One Last Thing...in 2006

Ok...more than one.
Introducing, Ms. Muffin...a gift from an elderly antiques-dealer friend who knows I love cat-ANYthing...(she's a vintage fabric toy)

And sitting on her head (a la Wendy's bear is another toe-up sock (yup, Wendy's generic pattern, too). This is the Fairgrounds colorway of Socks That Rock that Becky sent me as a prize from a blog contest earlier in the year. I'm soooo glad that we are exempting sock yarn from the Knit From Your Stash plans for 2007 because more of this yarn is definitely on my list.

And yes, those are KNITPICKS dpns! May I say - I LOVE THEM! Will have to consider this set...at least the smallest circs and maybe another set of size 1 dpns...(in case I decide to put two pair of socks OTN...! lolol!

Shhh...these are a secret! For my Sockret Pal...But by the time she connects (if she does) my socks to my blog, the REVEAL will have occured as these will be in the last box from me!

NOW... I'm listening to Michael Buble on the CD player and enjoying an evening of KNITTING! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(((hugs)))

Ring Out the Auld!

I do have a few plans for this upcoming year:

First, of course, is finishing up my Catharina Faroese-Style Shawl (will it EVER end? but how I love this knit!) and my Feather & Fan CTH 2nd sock. And I have to get going on a pair of socks for my Sockret Pal, too. And start Hidcote (don't forget to join our KAL! Button in the sidebar will take you to the site). I also want to start Wing o' the Moth in The Meezer yarn. And there are so many yummy patterns in Victorian Lace Today that at least one of them will make it to my needles! I've joined the KAL over there in the sidebar ----->.

But. The one thing that is near to my heart this year is scaling back a bit. And so, I'm joining along with Wendy to use up a bit of the overabundance I have...so I'll be Knitting from Stash as much as humanly possible. The last "exception" on their list is spinning fiber, and since I don't spin or dye, I'll make an exception for one lovely and amazing "steal" of a bargain (should I find it) in a cashmere laceweight. Otherwise, all her rules will apply. This is through September. Oh. And I'm going to also participate in the Holiday Headstart KAL which will be getting up and running soon...Maybe I'll have a few handmade creations for Xmas next year!

Nana Sadie Rose has at least a couple new designs that will get off the drawing board and into production this spring, and I'd like to add another cat show or two as well...

Otherwise, I hope to lose some of the weight I've picked up through stress eating in 2006, get a bit more exercise on the Health Rider and relax with yoga more frequently. A BIG change in the health department is to switch from carrying my Mera design purse and go to the smaller Kerri size. I think my back, neck and shoulders will appreciate it. (And do I really NEED to carry everything but the kitchen sink?) Well, of course not...

And I hope to improve friendships, especially with these gals below:

The aging Calico Curmudgeon and Blonde Bombshell (who is not happy that her cohort in crime has taken over her special nest Mommie made for her...)
And of course The Meezer...

Did you say something about a BALL DROPPING? I don't like sudden noises...

She's got that blasted flash out again...and I do hate the light in my eyes.

Yes, it's my tearstrip...I won't lose it...I love it...

My New Year's wish for you is lots of fun-filled tearstrip-chasing! See you in 2007!...The Meezer.

2006 Knitting & Blogging in Review

What a year this has been! Knitting on the Internet just gets more interesting by the day...

I began thinking I'd never participate in another Secret Pal-type exchange - I'd done one, and while I was treated well by the person who got me to spoil, my spoilee was, well to put it nicely, a tad ungrateful. It colored the entire experience and I thought I wouldn't participate again. (If there's one thing that makes me crazy these days, it's the lack of consideration people have for others...)

I then did a couple of exchanges (Coffee, Tea, Chocolate! just a few of my favorite things...) and the results were more positive. I got up my nerve and did...Sockret Pal (all these links are over in my sidebar, for more info). I have been having so much fun spoiling my pal (but I've got to get cracking on knitting that pair of socks!). And then, my pal who was to spoil me, seemed to be non-existent. I heard from her once, at the very beginning. Several chances were given by the "Moms-in-Charge." And today, an angel was called in. I've already heard from her, and I feel a lot better. My deepest thanks go to the Moms, and to my angel.

