Random Stuff and (some of the) WIPS...

For the SP10 contest - here are *some* of my WIPS. This isn't all of them, but I'm not going to go into the attic to retrieve the rest of them right now... Let's see. In this picture there are 4 sweaters in progress, 3 shawls, 5 socks, a vest and a glove. This picture doesn't include the Mimbres in progress for KnitPicks, or the 2 socks that will be in progress as soon as the yarn gets here...

I'm taking advantage of my knee feeling pretty good right now, so I spun a bobbin of the roving that my secret pal sent a few weeks ago

and then I practiced my Navajo plying. I still need a lot of practice, but I think it turned out pretty well!

The Great Lakes Fiber Show was a lot of fun! Molly and I behaved ourselves (for the most part, anyway), but I did find a couple of really great deals. I loved this pin, and it forced money out of my wallet and jumped into my bag:

The Sheep Shed Studio had Lamb's Pride and Wildfoote sock yarn for $3.00 a skein:

Homespun Acres (from right here in Medina County) had *the* most gorgeous, soft, 50/50 Tussah Silk/Red Kid Mohair blend, and 2 ounces of it followed me home.

As soon as I got home, I had to try it out...and all that I can say is holy cow. It is absolutely wonderful to spin!! I wish I would have picked up more!

French Creek Fiber Arts has started carrying Fiber Artist roving. I picked up 2 braids each of their BFL and their wool/silk blend:

Molly and I split a Shetland fleece. She took her half to Wooly Knob Fiber Mill for processing, and I brought my half home.

I washed a handfull of locks and handflicked them - this is going to be a gorgeous fleece - especially since it was under $6.00 a pound!!

I forgot to put a ruler in the picture, but this lock is 5" long and very, very soft.

I've wanted a triangle loom for a while now, so when I saw this for 50% off, I grabbed it. It's a small one, but I thought it would be a good one to start with (and Kevin has been promising me for ages that he would build me a large one, so this should be a good template for him).

Unfortunately, after weaving on it (and ripping off the finished piece and unraveling it), I discovered exacly why it was 50% off...it's missing a nail in each of the top corners. Argh. I'm going to see if Kevin can put one more nail in each corner for me.

8 days of school left...hooray!!!

Yes, I know...

I'm still here - it always gets rather crazy during the last few weeks of school...I've been doing home instruction a few nights a week, and Kelson's baseball season is officially underway.

I had an MRI on my knee yesterday (and, of course, it felt better yesterday than it has in weeks...I think that the prednisone finally did its job) and I'll get the results next Thursday.

I'm getting ready to send my secret pal a small "in-between" gift to hold her over while I'm putting together her 3rd and final "reveal" box. She really liked the first two packages that I sent, so I hope she likes what I end up stuffing in her box! :-)

Speaking of which, this weekend is the Great Lakes Fiber Festival. I'm going to go down and look around, but I can't really spend any money this year. If all goes well, though, I'll meet up with Molly and her family and see what kind of trouble we can cause.

I'm going to be knitting 2 socks for KnitPicks - the yarn is on its way...and it's a NEW sock yarn! I can't wait to see it!

We have an SP10 challenge - we're supposed to put all of our WIPs into one picture and post it. Ummmmm.....I have so many works in progress that I don't think that they'd fit into one picture!!

I'll give it my best shot, though - as soon as I get through Kelson's 15th birthday party tomorrow. We're doing the same thing as last year...but now a couple of his friends can drive, so we don't have to worry so much about the logistics of transportation. This year it's going to be CiCis for pizza and then Pirates...and as the mom, I had to promise to sit in the back of the theater. :-)

Owwie!!

You've probably noticed the lack of knitting content recently - and it's because I haven't done very much knitting lately. My knee hurts. :-( Now you may be wondering why knee pain keeps me from knitting...

My left knee feels pretty good in the morning, but as the day goes on, the pain intensifies. By the time I get home from school, it feels like somebody has attached a vise to each side of my kneecap. By about 7:00, the vise has been tightened to the point that I can't concentrate on very much. It's hard to knit when you can't concentrate, so I've been limiting my evening knitting to socks and garter stitch. 500 mg Vicodin seems to be the only thing that stops the pain...and I really don't recommend knitting anything complicated once the Vicodin kicks in!

My regular doctor took x-rays late last week and came to the conclusion that my kneecap may be out of line...and sent me off to an orthepedic surgeon. I've had a knee stabilizer since then (which makes it really interesting when I'm dealing with JDs!) Hobble, hobble...

Ugh.

I took today off from school to visit an orthepedic surgeon. He took a few more x-rays and came to the conclusion that while my kneecap is slightly out of whack, he doesn't think that it's the major problem. He's pretty sure that, in addition to the beginnings of arthritis, I have a meniscus tear.

Double Ugh.

He's going to schedule an MRI within the next few days (after the insurance company pre-authorizes it) and then we'll know for sure. In the meantime, I'm on a 6-day course of prednisone, and I have a new prescription for 750 mg Vicodin. I'm saving those for an extreme emergency - the 500 mg mess with me quite enough, thank you! The pain goes away for the most part, but my head feels rather floaty and my fingers feel like sausages - definitely not conducive to colorwork and cables!!

Drum Roll Please!!!

Yes, after much to-do and a heckuvalotta suspense, I'm finally gonna tell ya about my big surprise!!

As our entire family was sitting at dinner at Rachel's in the Opryland Hotel, Mom and Dad called my sister Michelle and me to their end of the table. Michelle and her husband Rick are planning a family cruise to the Bahamas next year for their 20th anniversary, and Mom & Dad are going to give them money to help pay for it. Very, very cool!!

As for me?? Well, next August (of 2008)...they are sending me to.....

ENGLAND!!!

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'm surprised that folks didn't hear me squealing all the way back home!! Do I have the best parents in the history of the world, or what???

Kevin and I are going to fly into London, spend a few days there, and then we're going to rent a car and wander all over the continent....including Scotland. We're going to spend the last few days in Ireland and fly home out of Dublin. We're going to stay in B&Bs and eat on the cheap, but we're hoping for 2 whole weeks!!!

My goal is to spend our time visiting all of the places that I've read about for the last 25 years - not the touristy places, but the medieval/renaissance historical sites. I want to see Hertford Castle and the Reading Abbey Ruins and Windsor Castle and...

And people wonder why my spinning wheel is named Empress Matilda (sometimes Queen Matilda, depending on my mood).

I have almost 16 months to plan this trip - the wait is going to be excruciating!! I took out every travel guide/book at the library and I've been poring over them constantly since our trip to Nashville. :-)

Any bloggers from Great Britain - your input and recommendations are most welcome!! BlueADT - keep an eye out for me - I may just need an airedale fix while I'm there!!

Secret Pal goodies!

I just got back from the Post Office - look at what I got today!

2 skeins of Nashua Handknits Wooly Stripes! I'm not familiar with this yarn, but it's gorgeous and really soft! And this was in the package, too...

A 4-oz braid of Handpainted 100% Merino Roving from Funky Carolina, in the Rocky Start colorway! Isn't it gorgeous?? Wow, is this stuff soft - Kevin has already told me that (hint, hint) it would make a really great pair of socks. :-)

Thank you very much, secret pal!!!