GREEN CONTEST

I hope your day hasn't been like this.
More great photos can be found here http://spynet.ru/photos/17072-ochumelye-ruchki-56-foto.html

Anyway if you are having a day like above go here http://reeniewhirled.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-yarn-giveaway.html
for a chance to win a lovely skein of yarn. It is nice and would make me happy also as I am sooo tired of all the cold and snow. It is spring yarn. I sooo would have loved to win the previous contest yarn. When you see it I am sure you will agree. BUT, alas, I didn't and will try again. I love her yarns and some of the yarns also found here http://www.pluckyfluff.com/yarn.html.

One day I hope to be able to spin yarn and also spin yarn with stuff in it. I not only would need a spinning wheel with a "large" orifice but also a drum carder to be able to card some of the fancies in with the rovings and fluffy stuff so they can be spun together. That would mean two spinning wheels . One can dream

Solara says to say hello but she wants to remain in her felted bed having a nap. I did take a video of her holding her mouse and washing it today.

CONTESTS AND SOLARA

I love to enter contests. Here are some contests I have entered and others can enter also. Oh you should mention where you heard about the contest from. I think you should for all contests.

The first is from Ruby's blog http://greatgranknittingblog.blogspot.com/.

the first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me , my choice for you
this offer does have some restrictions and limitations
I make no guarantees that you will like i make
what I create will be just for youwu\ill like
what i make what i create will be just for you
it'll be done in the next 12 months
you have no clue what its going to be;
I reserve the right to do something unusual
The catch?
you have to put this on your blog

Hurry over there are only two comments so far.

AND another contest is

WEBS Contest

Pop on over to http://knitpurlgurl.blogspot.com/2009/02/wonderful-webs-giveway.html and enter to win some fantastic prizes. Thanks to Joy for her post about it on her blog and good luck to everyone entered. Hurry over though cause it ends March 2nd.

There is also a contest here http://gimpykatk.blogspot.com/ but it will end on Feb 28. Sorry I just seemed to find out about it.

Don't forget to blog all about contests on your own blog.

AND on Monday it will be Solara's third birthday. I remember when she was just a kitty.

I will be having a birthday party with cake for her. I am randomly asking friends to come over. We will have appetizers, finger foods and cake to celebrate Saturday March 7 starting at 7PM. If I didn't ask you and you want to come let me know and by all means come by. We will gab, eat, knit/crochet and try to play with Solara. I will again try to get her to wear a birthday hat. Birthday party loot bags will go home with those friends when they leave if the share their home with a furchild.

ROXIE, MORE BIRTHDAY GIFTS AND KNITTING GOODNESS

The Roxie Sock is finally available.

Check it out here.
http://www.tsocktsarina.com/sockkits/roxie.html

I see you have to purchase a kit, you aren't able to just the pattern.

It was the December sock pattern/kit of the 2007 TsockFlock Club.

Do I have enough patience to wait until into March or April to purchase it. I don't think so. HELP I need a program for sock pattern/kits/yarns addiction!!!!

It is now Friday as I finish this blog post and I am so very happy to tell you my ebay purchase of a SWIFT has arrived. It is soooo nice but I don't have a ball winder yet. The order Mona put in hadn't arrived yet when I was there on Tuesday evening. I hope it is there this Tuesday. There is already a waiting list of yarns to turn from skeins to cakes. Once I have my ball winder I will take a photo of Swift with some of my yarn on it I am turning into a cake.

Also, arrived yesterday was the second skein of Silver to knit another Clapotis Shawl. Who knows I may even knit a third. They are quite addictive and I would have started the second one if I had my ball winder. I can't help it I have a bad case of startitis

BUT I did finish one of two birthday gifts for someone I can't name. All I can say is LOLOLOLOLOLO, HEE HEE HEE. AND everyone needs one!! I am ready to start on the second gift. Once I have my ball winder I will be starting on another birthday gift.

Speaking of birthday gifts, I got a few more.

From Charlotte in the addicted to knit dishcloth yahoo group I received a very lovely crocheted shawl,


some soft fluffy yarn from Joanne's called Angel Hair Boucle in a soft baby blue,
a small skein of Bernat Handicrafter dishcloth cotton believe it or not called Denim Blue,

A hugh skein of Bernat Handicraft dishcloth cotton called Sunny Sky,

a tea cozy, and

and Knifty Knitter Loom Clips.
Again a big thank-you Charlotte for such lovely birthday goodies to help me celebrate my big 6-0.