In blogdom, I've watched a lot of my favorite bloggers abandon Blogger for other services. I, on the other hand, am hanging in a bit longer. Part of the reason is cost. And part of it is understandability. I don't have a lot of time to start a new blogging learning curve. I'd much rather spend those minutes I have free sitting with my knitting. Better the devil you know...

So I'll be here for now.

But how have I grown as a knitter this year? Socks. Lace. Both of which were on my list of "plans" for 2006. I learned to knit toe up socks and I will NEVER stop! I love wearing them. And my lace skills have developed exponentially over last year. So while there is still one UFO from 2005 OTN (see the sidebar listing over there ---->) and a few from 2006, I've managed to complete a lot of things (there's a sidebar listing of 2006 completed items, too!). I'm embarassed to say that my DGS#3's baby blanket is still OTN. He's four months old now. (sigh) The older two boys don't have theirs yet either.

As usual, I have a lot of things on my plate - many, many KAL's and Yahoo groups I'm either participating in or trying to manage (or co-manage). I'll eventually finish up the FO's. And I cannot thank you all for visiting me here, and at Nana Sadie's Place all year...

Tomorrow, I'll post about my plans for 2007. Will I scale back? Is my name Knitnana? And can you imagine Knitnana without too many irons in the fire? I may have the best of intentions, but my basic nature is to try to do it all...even while I know that's not possible...

One thing (totally off-topic) that I want to acknowledge tonight: the late President Gerald Ford was a man I admired. I don't usually blog about anything political, and tonight won't be any different. But President Ford had an incredible sense of integrity, a basic decency. He was a man of honor.

We could use a lot more like him in this country. I'm so glad he lived a long and blessed life. May he rest in peace. And I will be saying a prayer for comfort to his family in their grief.

Warm Heads...

There will be two warm little boy heads this winter...DGS1 & DGS2! (DGS3 got a nice pack of 3 ready-made baby hats this Christmas...He'll inherit the crayon colored hats I made for his older brothers last Christmas...These two go with the older boys' coats, I'm told. Two more for Cover Your Head KAL!

Outted! :)

Oh my. Well, Margene researched and found us! We've been outted!

Birdsong and I have been working for the past couple of weeks on this project, completely quietly...in conjunction with someone very special...

Go here to see what I'm talking about.

And if you'd like to join, then email me! (Email addy is in the sidebar over there
----->
We'll add you...to the Hidcote Garden Shawl KAL for 2007! There'll be a contest, prizes, and for those of you, like me, who don't knit speedily, just a lot of companionship as we knit Mim's most glorious creation yet (ok...that's my humble opinion, for what it's worth, I don't think there's been an official vote on the issues - ALL of Mim's work is gorgeous!).

Come along and join the fun! (This, by the way, just accents Margene's Laceuary which is an unofficial KAL (it's a "state of mind" I believe she says, which I just LOVE the thought of!).

Cover Your Head KAL

Well, you know me. I can't say no! Not when it comes to a KAL...especially one as fun and easy as this one...Cover Your Head (also known as the Hatalong KAL). The former KAL Mom needed to step down (tho' she's remaining as a member!) and I agreed (with pal Jane) to try to take the reins...

So if you want to knit hats, please come along with us? And if you're already a member of the KAL, visit us over there, and drop a comment or two about how you'd like to see the KAL in the coming New Year? Contests? Awards? Charities?

