SO MUCH TO SAY HERE IS A SECOND POST TODAY

Well I just got back from my Avon meeting and came home with some pink carnations. I am now #12 in my district. Looks like I need to do a bit more work so I can get into the top 10. I don't get anything special when I do. I want to accomplish it for me. I have a ways to go to get to the next award level and I don't think I will make it this year again. I have been trying to reach it for three years now since it started and was closest the first year the new level was started. I took my new sock bag with my monkey socks to the meeting with me and worked on them while I was there.

Last week I received some lovely yarns from a friend who was destashing. Here I am moving and instead of destashing myself I am collecting. LOL That shows how I am a true yarnaholic.

Here is what I now have in my stash.

Knit Picks Palette one skein in several colors. This will be good for felting. A skein of Patons SWS. I love the color. I don't know why sometimes my photos show up sideways but I figured out how to fix it. It looked like this when I took the picture but when I checked after it was sideways in the camera???? A skein of Lang Tosca AND I didn't realise I had these, one skein of red and one skein of white Smart yarn. Nice yarns, eh?

Not only am I packing for my move, getting ready for my Avon to be delivered on Thursday (where oh where am I going to set it all up for bagging I have no idea - you should see my place now) but I am knitting. It is a great stress reliever. I am working on my monkey socks for my monkey swap 4 pal. I have completed the cuff and leg of the first sock and the cuff of the second sock.

Here is the leg of my monkey sock. AND here is a better view of the cuff. I have knitted the cuff from the Giotto sock pattern.

Here is one side of the sockand here is the other side of the sock. It seems that the two sides look different. HMMM I wonder if the second sock will look the same or will they turn into fraternal socks. Only time will tell.
They are being knit with Lorna Laces Tuscany #403. I have picked up some really nice treats for her also. It is a package that will be hard to part with.

I also need to start my Spring Fling Coffee and Yarn Swap spring hand crafted item. I know what I am going to make and it shouldn't take long. I need to pick out her yarn and a few other goodies to add to what I already have and it will be ready to mail in a few days.

On the topic of the Spring Fling Coffee and Yarn Swap, the weekly topic #5 is up on the blog. The topic to answer this week is:

You know with Spring the famous saying goes "April Showers, bring May flowers", please tell us what you like to do when those April Showers are pouring down on you. Do you like to curl up with your knitting, take in a movie or crawl back in bed?

I like to knit with the TV on and a nice cup of coffee and sometimes a nice cup of tea depending on my mood or I may read. Definitely if it is thundering out you would find me in bed under the covers. I don't like boomers and I don't like lightening.

Here are a couple more photos of Solara in my Monkey Swap package.

If you look carefully at this photo you will see one of my partner's Monkey Socks in progress under my Monkey Swap Box.

A LITTLE FAITH IN THE POSTAL SYSTEM HAS RETURNED

WOO HOO I got a package in the mail today. Can you believe it, a package didn't get lost and made it's way to my place. It was swap package. My Monkey Sock Swap package. AND what a package it was. My lovely partner for this swap is Dotty. Dotty also remembered my Solara when she sent my package. Solara received a catnip toy which she discovered on her own when she went into the box while I was checking out all my treats. She became a real funny cat once she found it playing in the box with her catnip toy. The box was just stuffed with monkey treats, monkey socks, a monkey nitie wrapped in monkey paper, monkey goodies (plates, napkins and sheep pot holders) for my new home also wrapped in monkey paper, two different color sock yarns, stitch markers, monkey pens, a neat monkey card, and Cookie A's Marilinda Sock Pattern. Lookie at what I got. First of course my socks. Look at how they came with the label. And I received the left over yarn from the socks also. The yarn is Araucania Ranco Solid in color #110 Pink. Yummy socks indeed. Here they are unfolded. AND here they are on my feet. A perfect fit. Aren't you a bit jealous? I also received several neat monkey items including a PINK monkey nitie which I am saving to use on my first night in my new home, a PINK sock bag with kitties on it (further down you can see some of the cute kitty photos from the bag), some lovely PINK stitch markers, treats for my new house (monkey napkins, monkey plates and sheep pot holders), Curious George pens and a lovely monkey card. Of course, there was sock yarn in my package also and I received yarn to knit two pair of socks. This is also a yarn I have not heard of. It is so nice to get sock yarns that are new to me.

