I am very. very excited about this.
Lisa Souza: Sock! in Cant Elope. Current Project Spectrum project. Yes, it is actually on the needles.
Somebody else is excited as well…
Filed under home, Project Spectrum
Monster Mash
If you’re like me, you can’t bear to throw out any scrap of yarn. Even the little 6 inch leftover scraps I trim off after weaving in ends…I keep them all. This is not just me being a little over obsessive about yarn. It does serve a practical purpose, as looking at all those scraps shoved together in a plastic baggie often give me new ideas for color or texture combinations that I may not have thought of otherwise.
However, sometimes little boys find those bags of scraps. Sometimes those little boys want to “make something” with those scraps. And sometimes a mom wants to try to get a few minutes of peace and quiet and decides that not all those scraps are really that important. With that thought, I give you this very, very mini tutorial on how to make a monster with your pre-schooler.
1. Put your baby down for his nap first. That way you will get your ten minutes of quiet.
2. Gather your pre-schooler and explain that it’s a special day: they get to use Mama’s Yarn Scraps. Watch them jump up and down with glee.
3. Grap a handful of scraps and cut them up into little furry pieces.
4. Draw a monster. Make sure he’s got a big, fat body. As you can see, refined drawing skills are not necessary!
5. Fill up your monster’s furry spots with glue.
6. Now comes the best part. Tell your child to put the monster’s fur on. Show him how to mash down the yarn onto the glue. Tell them to do a few pieces at a time so it sticks really well. And then, sneak away. Mop the floor, do the dishes, fold some laundry, or (gasp!) say the hell with housework and go and knit. I was a good girl and mopped the kitchen.
7. You may get called back to draw a monster dog and box to add to the picture. But nevertheless, your child will happily glue yarn, you’ll get a little break and when you’re all done:
You’ve got a furry little monster, one baggie less of yarn scraps, a thrilled pre-schooler and a happy mom.
Filed under kids
Goodies!!
Oh my, Maggie, my coffee swap partner, has totally blown me away with a wonderful package!!! I was so, so thrilled!
Roving from High Prairie Fibers. I wish my picture did it justice; the flecks of color throughout are just beautiful:
Some sweet alpaca/merino sock wool dyed with natural fibers from The Natural Dye Studio. It is so incredibly soft and I love the colors!
Delicious treats and Peace Coffee. I love Peace Coffee, and guess what? Maggie sent me the Twin Cities blend and I had never seen that one before. Plus homeade jam and muffin mix and chocolate. Where do I even start? Breakfast tomorrow? Chocolate and coffee tonight? Hmmmm….
And there’s more! Yummy stuff from Maggie’s own shop, Prairie Land Herbs. I wish you could smell this stuff. It’s amazing. The facial care kit is from her company and the lavendar cream soap from Heart of Iowa Soapworks. Plus a super cute card!
Maggie, thank you so, so very much!!!! What an absolutely lovely package. I adore everything and you really brightened my day!
On another note, Guinifer finally got to me. I consider her to be the number one yarn enabler on the planet, and I couldn’t resist. You see, I’ve been searching for an elusive red and blue colorway in a sock yarn. I kept seeing it in my head but never actually found any. Until she posted about Cider Moon. I clicked, and there it was: Superman Flurry (plus samples!). My last yarn purchase until….look up. Notice anything new on the blog?
Contests and a Meme
Contest Number One:
Ali has a fun contest: Name your summer knitting goals:
I’m going to try to keep mine simple.
1. “Cannes” in cotton braid from Rowan Beach Cool.
3. Swallowtail shawl
4. Six pairs of socks
5. Fall sweaters for the boys.
Think I can handle all that?
Contest Number Two:
For the Summer Dishcloth Swap:
What gives me hope? Watching my boys play. No matter what else is going on in the world, all I have to do is watch them and it’s all okay.
My summer adventure? Our first real family vacation, all on our own, to Colarado!!
And a meme from Shelly:
Rules:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts about themselves.
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their 8 random things and post the rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and post their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
1. We have pizza every Friday night. I used to make homeade but I’ve been slacking since Knittybaby was born and we’ve been ordering out.
2. My last big vacation was to Cape Cod. We took the train because we thought it would be romantic. Unfortunately, our train was stinky and we couldn’t get any food. But Cape Cod was awesome.
3. My mom’s half of the family is from New Jersey. I love the east coast and wish we could visit more often.
4. I am in love with living in the city. I also am in love with the idea of having a farm with fiber animals. Can’t have both, and I’m not sure if I’d really like having a hobby farm of if I just like the idea of it.
5. The Skeptic and I fell head over heels when we were only nineteen. I met him because a fellow bassoonist had a huge crush on him. They dated, it didn’t work out. Lucky for me:-)
6. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 16.
7. I’ve finally decided to get my butt to IKEA, buy a bunch of shelving and cabinetry, and get all my yarn, fleece and fabric organized.
8. I’m a BBC junkie. I would move to the UK just to have full access. Instead I’m stuck watching five year old episodes of Eastenders.
Okay, I tag: Mama Grouch, Purple Purl Girl, Jess, Craftlilly, Christy, Sassy Priscilla, Kittymommy, and Guinifer. Have fun!!!
Oh O-Mop, Part Two
The reply:
“We’re really sorry about this, and thank you for your candid an honest feedback.
The omop is our first attempt at a major cleaning tool, and unfortunately you have a defective mop. Fortunately we’ve sold thousands of them and only a small percentage of them have reported this defect. If you could, would you please send me pictures of the handle? We need to see how the mop broke in order to keep this from happening with future mops. Also, after we receive the pictures of the mop handle we will be happy to send out free product coupons to cover the cost of your new O-Mop.
In terms of the packaging, the plastic clamshell is made from #1 PETE which is the most recyclable plastic available. Apologies if the clamshell hadn’t been recycled in your area. There are times when a center will refuse to recycle an item because it seems like it can’t be recycled, even if it can. We are looking at alternative packaging for the omop, and we are looking to improve the look and feel of the entire experience.
If you like to speak to someone in person, please feel free to call”
I’m sending my pictures today! We’ll see what coupons I get.
Filed under home
Knittymama 