Let's make this one fun!
(((hugs)))

2006 Year In Review & Wishlist 2007

What is your absolute favorite project you've ever knit (one that fulfilled both process and product)?
The Highland Triangle Shawl from Folk Shawls
Which of your handknits do you wear the most often?
The Highland Triangle Shawl
What was your favorite gift to knit?
Gee that’s a toss-up between two things: the Seaman’s Hats I’m knitting for my grandsons birthdays…easy peasy and fun to knit, and my Big Sis’s Catharina Faroese-Style Shawl that is taking forever. The pattern is wonderful, but because the shawl gets larger and larger as you knit, I’m feeling as if I’ll never finish! Still, it’s going to be one gorgeous gift and perfect for my Big Sis!
Which of your handknits are gathering dust your closet?
My red cotton Aibhlinn. Because it’s for in-between temperatures, to be worn with my denim jacket, the times I remember to wear it are slim. By the time I get outside and realize that it would have been nice to put it on, I’m quite a way from my closet…
I love it, tho’.
Which of your handknits have you gotten rid of?
My very first afghans (which were never completed) because they were made of scratchy awful acrylic.
If you've knit socks, what is your favorite pattern?
Probably Wendy’s generic toe-up pattern…I’ve only knit 3.5 pair of socks, and while I liked making all of them, that one was terrific. I didn’t have to “think” about it. Just knit….
What would you like to make in 2007?
I’ll be making Wing o’ the Moth and Hidcote shawls, trying to finish up Diamond Fantasy Shawl and more hats and socks!!!
What have you learned about your craft in 2006?
Socks! That was my goal for the year, to learn to knit socks, and I did! Oh, and that I do indeed need a subscription to IK – and I got it!
What events/sites have you particularly enjoyed in the blogosphere in 2006?
Love Yarn Harlot, and Wendy, and of course, Mason Dixon Knitting, but Birdsong is a favorite as are Chris, and Christie, and Chris (yup two different ones), Deb, Dave, and Margene! I really enjoyed Trekking KAL, and Norovember (both of which I was successful at, and I had so much fun with Amazing Lace, even if I didn’t complete it. I met a BUNCH of knit bloggers that way – so many, many talented folks, the list is just too long to show, but they're all on my blogroll!

Knitting Wish List for 2007:

Ebony & rosewood dpns and circulars in small sizes…
Zephyr laceweight in bottle green & chanel - enough to make a couple of laceweight triangle shawls…

And a ton of reference books – the Vogue Stitchionarys, Volumes 2-4 of Barbara Walker’s Treasuries, and Nicky Epstein’s books – yes, all of them, and The Opinionated Knitter…I have none of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s books…

Oh…and some Fleece Artist merino sock yarn!
That’s a good start!

Twas the Day After Christmas and All Thru the Mall..

Everybody was scurrying to spend it all...

No silly - their gift cards...lol! (ok, I never claimed to be a poet...)

However, I did visit the stores today (not actually IN the mall) and picked up the most important things on my wish list ...

I'm drooling over the shawls in Victorian Lace Today, they will have to go on the back burner as I'm overwhelmed with plans for lace shawls already, but I wanted this book for the eye candy alone. Then, yes, that's Michael Buble...I'm listening now. That voice is so mellow, so smooth, it takes me right back to that phenominal concert in August!

And on the bottom? Well, that's my Red Scarf. I had to dash out hoping to find the same dyelot of the Lion Thick & Quick in Cranberry...and I didn't. I was lacking 5 inches to finish this mistake rib scarf...(sigh) I picked up 2 skeins of charcoal and picked up and gartered 3 inches on either side to make it long enough. I hope it's sufficient. Dear Son-In-Law got one of these scarves (all garter knit longwise)...I should have stopped his a few inches shorter! Mind you, I forgot to get a photo of it, but DD is supposed to send one...

Otherwise today, I exchanged the Palm Z22 I bought for myself mid-month for one that works (I hope!). It died deader-than-a-doornail 20 minutes after I started using it. The new one is still functioning...so I have high hopes of becoming a bonafide member of the electronic age. My Day Runner (of years and years) weighs 3 pounds. The Palm is just 3 ozs. Somehow there's just not a comparison!

Hope you got everything you wished for, but if not...make haste to the mall!
(((hugs)))

Best DD in the Whole World!

I have the best daughter in the world, you know?

