Friday, March 27, 2009

I'm on a mission.....

First off the Katy Perry concert is tonight and I need to clean my living room and vacuum a LOT. Mostly because my babysitter is allergic to cats. Can't have her getting super sick while we are gone almost an hour away! So I clean....

Knitting - Keira's b-day dress is on hold at the moment. I am attempting to make a February Lady Sweater in time for my sister-in-law's wedding. I got a cute dress but well it's got small straps and we DO live in Michigan so I want to be warm if it's not that day. :) I also picked up another project that I hope to have done as soon as possible after the FLS - a comfort blanket for this project:

Nautical Yarn info@nauticalyarn.com is the “clearinghouse” for the Ludington Chapter of Project Linus. We typically collect 100-200 blankets each year and deliver them to our local hospital for children who have been ill or injured.

This week we received a request from the Michigan National Guard. Camp Grayling, Engineering Company, Unit 1434 is requesting the help of Blanketeers from the Ludington Chapter of Project Linus. Two-hundred fifty (250) Michigan soldiers are being deployed this spring. These soldiers would like to give Project Linus blankets to their children for safety, security, and remembrance while Mom or Dad is gone for one or more years.

A total of 500 blankets are needed. While we don’t believe we can collect 500 blankets, we would like to assist with blankets for the more vulnerable age group, children between the ages of 4 and 10. Blankets must be delivered to Nautical Yarn by May 1 so they can be delivered to the soldiers prior to their deployment.

Please help with this endeavor to help provide security for the children of our Michigan volunteer soldiers.

Nautical Yarn and several yarn companies, especially Plymouth and Berroco, have generously provided FREE kits to help with this blanket drive. Stop by Nautical Yarn to pick up your free kit (while supplies last).

If you are able to make a blanket for this endeavor to help provide security for the children of our Michigan volunteer soldiers, it would be greatly appreciated

Please email info@nauticalyarn.com

The nice thing about this is that if local - they have kits with yarn for FREE how cool is that. If not local the suggested size is 3 ft x 4 ft in a washable yarn. And then it can be mailed to them as long as it's there by May 1, 2009. So I'm heading out tomorrow and going to pick up some more yarn (I know I know really don't have space for it now but hey I'm knitting it I swear!) for the blanket that I hope to get done in time.

Spinning - I still have roving on my spindles that I need to take off and set, and one to finish spinning that half of the roving before I attempt to ply for the first time. I bought more Sunshine Yarns roving last week. posting pictures below. I bought yarn this week and let me tell you was it hard to NOT buy at least 1 of everything that I loved!

As promised :D

Second Roving of Sangria - a little more orange but I love it!
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Peach blossoms roving - yum!
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Color Collection - Sangria, Wildflowers, Rainforest, Daffodils, Bitterroot, Spiced & Arctic
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And a little something green for ordering on St. Patty's day - a St. Patty's Day mini skein. :)
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Now back to cleaning!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

More sunshine

What can I say stalking the site for updates is not good for my health....err I mean not good for my wallet. :D I bought more Sunshine roving today - more Sangria, some Peach Blossom that I missed last time and some Color Collection which is a few diff colors. Sounds super fun! What can I say I like getting things in the mail and since I am lacking in the swap department at the moment I am using retail therapy to remedy that.

Ok back to messing around the house before I get to run out for the evening and spend 'adult time' with some of my favorite ladies at the 'Bou!

Sunshine and Jesus Freaks

Saturday was a great day. I got my rovings from Sunshine Yarns - woot! Pictures below. :) I bought Alpine and Sangria (got the last one!) and wanted Peach Blossom, Vampire and Watercolors. They were all so pretty it was hard not to get a box of roving like someone I know. >.>

Alpine
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Sangria
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I got the mail on my way to meet the rest of the worship team for the Winter Jam concert at EMU. A few bands that played were Hawk Nelson, The Afters, Newsong, Brandon Heath, Stephanie Smith, Francesca Battistelli and of course Toby Mac (formerly of DC Talk). The seats were general admission and we had nose bleed seats at the side of the stage. But the concert rocked. Toby Mac closed it out and had everyone on their feet singing along. He even closed it out with an old DC Talk song "Jesus Freak" it was AWESOME.

