Deb on the Web

Just a quickie

...to say yep I'm still moving around.  This has been a long work week.  The husband is going to be fine, but he's been feeling pourly this week.  So I'm doing both our jobs.  It has been fun to work at Gino's in the evening.  I miss both customers and employees.  And if I was 15 yr younger the idea of playing in the Nostrana kitchen by day and the Gino's floor by night would be very appealing.  Today however, I feel very old!
On the needles--it's all about lace here baby!  Campanula for the cure have been started.  As have the darling lace anklets from the Rockin Sock club. Still plugging away on the MS3 stole.  I knew I would lose my momentum once the group finished.  I wish I had been able to meetup with the local knitters last weekend.  I think it would have pushed me to the final chart. 
Anyhoo, what are you all doing for the long weekend?  We are heading up to the mountains on Sat after work and won't be back until work Tuesday am.  It is a lovely thing that driving up towards Mt Hood only takes an hour from Portland.  There will be knitting, some facial mask making and a few walks in the meadow.

Creative day and post office day

As painful and exhausting as Saturday was Sunday was the balance of creativity.  Maybe I just needed to shed some tears to let the creativity out.
The day time was family time and therefore knitting time.  I forgot the camera to get some photos of my niece's 8yr family party.  It was nice and mellow and great conversations about books, art and a bit of fixing computers (my BIL is a software designer--he has visited all our computers at least once).
I had planned on meeting up with the local MS3 ladies, but I just didn't get home in time.  I was sad about that but my creative urge really took over in the evening and I decorated these spindles I cut out pics from old knit catalogs sitting about and had fun with decoupage.  I have collaged in years.  I added a bit of gold paint as I had Rumpelstiltskin in my head too;)
this is it for the photo taking yesterday, but I also made a couple sets of stitch markers, finished plying some more yarn and assembled 10 packages that went to the post today.  Yes I did spend most of this afternoon with all of this.  And when all was said and done I had one card that was outside its sealed box and one box without its address (at home of course) and I couldn't find my pen after I finished addressing labels...you may find it if you are expecting something from me.
Tonight I am pooped.  I am going to look for a pattern for some beautiful natural dyed alpaca I picked up at AYD today (their brand) and work on my Rockin Sock club sock.

Busy, but with what?

I really don't know.  I have been going and going this week.  But I don't feel like I have accomplished a whole lot.
Here is Sunday to Sunday
Sunday: the 5K walk, knitting, spinning, blogging, dinner with friends
Monday: spinning, Ikea with friends which became the rest of day and night
Tuesday: work, knitting at Twisted with Duffy and Aimee
Wednesday: work, house cleaning, great mail!
Thursday: work, dinner at Gino's with friends, more mail!
Friday: work and then some work, again with the mail!
Saturday: baking, funeral and reception for my oldest friend's mom (a very hard day), and a bit of mail:)
Sunday: spinning, shopping for work, niece's birthday party...and who knows

I have finished plying the July Spunky Club "Celebration"
I am now plying some yarn to send to someone in trade for some fiber.
I am also collaging two spindles that I'd like to get into tomorrow's mail.
I cast on last night for the August Rockin Sock club socks (one of those mail days packages). I don't want to show photos here until a few more get their packages.
I have about six packages I'll be taking to the post tomorrow so I have to get them all ready.  My current schedule doesn't let me out of the building during business hours except for Mondays (and last Monday I was kidnapped;) ).

Plans for this next week?  Well there will be work!  And probably the Tuesday knitting and who knows about the rest.  I doubt I'll be quite as lucky with the mail, but I am looking for a couple more packages;)
And what was in the packages I didn't blog about:
Lucky Lurkers sock club welcome package This is such a creative idea.  The first yarn won't arrive until September so she is keeping us anticipating the club with this welcome gift of an accessories bag from woody creations, a measuring tape (I've started a collection lately), a kitchner stitch cheat sheet, a business card magnet, yarn scraps for holding places and her standard sock pattern in a plastic sleeve.
Rockin Sock Club package
C*eye*ber fiber order (Brother Amos-brimstone for a "Cast-on" KAL and Team Knitty sock yarn for a "Campanula for the Cure" KAL )Each of these  purchases donated a portion of theri profit to the  Cast on website and the Team Knitty  site (respectively).
Spunky Eclectic fiber of the month for August I don't have a plan for this yet.

Three packages in one day was fabulous!  But getting one package a day makes my week so incredibly happy:)  I know this stems from Summers in Alaska while I was in college.  I missed my friends so much.  I would be waiting for the mail plane daily--and it came twice a day.  I have been addicted to mail ever since.