She tries harder than most children of my acquaintance to buy something for my addiction. She desperately wants, not just to please her mother, but to bowl her over. (Which I do wish she'd stop...I'm too old to be bowled over!) I really think a lot of kids try to do something nice, and especially something that is "modern." To think, my daughter takes to my idea of fostering a past-time that is from another age...?

Unfortunately, she is not a knitter, so tho' she had an LYS to help, somehow there was a disconnect - which makes me wonder even more about LYS staff. I am the proud owner of three of the most scrumptious yarns: Wildfoote sock in Elderberry and Tom Cat and Misti Alpaca Sport in color 2013. They're delightful. I'm in love. The Misti Alpaca is stunningly soft and warm. The colors and feel of the Wildfoote are perfect for me. (I'm told eldest DGS picked out the Elderberry - THAT's MY BOY!!!) :)

Why, do you ask, am I concerned about the staff of the LYS? Well, she told them (clearly) that I was a sock knitter. They told her one skein of each would be enough. My feet are a tad bit bigger than a child's. I need about 300-350 yards to make ankle socks.
(sigh)

You don't suppose the LYS did this deliberately? To ensure another sale?

She's going back tomorrow in the hopes they have the colorways in the same dyelots. She thinks the Misti Alpaca was the only skein available. I'm in search of either a couple more skeins (there's only 146 yards in a skein) in that color# and dyelot 1 (I think, it's not the easiest to read), OR perhaps a skein of the gray that would blend with this. I could make a hat from it with a stripe or two of this lovely tweedy yarn.

AND THEN....let me tell you - this daughter of mine created lovely little stitch markers. Except she's not a knitter! LOL. Below I show a photo of them...there are about 10 of each. The large ones she intended for lace work. That's a size 15 needle it's on (*wink*) and next to it are the "sock stitch markers" on one of my size 1 sock needles. See the little leaves? I think they're so delicate...They'll work very nicely on my size 7s to 10s. But they do seem to swallow my sock needles!!!


AREN'T they lovely? The pearls will be adorning my Christmas tree (she also made pretty beaded ornaments). They fit the little one (see below a couple of posts down) perfectly.

She's pretty talented herself. I'm hoping she'll really take to crochet! Yup. I contributed to the "delinquency"...and bought her Debbie's crochet guide and sent her my copy of Debbie's SnB for good measure (she says she wants to learn to knit!). And some crochet hooks (those were for her birthday). Then for some reason my little paralegal wanted a Sadie Bag to carry her laptop and stuff in for work...(and maybe a little crochet project, too, my dear?)

(best of all, she sent photos of the boys...)
I'm blessed!

Merry Christmas!

The Meezer and I are wishing each and every one of our readers a very Peaceful Merry Christmas full of wondrous gifts of the heart and spirit...

Santa came early? I wonder what he brought me? That's a big bag...maybe a flock of flying catnip mice? The Meezer.

Totally Off-Topic...

But relevant if you've been following my saga with the smoking downstairs neighbor!

I'm going to have to move as soon as I can get my act together. Which won't be for another month, and possibly more, but I've got to get working on clearing out clutter and divesting myself of "stuff." Which brings us to my off-topic TOPIC!

Are you a sewist? Interested in a serger? I have one of these with the 7 feet, a video to learn to use it, and the workbook, too. In addition, I have lots of cones (at least 50) of a huge variety of colors in serger thread, most never opened, which I'll toss into the mix. The serger works beautifully. I've used it exactly twice. Someone said, "it'll make the work you do on your bags so much easier." Ummm. No. It doesn't relate to the type of sewing I do. Hard to explain that. But sergers (if you don't know) sew beautiful overlocked seams, trimming the edge as it goes. That's great if you're making clothes. Especially if you're using stretchy fabrics. I don't make clothes, and I don't use stretchy fabrics. And I use flat-felled seams, not overlocked, just to get technical and all that! :)

So...the serger, while a wonderful addition to most people's sewing rooms, is pretty much a dinosaur in mine.

(Yes, I have a tendency to leap before I look...but, if you need a good workhorse serger, then you'll be able to benefit from my impetuousness!)