Knitting front - I have finally started a new project - Purple Summer Dress. I'm making this for Keira's birthday (my niece). It's a pretty simple pattern and I'll probably make more since I bought enough yarn to make at least one more in a different color. :) This is the top of the dress so far.

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I did start spinning my roving last week at knit night. I'm about half way through the roving right now and I'd say mostly at fingering to DK weight of what is spun.

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Monday, March 9, 2009

Cookies and yarns!

Well Friday I drove to Lansing to deliver my family's orders of cookies. Man was it windy driving! But I also stopped at Threadbear Fiber Arts because they were having their bi-annual cleaning sale. They had some great deals (flat feet 50% off!) there and yes I bought stuff. I got some Flat Feet sock yarn, a new 1.2 oz. spindle (about 10" long), and some more roving. I love the person who dyes this roving. This is the third roving dyed by them that I have bought from Threadbear. :) I'm wondering if it's a local dyer....I should ask on Ravelry. And I did look at The Yarn Pirate's sale as well but I think I'm saving to buy some of the roving that goes online tomorrow at Sunshine Yarns. Some really pretty ones in the newsletter she went out!

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Oh and today I used my 10% off coupon at The Dizzy Sheep to get some Mission Falls 1824 cotton yarn. I loved the little dress pattern they show at the bottom and thought it would be super cute for my nieces! I got enough to make two dresses in the colors Jade and Sky.

Knitting news - I wound my yarn from my SP13 spoiler into balls to get the socks started. I am starting to wonder about the mohair in it and if when I two-strand knit with the two colors if that will make the socks even warmer. These might end up being my around the house socks if that is the case. We keep out heat low in the winter to cut down on the bill so I am always bundled up since I am always cold. Go figure I live in Michigan! lol I haven't cast anything on yet. I am debating starting my roving I posted the other day on my new spindle instead of knitting right now. But with my table being in the car for cookie booths I have no place to prep the roving and keep it right now. Boo. :(

Swaps - waiting on my reveal box for SP13. My pal is in the process of packing up their house to sell it - so I understand the delay. I am also in limbo on my Princess Bride swap for the Odd Ducks group on Ravelry. I just patiently check my mailbox daily in hopes that I'll have either package soon. I signed up for another Odd Ducks swap - the 80s & 90s Nickelodeon shows swap. this should be fun!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

COOOOOOOOOKKKIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

That of course was said in my best cookie monster voice as I typed it. :) It's that time of year when my house starts to fill with girl scout cookie boxes that need to be delivered to family. And right now I only have one kids order in my house, well in my car really but you get my drift. Extra crap in an already small house is not fun. Good thing I am planning a trip tomorrow to deliver the cookies.

This will be the second of three trips to Lansing this week alone. Tuesday was my friend's father's funeral. I may not have seen her in about a year but I felt this was a trip that needed to be made to be there for her and her hubby. Tomorrow to deliver cookies. And then Saturday to run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to visit everyone. Namely hubby's grandma who was just moved into a nursing home, then his parents because they miss us, and at some point my bff's from high school Em and Josh. But tomorrow will not only be cookie delivery but a trip to Threadbear - they are having a their bi-annual clearance sale that starts today. YAY 50% off Harry Potter sock yarns!

Knitting news - I bought some Sunshine Yarns Twist sock yarn a week ago in Butterbeer and Cornish Pixies - both Harry Potter colors. I also got the Harry Potter mini skein set in Twist. So pretty! I am getting my The Unique Sheep yarn into balls to start the pattern from my secret pal from SP13. I can't wait to see how they colors look knit together. So that is what I am casting on next. And then I am finally gonna finish the scarves on my needles. Really I am. I swear it this time... >.>