Here is the yarn to knit pair of socks in PINK, and yarn to knit another pair in blue. The Cookie A pattern I received was the Marilinda Sock Pattern. I listed two I liked so Dotty could have a choice in which to send me. I can't wait to try it. I wonder if it is as easy and as fun as the Monkey socks are to knit. Here are some of the cute kitties on my sock bag. Don't you agree they are cute? I have already packed my sock bag with my Monkey socks in progress to take with me to my Avon meeting tonight. I also received a treat for Solara but she got into the box and took it slobbering all over it before I could get a photo just it. I did get photos of her with it and in the box all my goodies came in. I also got some video of her playing with her catnip mouse. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to upload it to youtube. I can't seem to change the file to an .avi or .wmv file from windows movie maker?????? Can someone help me please?

So here are some photos of her playing with her toy. It is pink and black and if you look closely you will see it.
I did it. I did it. I got my video of Solara on youtube. I hope this works out. Enjoy.
I can't believe that I did it. It works.

SPRING FLING AND COFFEE AND YARN SWAP TOPIC #4

It is already time for topic #3 in the Spring Fling Coffee and Yarn Swap so here goes.

Let's pretend for a minute we all live in the home of our dreams, have land, and don't have to work so time is unlimited! It's Spring planting season! What would you grow? A little veggie garden? A bed of bright spring blooms? Or is your thumb so far from green that the only thing you'd be planting is your tushy into a nice chair on the porch to get some knitting or crocheting done in the nice breeze?

I would be planting both veggies and flowers. I would have a perennial garden and lots of wild flowers. Of course, I would also plant lots of annuals as they fill in the garden so nicely. BUT I would also grow lots and lots of veggies. Lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, Swiss chard, green, yellow and purple beans, broad beans, peppers also as well as beets, carrots, watermelon, cantaloup, pumpkins, squash and many other. I wouldn't forget a herb garden either. I would talk to my flowers and veggies and tell them all how beautiful the flowers are and tasty the veggies are. When I finished playing in my garden I would put my tushy in a nice soft chair and knit while having a nice cold drink.

CONTEST CONTEST CONTEST

CONTEST ALERT

Head over to afternoon moon's blog at http://girlinfox.blogspot.com/. She is having a fabulous contest with wonderful prizes. Just place a comment on her blog at that post with your blog addy and you will be entered into the contest, If I don't win it would be nice if someone I knew did. She is using a number generator. GOOD LUCK

SPRING IN WINTERPEG

So they say it is spring here. Judge for yourself.

Of course, what you can't see is all the snow coming down. These were taken yesterday. This morning the streets were iced over and very slippery. By afternoon a bit of the ice had melted leaving not only ice to slip on but puddles of cold water to wade through. There is still a lot of snow. AND it feels like November or December out there.

Today was my last day Hilltop. I had two visits. Before I left I checked my mail and found a notice that there was a package for me at the postal outlet???????? I had been home since just about 9:30AM and there was nothing in my mailbox when I came home from Hilltop. Why the postal workers don't actually ring my buzzer to let me know I have a package is beyond me. So on the way home from Hilltop after my second visit I stopped at the postal outlet to see what was there. It was a book from the book club I didn't order so I taped it back up and sent it on its way back where it came from. When I got in the apt building I noticed there was something in my mailbox again. Guess what another notice that something else was attempted to be delivered while I was out and YES I did notice on call display someone rang my buzzer but didn't leave a message. I think it was the postman with whatever it was he was trying to deliver. I didn't go and get it as I was tired and it was cold out so I will go for it tomorrow. Instead I ended up having a nap until an Avon customer phoned to place an order.

Tuesday I went knitting at Mona's. It was Mona's birthday and there was cake and snacks. Well most times there are snacks but these were a bit more special since it was a birthday party. YES if you look close you can see Mona's birthday cake on the table along with wine. There was also soda. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONA!! I wasn't too happy with my Monkey socks for my Monkey swap partner. Part is I guess I am not crazy over the colorway and I am not sure it would fit my partner. I tried it on one of the gals at Mona's on Tuesday. So despite having one leg completed and one leg half completed I put the stitches of each sock on a piece of yarn and have started to re-knit it with an different yarn. Here is the new yarn being wound into a center pull skein at Mona's on Tuesday evening. This time knitting the sock feels good.

I read on ravelry about the talk of knitted men's thongs etc last week at Mona's which I missed b/c I was supposed to attend my Manitoba knitting group at McNally's which I wasn't able to go to either due to not feeling so great so I decided to bring in my knitted thong for the gals to see. It is on my projects page in ravelry but seeing it in person is much more fun. Two of the gals tried it on despite it being so small. Here is the "white sock with red ribbon".
The new challenge is to knit this "sock" in hot pink and one of the gals will try it on. I don't think there will be photos on the blog of this but it should be fun. I won't be able to start this until after my move since I will have to see if I can adjust the pattern to actually fit.