If you're interested, email me at siameezercat AT gmail DOT com. If you live a long way from Roanoke VA, we'll have to talk shipping, too. I have the original box that it came to me in, so I can pack it just as well as the original shipper did.

Oh...and here's a photo of it, with my sewing and knitting supervisor checking it out right after it arrived...it looks just the same today (so does The Meezer!). I wish that corner of my sewing room were as neat as that still, tho'!

You do WHAT with this?...The Meezer

T'was the Week Before Xmas...

Tuesday I was able to ship off the last of the pre-Christmas orders for Nana Sadie Rose and most of my own out-of-state gift boxes...So I was finally in a place to sit down and knit...below you can see a few of the gifts I've put out this week -

Wendy's Mistake Rib scarf,
Needle Beetle's Seaman's Cap in navy (there's a second one in tan OTN there (these two caps are actually for gifting in January, not Xmas gifts, but gifts nonetheless!), and three Grandmother's Favorite dishcloths.

So you can see I've been knitting a lot.

The girls are getting a little bit upset with me...I'm not spending enough time with them.

What? No flash? I'm not sure I trust that.
All I want for Christmas is my Mommie at the end of my tearstrip for a serious game.
The Meezer

Does the Blonde Bombshell look a bit peaked to you? She's not been feeling the best...

I'll be putting together an end-of-year post this weekend, when I have a moment or two to think clearly. My Christmas will be quiet so if you're around and online, shoot me an email?

I'll Admit It...

Jane has been after me - she and I correspond daily - to post a certain photo. I've been reluctant to admit to this...but everyone knows I qualified for full-fledged membership in this club last July, so I finally decided I'd come clean...Ok. I admit it. I'm a Red Hatter.

My SIL and I joined in November and have had a blast both times our group, the Ravishing Reds, have met since then. Another good friend, and fellow knitting pal, Rae, invited us to join this particular chapter of the The Red Hat Society. SIL and I had fun putting together our hats...and Jane wanted to see one specific thing I'd told her about...

...the Whimsiclay cat pin, Teresa, that I added to my hat.

Now I know, not everyone is in favor of the Red Hat Society. But I've spent my life doing for everyone and everything else - family, job, businesses, friends, students, church and charities...you name it, I've "done" for others...and now, for one night a month, I get dressed up in two of my favorite colors (red and purple) and spangles and fluff and go out to dinner. Just for fun.

I think I deserve it! (Especially now that I'm "of a certain age...")

Six Weird Things Meme

Christmas knitting continues and can't be shown (and I just realized I wrapped and mailed one thing that I forgot to photo! RATS!) so ...Someone finally got me with this 6 weird things meme, and it's a slow morning so here goes:
1. I collect Whimsiclay Cat Pins. Oh heaven, there's a Christmas one that I must have missed - black kitty with Christmas lights around her neck. I am obsessed with finding her, I think she's retired and I don't know her name...There's a Sparkie who's in the same pose and is a white kitty, but I don't have the black one (a tuxedo cat, if I'm remembering correctly). But I'm wearing my Peppermint right now! They are starting to take over my jewelry chest.
edited to add: this is my favorite vendor for Whimsiclay, Cat's A Purrin'
2. I'm scrupulously organized in my day-job work environment, but paper is overwhelming me in my home office. What IS it about that?
3. I'm ultra sensitive to odors and fragrances. Natural scents (like lavender and rose) I can tolerate (except musk) but everything else sends me into a tail-spin of migraine and sinus infection.
4. I'm never going to make the classification of "advanced knitter" because I have no desire to knit a sweater. I don't wear sweaters all that much ("is it hot in here?") but lace shawls are another thing...
5. In spite of my current "big girl" size, I used to be a ballerina. I studied ballet for 22 years. My toes still turn out when I walk.
6. I remain loyal long after it's healthy or wise for me to do so. It's either one of my strongest points, or one of my worst failings, depending on what we're talking about. I still take my shoes to the same shoe shop for repair, and my hair stylist is still the woman who was my first boss when I worked in an upscale salon as a senior in high school. Those are good things. But I hang on to bad relationships, outgrown and dated clothing, and other habits long after it's smart.

