Birthday Goodies!

SO. I had a birthday on monday. Got some gift certificates to Borders and Barnes and Noble from family and I haven't decided yet what Pete is going to get me. Had a nice dinner and tried to relax after spending the last couple weeks living and breathing restaurant work. Darlin Daughter B got me some really beautiful flowers:

All in all a wonderful birthday, but nothing that really....surprised me.

UNTIL TODAY.

Look what I got from my online knitting buddy Sonya!

Oh Yeah, Baby.

A GORGEOUS bag to carry my sock project in!

Some really yummy Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock. Iris Garden colorway. One hank already wound so I can cast on right away! Made some socks for one of my sisters for christmas last year and it is my favorite yarn. So smooth and silky. Just hadn't really had the opportunity to buy some for myself but they were at the top of my next to buy sock yarn list.


And, the piesta resistance...Lantern Moon SOX STIX! Size 1, 5 inches long - exactly what I use. I had actually been hankering for these on monday when birthday window shopping online. Very nearly bought them but convinced myself to wait a week to see if I found something else I wanted as well.

HOW Sonya got the message from the cosmos that I wanted these so bad I was dreaming about them I have no idea, 'cause I've never once mentioned them to her.
Just take a closer look at these babies

The picture stinks but hopefully you can see how wonderful they are. I can't wait to use them! And did you catch the cool bag they are laying on? Yep, same bag - reversible!! I swear I had a summer dress when I was a tot that was made out of material that looked just like this. Don't remember it feeling like silk like the bag does, but the pattern on both sides brings a smile to my face for sure.

Chocolate Cherries? Relegated to car socks.

Thank you so much Sonya. Gotta go cast on!

Chocolate Cherries

Ok - first - the title from the last post should have been What a great Buddy! The title there was from another post that got lost in the ethernet.

Wanted to show my current sock in progress. Claudia Handpaints Chocolate Cherries. Wasn't sure I was going to like it, because it pools quite a bit but it has grown on me.

See the cute little dpn holders on the sock? Way cool little tool that keeps the stitches from falling off when I'm not working on the sock. Bought at Stitches West.

My trip to Stitches West was detailed in yesterdays blog post, now lost. I'll get over it and repost soon. Lots of great stuff coming!

GEEZ

I just spent the last two hours posting and trying to put up pictures. Sometimes pictures go well with blooger sometimes they dont. This time they didn't. Finally decided to just publish without pictures (didn't copy the post) and bloooooger lost the post with an error. AAARGGGH! The last post took all morning because of the same.

Off to check out wordpress and movable type.

No pictures please

Last week I got a wonderful surprise...

My online knitting buddy Sonya sent me lots of skeins of fun fur so I can continue to make chemo caps for kids! Hmmm...the picture is kinda small, but I took it with my cellphone and have no idea how to change settings on the phone so I'll just have to live with it. Aren't they gorgeous?!

I look forward to several hours knitting up some cute little caps. Thank you so much Sonya!

We had grandson Matthew here over the weekend, and he is one busy little guy. We've been working with him on not making a mess of the house, and this was the first weekend he didn't repeatedly dump his toybox all over the floor. It was such a relief. I confess to pretty much letting him have his way within reason, so I guess the dumping is mostly my own fault. Believe me, I've learned my lesson. The clean-up game is ever so much more fun when there's only a little to pick up.

Let there be light

Well. Woke up to an unpleasant surprise earlier in the week. This greeted me as I sat down to the computer with my cup of tea....

Yes. A black screen on my monitor. This is the second monitor my computer has gone thru in the last 6 months. The first one went, I am sure, because we used it while we were on a generator, while we were renovating. When that one went I dug this one out of storage, as I'm too cheap to not use what I got. It's probably at least 10 years old and has a 14 inch screen. Still, it worked. Last weekend I realized it had developed a strip across the front but hey, I could see around it.

Now the black screen. I have no desire whatsoever to live without my computer. So, counted my pennies this morning and took off on an adventure to find the best monitor for my miniscule bucks. And after much shopping I purchased this:

19 inches, widescreen. Its gawgeous! Only problem: my computer doesn't have a video card that can take the type of resolution this monitor requires so everything is kinda stretched out. Still, its gawgeous.

Now off to read blogs and answer emails. Whew! Couldn't breathe there for awhile. I have no idea how I lived without a computer but I don't wanna go back. Lets hope the universe doesn't decide I need a new computer to go along with the new monitor.

For Jenny

Well, its been nearly a year since I posted. Its funny how time flys by and you realize you've come full circle.

I've recently participated in my first charity knitting drive. It's Chemo Caps for Kids run by Minestrone Soup. My first cap, modeled by grandson Matthew. Ain't he cute?!

I made a couple more, but gave one away at work to someone who wanted it for their family member who was going thru cancer too. I'm mailing my two caps today. I hope the kids understand why they didn't get more caps from me. I hope everyone who reads this makes a few caps for the kids in their local cancer center or for a national drive.

This has been the hardest knitting I've ever done. The caps are easy and cute. The hard thing was and is the very reason I participated. (WARNING! Tears ahead...)

Our Jenny

Jenny was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was in kindergarden. She fought oh so bravely. She had a bone marrow transplant at age 9. She made it through and even started growing her hair back. This picture was taken just after her 10th birthday. We lost Jenny to her battle with cancer in October 1988, a few short days after the picture was taken.

I cannot express how joyful she was. Giggled constantly, very mischievous. She was a light in everyone's life the minute she met them.

When I heard about this charity drive I just had to make some hats. I had some fun fur in my stash. My plan was to make some for the drive and then make some for our own local cancer kids. My plans have changed somewhat, at least for now. I cannot buy new yarn for this. I start sobbing as soon as I pull up to the store. I sob all the way through the store and end up leaving without purchasing. And frankly, I cannot write more on this post because of the tears. We miss her with every breath we take.

I will always love and miss you Jenny.

Got the Gold!

My Gold Medal Winning French Market Bag!

After posting the other day that I was near completion, my camera went on the fritz so I couldn't post my winning entry! Here it is...my new knitting bag ready and waiting for my next project which is toe up socks!

Just wish I could take better pictures. Everyone loves it. Don't think I'll do another big project for a long time (unless its the mary poppins bag which I love!). Plan to stick with socks, scarves, etc. and dying to try some of the mittens everyone has done.

By the way...the nippl*age did go away with felting and blocking. Whew!