From Nate in the addicted to knit dishcloths group I received the following birthday gifts have yet to post what he sent. I am sorry for taking this long to post photos. So here is what Nate sent me.

Two lovely dishcloths,

a slew of mysteries and

a lot of yarn which included dishcloth cotton (P&C, S&C, Bernat), a skein of DMC cotton and a skein of Cotton Ease.

I did take photos of the yarns individually in case I want to put them on my ravelry stash page one day.

Both Charlotte and Nate have been personally thanked and the receiving of the gifts have been posted on the group.

I love receiving yarns even dishcloth cottons. I am a fiber junky and love touching and looking at it.

I also received other personal birthday gifts.

My girlfriend Laura gave me a $40 gift certificate to The Bay which includes Zellers and a home store. I am thinking of using it for NEW phones since my two last about 40 - 60 minutes only now.

From my friend Elsie I received three house plants and
an absolutely hugh chocolate bar.

Now I need to tell you about house plants and Solara. Solara loves house plants. She loves to eat them. When she was a kitty and we were living in the apartment I had a very very large Aloe plant and a very large African Violet plant. Both were doing extremely well in my bedroom window. Then along came baby kitty Solara. As soon as she got big enough to get up to where they were sitting she started nibbling. She would sit in the African Violet plant and eat the Aloe plant. She killed the African Violet plant after continually sitting in it and ate the ENTIRE very very large Aloe plant with many stalks. So I knew what was going to happen when I received these three newbie house plants which need tender love and care and not nibbling on. As soon as I put them on the coffee table from taking them out of the wrapping I brought them home in, dear dear Solara honed right on them. She was up on the coffee table in a flash faster than the eye could see. AND she started to sniff and then yes to nibble. I told her no in a very firm tone and she just looked at me. So I did what I had done when she was a kitty that didn't work. I went to fridge and got out a spray bottle of cold water. I gave her a big spritz and she looked at me and took off. She came back a short while later. I said no and she just looked at me. Then I pointed to the bottle and she still looked at me. I picked up the bottle and she took off. Well a while later she came back and went to nibble my plants. I looked at her and just pointed to the bottle and she took off. The last time and now the bottle was back in the fridge I just looked at her and went to the fridge and she flew off the table. She hasn't nibbled them since and it has been a week. She does go up on the coffee table as she has a mug with water on it. She even looks at the plants but she doesn't go near them. Now I haven't left them while I have been out of the house but I will when I go for a short outing to see what she does. She seems to like to do what she shouldn't when I am home.

I received some nice birthday gifts from my friend Lori. She gave me this lovely very Martha Stewart looking wreath. Now for sure I can't wait for spring to arrive.
I also got these two lovely pink candle sticks. I also received two white candles but after putting them in the candle holders both Lori and I felt pink candles would look better.

I also received this pretty little paper flower arrangement.

Knitting Goodness

I received my Ravelry Coffee Chocolate and Yarn package from Mary in Ohio. What was in the box excluding the candies.

First the candies. OH MY!!! Mary is certainly helping me with my American Hershey Fix. One Hershey from the tin is missing. Check it all out

BUT that wasn't all the chocolate I got. Here is more. HMM one of the Ghirardelli's has been eaten as has three of the Lindt and three of those yummy candies in the white box.
I received some great PINK beads and a wonderful mug. Brown is the best when paired with PINK.
Here is a close up of the saying on my new coffee mug.

AND this is a coffee swap so here is my coffee. It is Rich Chocolate from Cracker Barrel. Once many years ago when visiting my girlfriend in Florida she took me to a Cracker Barrel. We had some great food and a lot of fun. They had such interesting things you could buy before you left. I also received some Stash Earl Grey Black Tea.
As I unwrapped more packages I found a knitting mystery book (Knit One Kill Two by Maggie Sefton) and a coffee magnetic pad. As you can see even Solara received two pressies (not counting all the tissue paper) from Mary.
Last BUT not least the wonderful yarns I received. Mary sent me TOFUTSIES sock yarn. It has chitlin in it which is fiber from shrimp and crab shells and, thus, is naturally antibacterial. AND check out the color. WHOO HOO!!!

