Saturday Yarn Store Crawl with an Alpaca Farm Stop.

So, this past week, we had a visitor at our Wednesday night knitting group. Pat from England, who's blog is Mysterious Yarns, came to our group meet up and and then I planned a yarn store crawl for yesterday. It was a blast!! First we stopped at Needle & Knobs, and then we headed off to Shi'loh Alpacas, which is run by Jamie and Bob and is so close in Seminole, FL.
They called their little haven, the oasis in a concrete jungle. They have 8 male alpacas on their land and 5 females on another farm. The alpacas are adorable and Jamie and Bob are amazing!! They were super informative and it was wonderful to hear her talk about her alpacas and the alpaca farms in FL. The only shocking part was that she said there are farms that don't use the fiber and store it in warehouses. We all gasped in horror. She is trying to help them start processing it and use the fiber before it goes bad. We may be trying to help her with that as well. :)
I think we all learned something and will definitely go back!! She has some fiber that she wants spun and knit into something because she is neither a knitter or spinner. So we are going to try to get a spinner in our group to spin it up for her and then we have another person who wants to knit a shawl for her. The fiber is from one of her first alpaca's that has passed away. I hope that we can organize that and give her something nice. She mentioned an alpaca festival, which might be our next road trip.
After the Alpaca farm, we headed to Knits & Krafts in Seminole for short visit. The owner is very nice and very helpful. Then we were hungry and drove to the Lucky Dill Deli on Alt US 19 for some yummy sandwiches and cheesecake!! I only had a couple bits of mine but it was YUMMY!!

After fueling our tummies we headed to Uncommon Threads, one of my favorite LYS's. This is where I bought my only purchase on the trip other than food and drink....some yummy merino fiber in a beautiful Cherry Blossom colorway. Check it out!!

I just want to pet it!! but it will be spun up...eventually! After some spinning wheel talk and petting of fiber and yarn, we drove over to Odessa, FL to go to Fiber Arts. This store was a little upscale but had a beautiful selection of yarns and a TON of Noro in all colorways and styles. Last we stopped at Starbucks on our way home. We started the day out at 10am and didn't get back until a little after 6pm. It was a long day but we all had a blast. People joined us for parts but the core group in my car made it all the way. Thank you Pat for inspiring this wonderful trip!!

Well..gotta run off to dinner but hope everyone is doing well.

Happy Spinning, Knitting and don't forget to give you pets some loving!!

Gnat

Dogs on Thursday, toe update, SnB.

For todays Dogs on Thursday I wanted to share my napping puppies. They had gotten baths and Special K decided to cover them up because Jackjack was cold. He's such a big sucker. They sure are cute. :)

Jackjack tends to act funny during the cold weather but he's been really funny lately. He gets excited about almost anything it's so cute. :) Abby is still itchy but we are saving up for her to go to a specialist for her allergies. It may take us a bit but I think Special K and I both feel bad that she's itchy.

I almost forgot!! I mentioned to Nichole from Lapdogcreations about my escape artist Jackjack. I actually have video of him getting out. I used to have him on a webcam when I worked at an animation studio. All my friends at work would watch him on it all day. :) It was funny. I even made him his own website www.jackjackinthebox.com. But I thought I'd share the video of him escaping one day. I had to get a new crate and re-enforce it after this. He is no longer crated because of an incident where he broke the crate and pierced his tongue. That was the day it was put away. It kind of sounds like he wasn't crate trained but he was. He just was better when he had a routine and when it got disrupted is when things would happen. The piercing happened when my roommate was taking care of him. Jackjack also spent more than 2 months in the SPCA before I got him and is not a fan of being confined.

The video is kind of long but you can really see him thinking. :) Well...hope you enjoy the video.



Well...a quick update on my toe. The doctor didn't have the x-rays so he said he'd look at them this afternoon when he went over to the hospital but he said from the review of them he got that we might need to remove it (the bone chip). He spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out what he could do now and I ended up leaving with some cushiony thing around my toe. It hurt at first but then felt really nice. I'll spare you the pictures of my un-manicured toes. :) I won't find out for sure what he plans to do until my apt next Thursday so I'll let you know.

Last nights SnB was so much fun. We had about 7 people and everyone seemed to have a great time. :) I worked on my Monkey sock but didn't get too much done because I was kind of tired.

I'm going to head to another Knit night tonight at Needles and Knobs. Since I've decided to take the season off from softball, I can skip the practice today. I'm kind of sad that I won't be playing but have been for almost two years so a break will be nice. I wish it was a choice and not because of my toe though. Oh well.

Well...hope everyone is doing well. Happy Dogs on Thursdays!!

PS...Paula and I are going to try to come up with a great spring activity for the DOT group!!

Travel Knitting!!!

So, I decided that a sock it is. More specifically the More Fun than Cables Sock Pattern using my Dream in Color Smooshy yarn in Lipstick Lava!! I stopped by Needles and Knobs today to pick up some bamboo dpns in size US 1 and had her ball the hank for me.

