A Harlot kind of day!

I just got back from Lyndhurst - Joseph-Beth Booksellers, to be exact. The Yarn Harlot is on her book tour, and she has finally made it to Northeast Ohio!!! I got there at 9:15 for a 2:00 presentation (I don't know the area, folks - I could have been wandering for hours. Luckily, it was very easy to find). I was the first one there, but these wonderful people showed up about 30 minutes after I did That's Madeline, Kimberly, Melissa and Kathy. Very funny, friendly people. We hijacked the small seating area, because that's where the presentation was going to take place. Before they moved everything, it looked like this (I was standing in the center aisle book display):

We had a feeling that there may be a problem...

I got lunch at the bistro - a Greek wrap that was wonderful (good food in a bookstore? Who'da thunk it?) The cous-cous was absolutely delicious.

They didn't start setting up until noon, and there were probably 40 people there already.
(this is as they were still setting up the chairs) By 12:30:

And a panoramic picture right before it started: (oh, yeah - see that empty chair in front of the podium with the sweater hanging on it? That's mine. Sometimes it pays to get there 5 hours early...) The second person from the left is Sally, from the Ohio Soapers! Unfortunately, once again, they underestimated the force of the knitting community. They ordered 90 copies of the book, and it sold out before the event started. Even worse? They only had 58 chairs.

All of a sudden, she arrived (please note - she wearing the BOHUS!) Wow, it's gorgeous - especially up close!I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time - she was hysterical!
Petting her stash yarn (ummmm....you had to be there)

A picture of the two of us, taken when she was in mid-sentence... :-)

This was really a lot of fun - I spent the day surrounded by knitters! Of course, I was surrounded by people knitting beautiful, fabulous things, and I was sitting there knitting...a giant garter stitch square. (It's an emergency KnitPicks project - don't ask!) I brought a sock along just to prove that I can knit something besides squares. :-)

The most amazing part?? She's read my blog!

The Stocking, revealed!

Remember this? The new KnitPicks catalog came out today, so I can finally show you! Before it left my house, it looked like this

One verrrrry long stocking! (I have a picture of it on my leg, but only certain people get to see it )

Here's the catalog picture - isn't it gorgeous?? I knit the Thigh-High Vine Lace Stocking...in 4 days. :-) It's knit in their Bare version of Gloss - 70% Merino, 30% Silk. This yarn is absolutely lovely - I ordered another skein for myself for the short version. You can purchase the pattern here - it's a lot easier than it looks!! The pattern is well-written and easy to memorize. I really like the new layout of the website; I can't wait to see the new catalog.

My favorite knitting accessory

My SP10 hostess is having contest - what is your favorite knitting accessory? I'm not sure if mine counts as an accessory, but I love my double-sided worm binder from Bass Pro Shops. I can carry everything and anything that I could possibly need in this thing. Here's a picture of it, with Tick the mini-dachsund next to it for scale: 3 weeks from today we're leaving for our first-ever family vacation! Woohoo!!! We're heading towards Nashville, and we're going to be gone about 5 days. We've never gone on a real, honest-to-goodness vacation with the kids; this should be a lot of fun!

Yes, I've been knitting, but not as much as I usually do. Since I last posted, the charity shawl is this big

I have until April 21st to finish it - that shouldn't be a problem. We have a swap at the Ohio Soapmaker's Gathering, so I made a batch of unscented face soap. So far I've knitted 2 of these faceclothes - I need to finish 3 more in the next month:

And with the bar of soap that I made

I started EZ's ribwarmer from KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Bulky - color Storm (I'm going to run out - I need to order 1-2 more skeins)

I started a sweater for a friend - I have the right front panel done (the cables make it look a lot narrower than it really is - and this panel is 24" long)

And I broke out the Mountain Colors sock yarn and started a pair of shorter socks for me

I sat down to Queen Matilda and spun this from a center-pull bump that I picked up a long time ago (I got one for Kristin, my pal for SP9, too, but I don't think she's spun it up yet). It's a gorgeous wool/mohair blend. According to my McMorran balance, it's about 300 yards of light-worsted weight yarn.

An up-close shot:

I knitted a couple more inches on the Mimbres, too - nothing much to see yet.

If it wasn't for this pesky full-time job, I could get a lot more done!

:-)

Good news: We're getting a real, honest-to-goodness yarn shop in Medina!! Woohoo!!!!! StudioKnits opens next Monday!! Finally - a yarn shop in our county!

