To sell or not to sell.....

Tough decision!  I am thinking about selling one of my wheels, because let's face it...you can only spin on one at a time.  I have 3, so I really should let one go.  Plus, the money from the sell would go towards my drum carder.  Oh decisions!I'm leaning towards letting go of my Babe Fiber Garden.  I love it, but it make the most sense for me.  So, I will decide tonight and if I go with "yes, sell it and be done you big baby," I will post it on Ravelry.  Ugh, not good at making these decisions.

To put off trying to decide, I went to the park!The sun is out here, finally.  And the poopies needed a good hike.  We have some beautiful parks not too far from home and it was a great day to go and play in the woods....and put off making decisions :)

I love it so much....

My newest love....Offhand Design Gatsby bag :)

 It does not pay for me to be home and on Ravelry!  I buy things, things I shouldn't buy!  But oh how I love this bag....LOVE this bag.

 

Look how gorgeous she is.  The fabric is luxurious, yes it is!  I have rubbed it all weekend.  I stuffed it full of projects....5 projects to be exact.

 

Have I mentioned how much I love this bag???????  I highly recommend one!  Offhand Design bag lovers are not lying, it is awesome!  If you are on the bubble, go get it!

I was able to find mine "on sale" so to speak, meaning buying it from someone else that had loved it prior to my purchase.

Why is it such a great bag?  Roomy, gorgeous fabric, very well made, quality material....go buy one!

And while on the shopping roll (take away my credit card please!) I restocked my running skirt drawer with some new running skirts for the spring/summer season.  I don't do shorts....I do skirts.  These were drastically reduced, so why not?????  (Seriously, cut off my paypal account).

I didn't buy yarn or fiber, so I feel I have behaved :)  Now I need to go sit down and whip out one of those projects and be productive.  I am full of grilled chicken and beer bread, so I need to work....

Put me out of my misery....

I am not a good patient, which is weird, since I deal with patients everyday.  I don't like being sick....I can't just lay there and rest.  If feel like I have to be productive and get things done.  If there is laundry in the house, I will go and do it, even if every inch of my body is aching and on fire.  That is how I have felt this week....like a beaten bag of hot rocks.  So what does that mean with knitting?????  

I still want to knit, throbbing eyeballs and all...let me knit. 

much neglected Van Dyke Shawl

   

I was lying in the bed on Tuesday and pulled out my big project bag and thought I would give my Van Dyke Shawl from SAFF some much needed attention.  WRONG....too much focus for this little lady.  Back in the bag!

soon to be beret

I then gave consideration to starting my Pacific Beach Beret, but that lasted all of one hacking moment and I gave up....consumed by mucus and doggie kisses.

But never fear...I did end up finding a project to keep me from going nutso in my sudafed induced haze.  I went with a washcloth.  How joyous to make a washcloth :)  Seriously, loved it!  I made two of these little ones for a baby gift and now I am hooked.  I want to make more of them....tons of them.  Washcloths for everyone!

The plague....

The plague hit our house last Wednesday.  First there was snow and ice and all things nasty that come with those last week, but we made it to work each day.  By Wednesday night DH was getting sick.  By Friday afternoon he was reeealllyyy getting sick and my head began to pound along with his.  I was NOT going to get sick

By Saturday he was spiking fevers and miserable and I was doing everything from wrapping myself in Clorox wipes, chanting to ward off evil spirits, and swinging Bojangle's chicken legs in the air as a token to the respiratory illness spirits (I watch too many horror movies).  See....I work with sick people everyday.  I am surrounded by kids with snot running down their face, wiped on their arm, wiped on my arm....kids vomiting in trashcans beside my chair, hacking up foreign globs of green spew....I'm around sick people, but I usually don't get sick.

Well, guess what???  Got sick from my husband.  Thus, we are both home today sick.  We are both feverish, coughing, hacking until we turn red, delusional, and just plain wiped out.   (I went to work for a little while and threw in the towel.) 

I kept saying I was going to at least try and make it to the gym for a run. .  Yeah, told myself I could sweat it out.  Nope, not happening....kills me to walk to the fridge for water.  So, home on the couch with knitting.  Very therapeutic! 

Behold the 3-hour cowl from Ravelry

I was able to finish this up yesterday while laying on the couch.

I love this pattern, it was quick, it was easy and it was much better than the hat I began with this leftover yarn.  I highly recommend this cowl to you. 

Since I don't have enough projects already started, I decided to ball up this yarn I dyed in a workshop last year and cast on another beret.  I think the fever has gotten to my senses.  I really don't need another project on needles!  I am going with the Pacific Beach Beret, also found on Ravelry.  Oh yes, a fever's friend is Ravelry.  (my credit card company is loving me right now....I have been shopping)

Sloooowwww knitting these days.

I am so slow these days.  It is like my fingers are hibernating.  I am bouncing from several different knitting and spinning projects, but who doesn't????

I haven't knit but one pattern round of the feather and fan scarf this week.  Shameful!  I wish the camera did the colors justice, because they are gorgeous!

This is yarn I picked up from SAFF and is a sport weight on size 8 needles.  I think the pattern is from one of the Box of Scarves sets.  (I don't know....my mind is hibernating as well)

And for some reason I decided to cast on a hat for me with some leftover Malabrigo I found in the stash.  Why????  Now I am stressing over it....will I run out, will it work, am I reading this pattern correctly???  I don't really think I am.  I have already had to adapt it a little, because I couldn't make sense of a few of the formulations.  

The Mint Oatmeal Shaving Cream Slouch hat is confusing me and it is such a simple pattern.  What is my problem.  I am leaning towards frogging at this point.  Oh I am so discouraged today!

I will get over it :)  I got a Dizzy Sheep package in the mail.....yummy fiber to spin, so I will definitely get over it.