Those flowers are just so pretty and go so well with my yarn!! ;)

I also dropped off some yarn for her to ball up as well. A fellow teacher's husband went to Peru this last week and brought me back a bunch of cheap Peruvian yarn. I think all of it is acrylic but it's nice for the kids. She also brought me back a ton of needles. I'll take some pictures and show you when I post the knitting group donation post coming soon.

Well..I'm off to swatch the Dream in Color to figure out if I really needed these dpns. :)

I'm still working on the first "Fawkes" sock and I got to the heel last night. I love this pattern and it's pretty easy to do which makes it even better. I also love Magic Loop.


I'm taking pictures with my cellphone since yes, again my camera died. I left it on...UGH!!I love these flowers. Have I mentioned I love hibiscuses.

Well...we've got a softball game at 8 tonight so I need to get on with my swatching, and laundry for the weekend. Happy Knitting!!

FO, Stitch 'n Pitch

The first Mandy's Candy bag is done. It was a fun knit. I didn't make it too long and I kind of messed up a bit with the bottom but it looks great and when I finished it I thought maybe it's a bit too big to make a bunch before next Friday. Sammy said she'd want this one . So I told her after I take a pic to put up here I'd fill it with Candy and give it to her on the first day of school. She's going into 6th grade and will have both my sister/her mom and I as teachers. :)We went to the Stitch 'n Pitch tonight and it was a lot of fun. I didn't take my camera because it's huge and I already had enough to carry. Fleas and I only sat for a little bit with all the stitcher. We had only gotten 4 tickets to the actual Stitch 'n Pitch and my sister CZbrats who's husband works at Tropicana had gotten the other 3 so we really didn't have enough room to sit with all of them. It was nice seeing those I knew from Needles and Knobs.

This is all the loot I got from the game. While at the game I worked on my second Candy Bag. I think it's coming along well. I modified the pattern so it will be smaller so I can try to make more of them before the end of our first week back. I guess I'm shooting for a great job at our first week present. :) "WE SURVIVED" I hope at least we survive this coming week.

Sammy and I also both bought this cute little bag from The Circular Solution in Lakeland, FL who were there. It's a small bag to keep a small project in. We both got the pick Breast Cancer one too. I think they are just so cute and I already put the Candy Bag that I'm working on in it.

Well, I'm off to bed. It's getting late and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. I was to finish this candy bag and hopefully get a bit into another one. I also want to try to put a coat of primer on the kitchen cabinets at the new place. Lots to do and only 24 hrs in a day. :) Have a great night.

Happy Knitting.

Special K hat and more yarn... :)

My nephew Surfer Boy came with me on a yarn run today. His mom is recovering from surgery so I figured it would be nice for him tag along and get some yarn for the hat he wants. He wants a hat similar to the one I'm working on for Special K but with bigger ribs. I have been doing pretty good on my first attempt at a hat.
Audrey at Needles and Knobs says it's wonderful . She said the stretching is ok and will not be too noticable. I'm glad I showed it to her. She also told me about the needle stops...good idea. :) I have about 9 inches left to knit before the decrease.

While we were at Needles and Knobs we picked up some nice green yarn for Surfer Boy's hat. I didn't get a picture but it's Cascade Superwash in Sage.

Today, I realized that my niece Flower Girl's birthday is this Saturday. She turns the big 2-1. Yes, I am young yet have a niece that is only 21. She actually is only 6 yrs younger than me. We used to fight like sisters but have been getting along much better in our older ages. I realized if I'm going to give her a present I better get knitting. I haven't decided between beer cozies or a cellphone case. I might try to knock out both but we'll see. While out on my yarn run we stopped at Jo-Ann Fabrics and got some Sugar 'n Cream yarn. :) I couldn't decide on colors and I figured I can make some dishcloths out of it as well so I bought five skeins. :) I am realizing that my stash is growing and started to put all of the new yarn into ziploc bags to keep as much dog hair off of them as possible. I also bought some darning needles. What can I say???

Library!!

Last night while watching the baseball game, I cast on the hat for Special K. It's my first knitting in the round experience and I think I started out pretty good. I made one mess up on the second row but you can't really tell. I concentrated really hard on not twisting the stitches on the circular needles since that seemed to be everyone first comment when I told them I wanted to knit on them. I'm doing a patter of ribbing and I think between my knit stitches and purl stitches there seems to be a little bit of a loose edge. I was hoping to show it to the Audrey at Needles and Knobs but it's closed on monday. I only realized this after I showed up to show her. :) And yes if you notice I got her name off the newspaper article hanging on the window of the shop. I'm going to stop by tomorrow and show her. I might frog it and start over, we'll see. I'll take pictures of it tomorrow and post them.

On my way home I stopped by the library and checked out Stitch 'n Bitch, the knitter's handbook. I figured checking books out is a good way to keep my budget for actual yarn and needles. If I think it's a book I need to keep in my collection then I'll buy it. I'm finally trying to be financially savvy.