What a great mail day!

I came home from a pathetic work day (I burned more projects than not).  I am not looking forward to repeating today's day tomorrow...
But I found this waiting for me Blue Moon, England and Singapore!  And that is the order opened-- I was all a flutter thinking it was my Sock club package.  I forgot I ordered the Cat Bordhi book since I couldn't make the talk she gave her in town.  And the "Ruby Slippers"?  It has been calling for a While!
This is a swap from Swapbot--sock yarn and a pattern. I forget to check up on Magknits so I hadn't seen this pattern and I love the corresponding purple (from the stash) to go with the Regia blues.  Thank you so much Alison:)  Oh yea, bellllgian chocolate. mmmmmm  I am looking forward to eating this as I read the pattern;)
And then we have Singapore!  My dear (past secret pal) Chrissie had my name in two swapbot swaps.  Both the swap I am hosting Summer Fiber Swap and the one she is hosting Hand-made spindle swap.  She really out did herself--Fiber is reddish cashmere, multi-silk noils and a muted domestic wool top.  Oh yes they do need to be mixed together in a future project (when I get that dreamed about drum carder).  The spindle is a 1oz little guy made from polymer clay. Great design!  And it's fun that it is totally different from my ideas that I'll be sending to my pals.  Also in the package a set of chopstick rests shaped like dragons in white porcelain and a set of Chinese tea accessories made from water buffalo horn.  Very cool!  I love it all Chrissie:) 

And what is on the needles--this baby blanket for a Nostrana baby coming in October It is so hard to photograph Enterlac at this stage I hope you can get an idea from the book.  This from Debbie Bliss "Baby Cashmerino" and that is what I am using to knit this blankie.   I'm sure the baby will enjoy it as much as I do.

CFFA Guts and Glory 5k 2007--the final chapter

The Guts and Glory 5K was this morning and it was a great success!  A record 491 people turned out to walk and run.  With a donation count of $48,000 at race time.  This may seem very small compared to other fund raisers, but this is a disease that is in it's fund raising infancy--growing every year.
Here is cousin Pam that I do this all for She is one of the local organizers of this event.  Here are a few more photos of our route, the band and over all group pics.  Oh first here is a photo of my mom and sis that also walked with us

And as I said yesterday I picked two final winners from the hat as I did reach the $500 mark (Thank you so much everyone that donated!!).  Jane and Debby come on down!  Go to this prize page and let me know what I'll be sending you.  As an extra treat I picked up two water bottles at the race this morning for the final winners.  Not much of a "Grand Prize" but hey you'll always know where they came from:)

Where has this week gone?

Work swamped me.  Knitting engaged me.  Crewel has captivated me.  Friends stole me.   Yep, that about sums up the week.

{Some things deleted here as per husband's request}

Other things I did this week (besides the cooking part)--working on the Mystery Shawl still.  Yesterday the final clue was unveiled, but I am still a couple weeks behind.   HP and Sockapaloosa put me there, but I'm not complaining.  This has been a great Summer's worth of projects.  Here are a couple of MS3 photos This is the end of clue 4 and of the symmetrical portion of the shawl.  Now the last 3 clues add a wing to the Swan shawl This is half of clue 5.  I still can't see how it will sit across my shoulders, but I love knitting a mystery!

Last Sunday I took a Crewel class at Twisted.  As I was the only person that signed up for the class I was pretty excited to get one on one help and have a great time getting to know the owners.  They sell (and teach with) the Wool and Hoop kits.  I love her hip designs!  This is the one I'm working on from the class Twisted carries all the kits.  I will definitely be getting a few more.  I also had to order some of the beautiful crewel wool from Renaissance Dying once I realized I was hooked on stitching.  This came yesterday (5 day turn around) I love these colors!  And they were all naturally dyed.  I really wish I had a week in September to go over and take their class...dreaming and dreaming.  I foresee crewel on shirts, skirts and definitely socks.

Also doing just a teeny amount of spinning this week.  The August Spunky club offering My wrist and right hand were bothering me quite a bit this week so not as much done on any project as I would have liked.  But I have to say this colorway is turning out beautifully!  It is called "Celebration" and I am planning on Navajo plying it and then knitting a fall hat.  Not sure which pattern yet.

I did do a little reading this week.  Finished Bad Monkeys and got farther into Eat,Pray,Love.  I don't know if it was my wrist or just general antsiness that I couldn't settle down to the second book.  After a chiropractor's visit on Thursday evening everything seems to be a bit more settled down for me (he does energy work as well).  Anyway I am now loving this memoir by Elizabeth Gilbe.  I think it is just a trip out of my life I would want to take (without the divorce part though).