I have received some new stash from a friend who was destashing. A concept I really don't understand. I will put photos of my stash acquisition in another blog post later.

Oh I woke my baby up from her nap.

BUSY BUSY BUSY I AM

YUP I am now going to quite busy with packing for my move and Avon having two week campaigns. Add to that I made a Hilltop Study today. I picked up soap Dove to use for the conditioning period. It is an arm wash this time. I usually make them but when I got my soap my arms were borderline dry. Today they seem to still have patchy areas of borderline dryness and some areas drier so I qualified. It is three times a day through Thursday and twice on Friday. I am even going to dry out for another study in May. May 2 is soap pickup which is Ivory and the study is May 5 - May 9 but only once a day if I make it. It totals about 10 hours but Monday is about four hours and two days only have 30 minute visits. Each day is different. With my move and all the added expenses this money is definitely going to come in handy. The post office now charges to put a change of address in. It is $37 for six months and $68 if you choose to have the change last for 12 months. At one time it was free.

I have been very busy packing. There are 20 boxes of books (not all knitting) packed in those boxes from my LR alone. I have a copy of everything in those boxes so if I want something I know what box it is in. Here are some of my candle holders I will have to pack. AND here is a very funny knickknack I have on my computer desk. The thing is every time I start to pack and I look around I feel so overwhelmed I sit down and knit. Thus, no packing gets done.

Solara loves all the boxes in the apartment. She checks everyone out for fit and comfort.

YOU HAVE MAIL NO IT'S I HAVE MAIL

Can you believe I received expected packages. There are still two outstanding packages I doubt I will ever receive which now are being sent for a second time but these are others I was expecting and they came like all mail should.

I received the nicest package from Ruth in the Sockamaniac Surprise Sock Swap. She sent me a "sock potpourri" package of sock knitting goodies. She mailed it on Monday April 14 and the post man delivered it to me Friday April 18. Here is a photo of all of it minus the patterns.

Now what is all those lovely items? In the back of the above photo is the cutest sock book ever. This is the page that it opened onto when I started to look through it. How coincidental was that. Very appapro if you ask me especially if you have read the previous post about holes in socks.

Here is the yarns I received in this swap. Two yarns I don't have. This first one is Schaefer yarn in the colorway "Bugs". This other yarn by Sisik which is a sport weight yarn.
In addition, to the little book about socks I also received two sock patterns that each would be good for the Schaefer yarn Ruth sent and a lovely note.
Being Ruth's theme is "sock potpourri" I also received a sheep tape measure, a notepad to keep track of my knitting and a moth-chaser sachet which smells lovely. It says it is formulated with natural herbs to help keep moths and vermin away from your wool for spinning and woolen (or other animal fiber) knitted goods. It contains lavender, pine and wormwood. No wonder it smells so good. Other goodies in the box included a cat that is a ring holder, a little bag and a finger puppet for Solara. Even the "princess" wasn't forgotten in this swap. I even received two lovely candles to enhance the knitting atmosphere around me. One is Cardamon and Fig and it is the one in the holder and the second one is Paper White which I could smell through the tissue paper it was wrapped it.

Now who wouldn't want to receive such a lovely swap package? Thank-you Ruth. I love it all.

When I went to retrieve my mail from my mail box in my apartment I discovered two puffies stuffed in there. They were both belated birthday gifts from the penpal group I belong to (as part of the birthday club). Yes they were mailed late but there is not a lot pressure in this group to always get things out exactly on your birthday. Here are the treats I found in them.

From Emily I received a nesting set of five beautiful cosmetic cases each one smaller than the next, a crocheted doily is PINK and edged in blue, and a lovely notepad. Thank-you Emily.From Cauleen I received a cute set of notes, a wind spinner and a card. Thank-you Cauleen.In this group we also have a MOTM (member of the month) and that particular person will receive a small treat in the mail also. I have received some lovely note paper, note cards, stickers, pens, pencils, and all kinds of things related to penpals and assorted other interesting items. We have various small swaps throughout the year related to penpals and some not relating to penpals including, candy, games, puzzles, post cards, candy, dollar store items, socks (not hand knits), etc.

Update on the sock holes. Now both circle of friendship socks have holes in the heels of them so my new sock book came just in time. Now should I make the foot of the sock in a different yarn or purchase more of the same if it is available?

My wondrous fur toddler loves the bath tub. Here she is napping. AND here she is asking for a bath.