Ok. Anyone who wishes can do this - I won't tag you specifically!

Apropos!

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Interesting...I'd say my caffeine addiction is a bit higher than "low" but it's not what it once was. And I adore Frappacino. But my favorite is Soy Mocha Latte (with Hazelnut flavoring) ICED.
:)
So I guess this isn't too far off the mark.
(((hugs)))

Oh MY!

I got to the Post Office tonight to check my box and there was a little yellow slip inside saying something "too large for the box" was waiting for me...Could NOT believe that I had only one person in line ahead of me, and the box that was brought to me...well, it was HUGE! Inside? This lovely gift basket from Laura (whom I think is still blogless, but if not, let me know, okay, Laura?)
This is too amazing...from our Knitters' Coffee Swap a stunning (and very large) beautiful basket full of Starbucks and Millstone coffees (my favorite Hazelnut Cream is there), a PURPLE (yup, my favorite color) Starbucks WISH coffee mug, a gorgeous box of Dilettante Dark Chocolates and their Semi-sweet chocolate with amaretto Truffle Topping, and...ta da..Adrienne Vittadini Nadia Alpaca/Wool yarn (3 skeins!) in COCOA!!! I'm just so spoiled! Laura, I hope you are at least as pleased with the package I sent you as I am with what you sent me! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Yesterday, we celebrated our annual Christmas Party with our clients (at work). The party is always held at the same church. They have a fundraiser of items handcrafted from around the world. I was looking at a little Christmas tree decorated with delightful ornaments and discovered these two little guys. They are handknitted on the teensiest needles...How on earth could I resist? In an age when I've learned that I'm not allergic to wool. In fact, can even wear superwash wool socks? *gasp!*

Now I know that normally I collect cat things. I would never have told you that sheep/lambkins were going to be on my list of things to collect. But I could NOT resist these guys. (I think, quite frankly, that I'm probably the the alter ego of the little black sheep - lolol!)

In Spite of Myself...

I've been feeling way too stressed, and entirely NOT in the mood. Everytime I said, "Not gonna do it..." I was chastised by first one then another family member or friend...So...tonight, after the last of the bag orders was complete (still have one more needle case to make, but the bags were the most pressing) I pulled out the fixings and created this for my front door:

And because I simply am unsure if I'll still be in this apartment thru the holiday, I refused to put up the 4-foot prelit tree from last year (see my December 2005 entries for a photo) and instead did this:

I've had this little tyke since my sojourn in Washington DC in 1999-2000 when the high cost of rent had me in the tiniest apartment I've ever lived in. My then 7-foot Christmas tree was given to my daughter, as I felt I'd never again use a large tree...and this was what I bought. Only 1.5 feet high, this little tabletop tree is graced with crystal (yes, Swarovsky!) snowflakes, my mother's favorite crystal bird ornament, and little white flecked balls and white lights. A crystal Moravian star graces the top. Sitting to the right is a little Santa's sleigh my father made before I was born, and Rodney Reindeer, a Burger King toy from the early 1980s which my daughter gave me for Christmas - she was just a baby herself! Now she has 3 babies of her own...How time flies?!?

I've always loved the concept of a White Christmas. I guess you can't tell that, huh? But I am truly ready for a very compact Christmas!

Shhhh....It's a Surprise!

Nope. Not going to show you, just going to tell you. 'Cause I think she reads my blog, but I'm not sure...I just bought a single skein of Alpaca Silk in colorway Ice (113) to make a Gaiter from Interweave Knits Holiday issue this year. I'm purposely not saying who it's for, but it's NOT a Christmas present, so I have a little bit of time. The color spoke to me tho' and the yarn is too scrumptious...soooo soft! While this yarn isn't cheap, one skein is all that's necessary for this project so it's affordable, and the Gaiter works up to 6.75 inches wide, not a LOT of knitting to do, but it's Brioche stitch, which is new to me. I stopped at my LYS today. It's not something I usually do (temptation is WAY too much in that store, and I can't always guarantee that the customer service will be acceptable, tho' today's was EXCELLENT!), but I like that they carry my Plymouth Bamboo needles, and I needed both 6 and 7 size 16-inch circulars and size 7 dpns to make the Seaman's Caps for my grandsons...(also not for Christmas 'cause with everything else, I don't think there's enough time...)