Oh and some cooking--It is pickling time some tasty little gherkins.  Off to work now.  I have some backberry, jam and vanilla gelato swirl to make.  Yum!! 

Tomorrow is the walk!!  I am adding my donation to complete the $500 goal.  So tomorrow afternoon I will choose two final winners from the pool.  You can still get your name in!!!  Check down to past posts for a link to the prize page:)

Fun and the creative

Saturday nights at Nostrana always have a theme.  We like to have fun to make it through a busy weekend.  This week was Doctors.  I chose to be the psychiatrist.  But we had a list of every medical doctor that each employee chose to be for the evening.  It is silly fun. 
However, this brought on all the other "funny" doctors out there.  Here is how far we got in our list through the night:

Dr. Bronner
Dr. Pepper
Dr. Brown (soda)
Dr. Ruth
Dr. Laura
Dr. Phil
Dr. Dre
Dr. J
Dr. Doolittle
Dr. Zhivago
Dr. Strangelove

I am forgetting a few here.  leave me some comments of more doctors.  It was pretty funny that every so often during the night one of the cooks would call out a random dr. name he had just thought of.  Also, when the servers weren't quickly picking up food you would hear "is there a doctor in the house".  Pretty silly I know but we loved it!

I went for the exercise instead of the knitting today.  DH really wanted to go for a bike ride, but my hand has been bothering me lately (hobby and work using the same motor skills is a problem sometimes).  I talked him into a walk so we headed accross the river and down to our favorite breakfast place--Cafe Du Berry.  Best french toast in Portland.  As nice as this was I had planned to meet Tammy and her daughter over at Mabel's today.  It is hard to fit everything in.

This evening I am taking a Crewel class at Twisted.  I'm excited to get some embroidery under my belt.  And completely be chance I ran across this site today--Renaissance Dying.  Beautiful colors of crewel wool as well as knitting yarn and embroidery thread.  All dyed using natural plants.  I've dyed and gone to heaven (get it--gotta have my daily bad joke).

One week until the Guts and Glory 5K!!  Check out the prize page and let's try to get two more drawings before next Sunday:)

They have arrived!

I found socks in the mail today!! Beeeautiful socks from my Sockapaloosa pal Michelle (for some reason I can't find Michelle's blog right now, but I'll link as soon as I find it).  I love them and they fit perfectly!  I'll be showing them off at work tonight as they will be perfect in my kitchen clogs.  The yarn is Shepherd Sport in "Red Rover" and the pattern is "Welt Fantastic" from Sensational Knitted Socks.  On top of fabulous socks Michelle also sent in (so I couldn't see her name on my site) a donation for the Guts and Glory 5K.  That is so awesome Michelle--Thank you so much!!
The pal I made socks for also donated when she read my blog--Thank you Susan!!  It means a lot to me that both of you ladies did that:)

And because they did we are at $390!  Ten dollars more and there will be another drawing:)  I also added more prizes to the kitty today.  Check out the prize page now.   Spinners and lace knitters will find some goodies as well as more sock yarn!

A finished product

I'm pretty excited to have my Sockapaloosa socks finished and in the mail.  I did worry when they were at this stage that I would be changing to the less varigated yellow/gold yarn.  But I decided to stick it out and I love the way they turned out!  and
Pattern: Bavarian Rockstar, by D-Made
Yarn: STR lightweight in Lunasea
Began: June 2007
Ended: August 2007
Also in the package was one of those fun sock knitting bags from the Knitting Ewe.  They are pretty fun.  And a sweet little stitch marker for my pal's next project.  I unfortunately didn't get photos before they flew away, but thought I'd share since she doesn't have a blog.

Just a reminder that the Guts and Glory 5K is coming up quick!  Check out the prize page.  I would love to top my $500 goal:)

MS3 meetup

I finally remembered to take some pics of the Portland ladies that are working on the Mystery Stole.  Here we are for the group photo Each time we have met (3 so far) there have been a few new ladies.  I am loving the fact that I've made new friends along with learning a new pattern.  You can see our stoles on the table.  But here is a closer look They each look so different depending on fiber, color and needle size.  I love them all!  Here are just a couple of were working hard at it photos-- It was a great day.  I had to take my Sockapaloosa socks with my as I can not talk and knit lace at the same time and I am a bit late with my socks.  Luckily my pal is on vacation.  But I would love to have them waiting when she returns!
More on that tomorrow.

There will soon be some lace weight appearing on the prize page!