Slouch hat has been frogged as of this evening....just could not get it together, plus really don't think enough stash yarn.   Booooooo.  I have chosen another pattern to use with this yarn now....let us see how this goes. 

No knitting, no yarn, no wool...not even a doggie

Just a picture from last week's bellydance recital.  A fellow dancer's husband came and took pictures of us on dress rehearsal night and of course my hair was flat.

But I loved the swirl of the skirts, though you can't see all 3 layers in this shot.  I still liked the look.

Oh well, just an excuse to play dress-up with some wonderful women.  What a joy :)

Wednesday wish list...

I wish it was warm!  I am tired of ice and bitter cold and bone chilling winds....but that's just me.
So on to my current wish list of fibery goodness -

Gritty Knits (on Ravelry) has pages of things I want!

I love this pink and brown combo and I am seriously considering signing up for her fiber club....oh I shouldn't, but I want one of everything.

Then there is this adorable little book Socks Appeal.  I have so many single socks that would make cool pets.  I really need this book :)

I do love this little knitting bag with the kittens.  Project bags always come in handy for travel knitting.  It screams socks to me.

This little fiber batt from Fluff Chick is so pretty.  I can see it spun up in my head, now I just need it in my hands!

and my ultimate wish list item today is an Offhand Designs bag.  I love the Zhivago and Gatsby, but would take anyone of them ;)  I'm not picky.

My snowy spinning

With the snowy weather here and the delayed work schedule, I have been able to get a little extra spinning time in.  I am soooo happy :)  I dug out a batt I purchased in August at a destash sale.  I have no clue what this batt consists of, nor did the woman recall what it was or where it came from. 

That is okay...I love it anyway.  It is very soft with a little bit of sparkle carded into the roving.  You can't see it in the pic, but it glistens.  Fancy!

I'm normally not a fan of neon, however the limey green is spinning down into a subtle shade and I am pleased.

 I'm not so pleased with the kinks...man I have terrible kinks in it already :(

I was having a hideous noise coming from this wheel (a Spinolution Mach II) and could not make it stop....imagine nails down the chalkboard repeatedly.

Thank goodness for Ravelry and the forums.  They fixed my screech.  Well, I read suggestions and I fixed it!!

So while I was grabbing a little spinning time the rest of my house was doing this....

  They all need their faces washed before I take closeups again....shame on me.  (Sibby dog is missing from the line-up.  She was asleep in the garage)

I joined a Ravelry swap!!!

I am so excited!  I just joined my first Ravelry swap this evening.  I am now a part of The Swap Stop.  The first swap is the Have a Cuppa Swap and the deadline to join is January 14th.  Please, go join me in this little adventure!!!

It looks like so much fun....go join now!

Socks....snow and socks

 There was supposed to be buckets of snow here when I woke up this morning.  A new winter storm they said.  I woke up to about 2 inches of snow and delayed work.  That meant SOCKS!

Snow gives me another reason to pick up the Tuscany socks I am sllloooowwwwllyyyy working on.  My first toe up attempt at knitting socks.

They do resemble toes at this point and are a little roomy when I put them on my tootsies....so far so good.   I am not hating knitting socks toe up and did not really have any problems (not too bad) with the cast on, so I am pleased.

I am on Addi Turbo needles size US 1. I am using the Tuscany pattern from  Melissa Morgan-Oakes' book Toe Up 2-at-a-time sock book.  (highly recommend this book if you want to try toe up)

 

More coffee, a little puppy/kitty love and back to socks.  Oh, then a little spinning on some roving I purchased.  Off to take pics of those....lack of caffeine left me without pictures.

Something pretty...

 

My Christmas cactus is beautiful and in full bloom.  This is the view I have from my tub and I love it :)  Wouldn't that fuschia pink make a gorgeous yarn?????

And this is what I see when I look up....I just had to share, because it is the one thing I really wanted in the bathroom when we added onto the house....a little chandelier. (Okay so one of the 3 things I wanted in the bathroom) I know my husband thinks it is silly and girly (and it is), but it is beautiful to me!

Ah, the little things that bring joy!

Have a wonderful Thursday

My Wednesday wish list

A little chocolate roving from Etsy is so pretty!  It is 4 oz of Corriedale top that screams my name.

And then there is 4 oz of superwash merino known as Humboldt that is quite enticing.

And I sure wouldn't say no to a skein of Ultralight at night superwash merino yarn.  Isn't that bold?

And this is a stunning merino yarn, known as Persia.

 

And isn't this the cutest hat????  You can get the PDF tutorial for felted roses from this Etsy shop (TeaPartyHats).  I love this hat.  I love these flowers!!!

For some reason, I am in a purple mood today.  Guess that is better than in a blue mood :)

My wish list is long today, but just wanted to show you a little fiber lust

I won a goodie!!!

 

I love giveaways, I love winning even more :)  I won this wonderful lavendar sachet from paper & clouds during the recent Sew, Mama, Sew! round of blogger giveaways.

This sachet smells so devine, wish you could smell it!

You can get your own by visiting the paper & clouds etsy shop!  Go take a look at her beautiful things.  I might just put this little one in my purse, so I can take it out everytime I need a little soothing moment :)

Happy New Year!

My New Year's present to myself :)  I have a bellydance recital January 8th and this was my treat...a new tribal necklace.  I am so in love with it.  Silly, I know, but a girl deserves a treat every now and then and it wasn't yarn or roving, so I didn't add to the stash :)  That is my justification for it!!

No resolutions for me, since I cannot keep them.  I could say I will knit more, spin more, destash (yarn and fabric), complete more projects, not cast on until something is finished....blah blah.  But I know I won't keep whatever I say, so no resolutions for me.

Have a wonderful New Year's day, enjoy yourself and go treat yourself!