Promise: I'll show you the Gaiter when it's done. Oh. And the caps, too, I suppose! Now I'm off to sew...

RVSpinKnit Christmas Party!

And a fun time was had by all....laughing, knitting...

spinning, talking, eating....
(hint hint: There are at least 3 bloggers in the photos above...and I'm not in either shot! Can you guess who?)

And Dirty Santa...Here's my gift for the night...I don't know why someone didn't want to fight me over it...

Doesn't anyone save pennies towards SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) and SEX (Stash Enhancement eXpedition) anymore? I know I do...
I sense Yarn Porn forthcoming...in the new year!
ROFLOL!

In the Interest of Scientific Study...

I will succumb to the requests and post this and ping here to see how fast a meme courses round the blogosphere...

Between Birdsong and Margene I finally felt I was being contrary not to post and ping about this...

So...just do it!
(((hugs)))

Thanks Robin! What Tarot Card Are You?

Truly amazing, because not only do I completely agree with this, I have THIS tarot card set (DD gave it to me for Xmas a few years ago) and I use it religiously!
lolol ... edited at 10 p.m. - Well, you know, I agree EXCEPT for the term "dissipation" which means wasteful. I don't think I'm that! Unless it's a reference to the phrase about Demeter who laid waste to the land till Persephone was returned from the underworld each spring? That must be it!
Thank you Robin! See you tomorrow at RVSpinKnit group!

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Booga Bag...Why Felt? Don't Ask ME for a Reason...

My second time at the washing machine, trying to learn this craft - could it be that my 30 year old machine just isn't up to the job?
Here you see my Booga Bag in it's pre-felt state (the bottom of which you may remember is NOT Big Kureyon but Lamb's Pride Bulky). I love the look un-felted:

Well, the two yarns felted pretty well together, in spite of ominous warnings that they might felt at different rates. This is 4 times thru the wash, using boiling water the last 3 times, too, and it just doesn't look all that felted to me. Whatcha think?

Begun: 11/1/06
Completed: 11/26/06 (the knitting a least)
Yarn: Noro Big Kureyon (01) and Lamb's Pride Bulky (Aubergine)
Needles: size 10.5 Denise circulars

I'm not sure why, but I guess I just realized that the original pattern for the Booga Bag does NOT call for Big Kureyon, but regular Kureyon. Hmmmm...Maybe my many commenters are correct - I should have used a bigger needle! (sigh) Live and learn...

But if I do decide to make anything else using this process, I'll be sure to check out Chris' new pattern Kureyon-Chan for sure. You'll want to check it out, too, as it's just too cute!

December is a Time for Gifts...

It's only the 2nd day of the month, and I'm wiped out from shopping already! Just last night and some today, but whew! Mobs of people (I sure hope retail is doing well, dontcha know?), lots of interesting things...I managed to finish shopping for my Coffee Swap Pal who hasn't gotten her blog up and running yet, I don't think, and then picked up a few gifties for family as I was at it. I also am thinking of my Sockret Pal, too. So it's been a busy day. I have been cutting and pinning and sewing as well on Nana Sadie Rose orders for Christmas, too...after all, I'm in retail, too! lolol

But when I stopped at the post office today here was a package from Nyxxie too! I can't show you everything, as some is Christmas and the giftees read my blog, so I'll just show you the treat I gave myself:

Remember the bracelet that Lindsay made me with butterflies and pink, lavender, and ribbons? For my special causes? Well, Nyxxie made these to coordinate with it!

(I don't wear a lot of silver, so it's really nice to have these from two such talented ladies...be sure you check them both out for your holiday shopping, okay?)
Ok...Back to work!
(((hugs)))