I'm Keeping Busy!

Well, Tuesday was my last day at work!! Very fun to be moving on. I even got a call from my team lead at the new company that day, telling me that they are excited to have me & she asked me how I was doing. I told her I was excited too. What a nice touch!

Meanwhile, I knitted this for my friend. She asked me months ago for something to put on her water bottle, so here it is. I hope she likes it. I don't have plans to see her soon, so I'm going to have to direct her to my blog so she can see it. Does that spoil it?? I hope not. I'm sure she'll let me know in the "comments" if I spoiled her surprise!! :) Here are the "before" & "after" felting pictures.





I will make my blackberry kuchen tomorrow. I think. I did pick more blackberries. You want my recipe, don't you? I'll post it later this week. I think it's better than my friend's. But don't get me wrong. Hers is delicious!! She thinks hers is better than mine!! :)

AND, guess what?? I finally finished de-mossing my deck!! It's ready to stain now. Will I really do that though?? I think I'll procrastinate that for a couple more weeks!! :)

Re-dye, Today's Emerald City

I got some more blue Kool Aid. It made the Emerald City more vibrant I think. I like it better than yesterday. Do you??

More Dyeing Fun

Not sure how to make these pictures work right. This is the yarn I dyed yesterday.














I call it "Strawberry Ice". It is 100% Cashmere yarn.




I will make this pattern with it.









So, today I had Sockergirl come over & I showed her what I learned yesterday & she added to it all. Very fun. Here are all the Kool Aid colors she used:
















This is it on the stove:
















This is it up to dry:


We called it "Citrus Medley".














I also did another one. We called it "Emerald City". BUT, I'm going to get some more blue & re-dye it & see what happens just for fun. Here it is today.


And one more picture.
















I'll let you know how the re-dyeing goes!!

I'm dieing!!!

No I'm not!! I'm dyeing!!! I am at my friend's house & we are dyeing our yarn. She's done this before, but this is my first time. Kool Aid. Very cool. Blastin' Berry Cherry & Black Cherry mixed. I'll take a picture & post it after it dries, so give me a few days. I had NO idea this would be so easy. Now I know why all of you do this.

Blackberry Pickin'

Lacey & I went on our walk, tupperware in hand...........picked several cups of blackberries. Came home & made a cobbler/crisp thing. YUM!!!!!!!! Uh oh...............

Started a pair of socks with my Cascade Fixation yarn. I think I will just do a K3P1 rib pattern. I still don't feel like going back to my Jaywalkers yet. I thought about using my new Fleece Artist yarn.......but decided to make these cotton blend ones, while there's a little summer left.......

Thinking about trying my Swallowtail Shawl again.......it's been almost a year since I barely started that!! And then again, there is my sweater that I started a couple months ago.................

And then...............................................there's everything else that I want to make. Every bit of my stash has a project tied to it..................

I'm going to my friend's house on Saturday & she's going to teach me how to dye yarn. I was gifted with 440 yards of Cashmere yarn, but it needs to be dyed. That will be interesting.

So, what are you doing??

Quick Scarf for Princess

Princess is a gal at work who said she was mad at me when I told her that I was quitting. She's very special & I actually had this yarn picked out for her for over a year & a half. She's on vacation this week, so I will be able to give it to her next week. Princess isn't her real name, it's the nickname I gave her.

Looks like I won't have time to whip another one out for the gal who gave me the knitting book. I'm sure I will see her again though. She wants a nice wool scarf. She'll have to wait..............

I'm really excited about my new job. I know, I already told you that. I'll probably tell you again.

A Picture!!

This is the finished Black Chenille Silk Foulard. The yarn wasn't fun to knit with, & it has a strong smell. It is the dye. As I washed it to block, the black kept running & running. It's really just suppose to be a square. I'm blocking it, but didn't have enough pins to make it straight. That's ok. The other weird thing is that the 2 skeins of yarn were slightly different thicknesses. Can you see the "demarcation" line? I will give you a hint........draw a line from the upper right corner to the lower left corner, you can see one side is "looser" & one side is "tighter". Well, when i wear it tomorrow, no one will notice. The other thing, it sure isn't easy to get a decent picture when it is on a yellow plaid sheet!!!