SP 10 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love any natural fiber - especially wool. I love Wool of the Andes, Jamieson & Smith, Bartlett, Briggs and Little, Harrisville, Cestari,most small-mill yarns, and anything that Schoolhouse Press sells. I love knitting with pencil roving, too. I won't knit with anything acrylic (except for WoolEase in a pinch) or anything that looks like the pelt of Grover.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Since I got the Options set, I've been using that almost exclusively. For everything else, though, I have a 2-sided worm binder from Bass Pro Shops; I have at least 40 pairs of circulars, crochet hooks, markers, tape measures, etc.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? My Grandma Benefiel taught me when I was six, so I've been knitting for nearly 36 years. I knit for KnitPicks, so I would have to say that I'm an advanced knitter.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? It's right here
5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) I make a lot of my own bath products, but I love a good, straight-out vanilla.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Dark Chocolate!! And Gummies!
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I spin, quilt, sew, make soap and lotions, crochet a bit, cross stitch, garden, and can food for the winter.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like nearly everything except rap and hip-hop.
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love maroon, dark blue, purples, dark reds...anything in the warm category. I don't like orange, yellow, gold, light green - I have nothing personal against those colors, but if I wear them next to my skin, people keep asking me if I'm going to be sick. :-)
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have 3 children a husband and 2 children. My boys are 14 and nearly 12. I have 2 dogs (a Mini-Dachsund named Tick and an Airedale named Gracie), 5 cats (Moe, Repo, Rambo, Sparky and Itty-Bitty), a snake (Prometheus - my husband's).
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?Yes, Yes, Yes, and NoNoNo.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?I love knitting sweaters, shawls, socks, and anything that catches my fancy at the moment
13. What are you knitting right now? I'm making a sweateron commission, a pair of socks and a shawl. I knit for the KnitPicks catalog, so that could come to a screeching halt at any time if they decide to send me a project.
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!!!
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I don't use straights, and my favorite needles are my Options and my Inox greys. I love my Holz & Stein needles, too.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both!
17. How old is your oldest UFO? About a year, I think - I have several sweaters in progress
18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas or Thanksgiving - anytime family gets together
19. Is there anything that you collect? Pre-1960's cookbooks, stitch dictionaries, roving and yarn!
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I love Hazel Carter's lace patterns and Fiddlesticks shawls. I've never even touched Koigu yarn, but I'd like to try it. I have a subscription to Vogue Knitting; I love Interweave Knits, too.
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd love to learn combination knitting
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I love to knit socks! I wear a US 8-1/2.
23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) 12/17

I've been a bad blogger....

Yes, I'm still here - it just seems that with everything going on, my blogging mojo kinda left the building for a while. I've been pretty busy, though!

Let's see....

I started doing home instruction 2 days a week after school for a student home on medical leave. He can't write, so I have to scribe everything. Not a lot of fun, but as a second job, it's not bad.

We had several snow days and a few more windchill days. Gracie likes snow days a lot better than we do!!

Kelson had another series of bomb threats at his school, which kept him home for 3 more days. (They're over on their calamity days, so they've been starting school at 6:30 for the last week and a half to make up some of the time).

2 weeks ago I drove Kelson to Mantua for the OMEA Solo & Ensemble contest...and he got a "I" (Superior) for his tuba solo!! Woohoo!!!

Last Saturday, we got up really early and drove 3-1/2 hours to Arcanum, Ohio for my nephew John's wedding. I had never met the bride, but the wedding was beautiful.

The whole family got dressed up, which doesn't happen often

We stayed for about 3 hours, and then drove home - that was a very long day!!!

In the meantime, I've been knitting. Since I last posted anything, I made quite a bit of progress on the charity shawl (no pics yet, though), and I knitted these

Sideways gloves from Furlana possum/merino yarn. I really wish I could get my hands on more of this yarn - I bought it at a yarn shop by my parents' house, but nobody sells it anymore.

I also made these

These are 100% alpaca wrist warmers - my room at school is freezing, and these really help.

I also made this in the last week...I can't show it to you yet(I was testing a pattern for KnitPicks) but the completed object will be in the next catalog. Suffice it to say that it's really, really pretty, and it's a heckuva lot of knitting in 4 days (while working full time)!

I also started over with the Mimbres, and I'm about 2" into the body.

Not a whole lot more that's exciting - just hectic. After a long day trapped in a room with 18-25 juvenile delinquents, my mind is pretty much jello by the time I get home. Spring Break is coming, though!!!!!