I also signed up for Ravelry today. Everyone's doing it....I also figure in the almost a month that I've been knitting I'm already got a bit of a stash started. It's not much but by the time I get my invite...since I'm like a billionth on the list then I'll have more projects and a bigger yarn stash to add.

Well...off to do some reading before bed. I've got to work on my classroom tomorrow so I won't get much knitting done until I get home in the afternoon and do laundry.

LYSs, FOs, and a new knitter!!!

To start off I wanted to show you my CAP's Magic Scarf FO.. :) I like it but it's pretty short so I'm probably going to give it to Lil L who showed interest. :)


So...Saturday, as I have for the last three Saturday's, I headed over to a LYS, Stitchworm for some free instructions. Lil L came with me and she was again the superstar. :)

She actually started a pattern for a shaw/half sweater thing...not sure what it's called right now. Anyway, I got her some new needles and 3 skeins of some pretty yarn. She made her first swatch...I don't think she really understood what gauge was but she did good. We both learned how to make holes and I learned how to increase and decrease because I want to make a hat for Special K.

My friend D came along this time too. We went to see the Simpson Movie with her on friday night and another friend C which doesn't seem to want to learn to knit but her loss right?? I was talking all about knitting and how much fun I've been having and D thought it would be fun to come with. She is super creative and does all kinds of fun mosaic stuff. D did good...she needed a bit of help getting started but after that she had fun. They got her started with some yarn and needles so she can work on it for the next couple weeks until she can return. (She is a jet-setter for the next couple weekends. )
I was having a bit of a moment this saturday. I showed up with no pattern but I knew I wanted to knit it in the round... :) I know very specific but I really want to learn. I mentioned this to Ricky, knitting instructor, who tried to find a pattern in the store to help me out but we couldn't find one for knitting a hat in the round. I thought about just getting some circular needles and just making up as a go but for some reason they weren't having it and I needed to get Lil L back home because she was heading to Orlando with a friend and her family. I was a little disappointed when I got home so I searched the internet and found a pattern at Mind's Eye Yarns that Special K liked so I had DIRECTION!!! We headed out to the beach to meet up with some friends and I slyly mentioned...we'd be passing by the other LYS Needles and Knobs.. :) Special K agreed since the hat is for him and we went in...Yes...let me repeat Special K entered a yarn store with me. :) I was happy. He just sat on the couch and said yes that one for the yarn...but it was great. He was there with me. The lady there was so great...she's super nice and energetic. I really like her...I again forgot to ask her name...ugh. Anyway she got me set up with some Addi Turbo's size 7 circular needles, double points size 7, and some black feathered yarn...I also grabbed some sale yarn that I had eyed last time I was in. :) When I got home after the beach I decided not to start the hat yet but to knit up some of the dishcloth yarn I got last week for my sister. She had surgery yesterday and I wanted to bring a gift with me today when I visited her at home. I forgot to take a picture before I wrapped it up but its a pattern I made up with stockinette and garter stitch. I like it and she seemed pleased with it even through her pain today. I made a little card with one of my staps to go with it. ;)
Well...Special K is out watching the Cubs game and I'm going to go hang with him a bit. I think I'll cast on the hat tomorrow so I can give him the quality time I think he's asking for. He's being as supportive as he can with my knitting and I know he loves that I'm creating things but I think sometimes he just wants me to pay attention to him....so I'm off to give him that time. I know this has been a long post...but I hope you've enjoyed the pictures. :)

Finished!!! YEAH!!!

Ok...so last night while Special K was playing guitar hero...I finished my "homework" scarf. :) I'm so excited that it's done. I took it with me and showed almost everyone I ran into today. :) I'm crazy remember this. :)

I even took it to another one of my LYS today, Needles and Knobs. She even said for my first knit it looks great. She said the stitches were loose a bit but very even. :) YEAH!!! I was excited. I really liked this LYS, she was really nice and the selection was beautiful..(more on this in a bit)

Ok, you knew this was coming.. :)

Abbs modeling the "homework" scarf...

Jackjack...reluctantly modeling the "homework" scarf...

Ok...so Needles and Knobs....of course I went by to just check it out but started talking to the lady about wanting to start doing some dishcloths after I finish my next scarf. She showed me some pretty yarn that of course she said was on sale and I caved. :) I got two skeins and I needed smaller needles and I was out the door.. :) Isn't it pretty....

So...before I start with the dishcloths I want to do Crazy Aunt Purl's Magic Scarf. I've liked it and figured I'd like to do one more scarf before I move on to other things...socks are not too far off. :) hehehe....one of my secret collection is socks. I've slowed way down and gotten rid of old ones and holey ones...because lets face it I live in florida and in flip flops but LOVE socks. :) So, I'd like to make them.

Tomorrow Lil L and I are heading to Stitchworm to learn some more. I'll let you know how it goes. :)