More news!!!!!!!!! Great news!!!!!!!!!! I got a new job!!! Since I am incognito on this blog, I will keep it that way. But the last 2 weeks have been a roller coaster ride. VERY FUN & EXCITING, in spite of the STRESS!! I gave my 2 weeks notice to my current employer today. My boss was very kind. I'm really looking forward to what's next. A whole new chapter in my life. I don't make New Year's resolutions. I never have. But this year I did. I even made 2. They both have happened. To lose weight....20 pounds so far, 5 to go, but I would like to lose 10..............& to get a new job. Can't believe they both happened. All thanks to the Lord for His intervention, love & mercy!!

5 More Minutes.........

If I could stay up for 5 more minutes I would be finished with my Black Silk Foulard. I'm sleep-typing................so maybe tomorrow I will finish & take a picture???

I finally did do the gussets on the Jaywalkers, so they really need to be my next project.

Last week I went to Little Knits & bought some gorgeous Fleece Artist Merino Sock yarn in the color of Blackberry. I really want to just start on a new pair using this yarn. This color is WAY more beautiful in person!!

Speaking of blackberries.............they are ripe all over the place. I need to pick some this weekend & make something yummy.

Rat Update

RatMan says there is no new activity!! Yeah!! So now I just get to pay the bill. I sure would rather buy yarn...................

Kuishimbo, That's Me!!

Kuishimbo is a Japanese word. It's kind of hard to define, but the jest of it is someone who eats like a pig.

On Saturday I went to the Eastside Knitter's Guild annual summer potluck. Very fun, & I ate too much. I did knit a couple of rows. And I'm actually about to turn the heel on my sock.

On Sunday I went to the International Christian Fellowship potluck with some old friends that used to be in ministry together. That sentence doesn't sound right, but I never was an English major. That's what I always tell my Dad when he tries to correct my English!! Anyway, I told Kathy N. that I would write about how we ate too much at the potluck. I was really disappointed with my Apple Cake. A new recipe. I always make this group be my "test kitchen" for new recipes. I got the recipe from FoodTV.com. It was crummy, & crumby, but they seemed to like it, which is most important. I make desserts without sugar. I use xylitol, or erythritol. That wasn't the problem, it was just very heavy & didn't cook consistently.

So, is your life more exciting than mine???

Is It Really August??

It was in the mid-80's today, but it cooled down so nicely. All that icky humidity is gone. What a pleasant walk I had. I have a 10 year old friend, Emily, that I sometimes see. I hadn't seen her for over a month. She is so cute. She rides her bike while I walk Lacey.

Finished reading HP last Saturday, a fun break.

I have knitted more of my mindless Silk Chenille Foulard. Foulard must mean shawl.......cuz it's a shawl to me!! If it were done, I could've worn it today. I wore a thin black jacket over a dress today, which was too warm. So I may just concentrate on this, & wait on my Jaywalkers. I'm on the heel of those & am doing the eye of the partridge heel. I think that's what it is called. These socks just don't thrill me at all. Everyone else's Jaywalkers are wonderful though, so it's not fair that I'm not excited about my own!!

I e-mailed the library & asked them to order Ann Budd's new sock book. Getting Started Knitting Socks. They ordered it & have put me as #1 on the waiting list. I wish I could see it quickly, because if I like it, I'd like to order it at Knit Picks for their 40% off on all books sale.

A gal at work today blessed me with a present. She asked me if I liked calendars or books. I looked at her funny, then she walked me out to her car & gave me a choice of either The Knitting Answer Book, or 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Perpetual Calendar I chose the book. Very hard choice though. She's on my list to make her a scarf. There is another gal at work who knits, & she is giving her the calendar. Uhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, she's pretty smart..........maybe there is a hidden agenda??

Oh, & the rats???? RatMan is coming on Monday. To check his traps & see what's left. Hopefully that's the end of them..........but no one else pitched in, so they may still get in from my neighbors crawl space. They haven't done a thing to close up holes, etc. I'm not hearing any noise in my walls. That's a good thing!