Mary also sent me a second skein of sock yarn from a place called The Unique Sheep. It is 25% Tussah silk and 75% superwash merino. It is also a yummy yarn. Oh how I love swaps. I have gotten such lovely sock yarns I wouldn't other wise get.
The last in the knitting goodness I want to show off is the prize I received for my whoduknit Santa Cruise project (those potato chips).

These were chosen by Jane as I told her to surprise me. She sent me two DPN holders,
assorted stitch markers and

a variety of teas.

The two DPN holders and stitch markers were made by Vigdis which makes them extra special.

I haven't had a chance to read the January book Casting Spells yet. I received it quite late in the month and was reading other books. Thus, having received it late and having not read it yet I didn't do a project for it. I have read the February book which was And There Were None by Agatha Christi. I am now reading Debbie Mccomber's Twenty Wishes. some of the characters are from the Blossom Street knitting books she has written since this is about the bookstore on Blossom Street. In March we will be reading Nevada Barr's book Winter Study which I have from the library and will start as soon as I finish Twenty Wishes in the next day. I haven't decided on a project yet for And There Were None but I have a few ideas.

I will end with a photo of the princess.

OH AND I ordered the ROXIE sock!!!! I can't wait for it to arrive. I wonder how long it will take.

UPDATED, EDITED & SHORTENED VIDEO OF SOLARA

I have finally figured out how to cut out and put together different parts of a video. So if you scroll down to the previous blog post where Solara's original video was you can view a new edited and shorted version. Please tell me what you think. This was my first time editing a video. It has gone from over seven minutes to about 2:05. I was going to see if I could have my friend do it but when I had trouble sending the file of the original seven minutes I decided to try to do it myself. I have deleted the long video from you tube.


There is another blog post underway but I spent over an hour on this and I now have raging headache so I will finish my other blog post later when the headache is gone and I have had some sleep.

Potato Chips

Some of you have seen and even touched my potato chips. Hey I am talking of knitted potato chips not a secret code of any kind. Aren't they interesting. AND they have no calories and lots of fiber!!!!!
Here is a close up. They were knitted for my whoduknit Santa Cruise by the Higgins our December 2008 read project. For exactly why I knit them you will have to read the book. It is very easy, quick and a very fluffy mystery without much heavy duty content or character depth. I knit and mailed out a bag of chips for someone who asked me. I have also knitted a bag of chips which I mailed to Jane for her to put in the whoduknit prize locker in case someone else is hungry for low calorie fiber.

This post up to here was written on Valentines Day and has been sitting in my blog unpublished. I don't know why I do this.

So I will just add some more recently knitted projects and then start another blog entry.

Solara was in the Kitty Valentine Swap. I knit these and stuffed them with catnip for Solara to send to her two partners. They were very easy to do. She tested them and approved of them.

Here is Solara checking out her box of goodies from her partner Moe. She is still waiting to receive another package.In the Cocoa Swap 2 we were required to send our partner a blah buddy buster to help with the winter doldrums. I sent my partner Shirl the Sheep. I also made sure she was warm for the winter including knitting a hat and leggings for her. For the warmer weather which I hope will come very soon I also knit Shirl the Sheep a shawl. More information for all my knitted projects and on this pattern can be found on my ravelry page .


I also was in the ravelry color swap and again we were required to make something for our partner. It didn't have to be knitted. I chose to knit and sew my partner Dante's Purse. The next time I make this bag I will knit it in feltable wool and felt it which will make it firmer able to stand better and have a firmer bottom. It was an easy knitted and sewn item. I knit it larger than the pattern calls for.

I do have another item I have finished knitting for someone BUT until it has been received by my partner I will NOT post a photo here or on my ravelry project page. Those who knit with me have seen it. I am very excited to be able to mail this particular knitted item.

I found these items I knitted and have yet to post so they too are now on my ravelry project page. They were knit several years ago.

This is called Textured Caplet and is a Ram Wools FREE pattern. I have to put on the buttons when I find some that fit with the wonky buttonholesDuring the FUN FUR craze I knit this for myself. I also knit one as a gift in a swap package.

I knit two of these called Carol's Butterfly Collar from the Knit 'N Style June 2004 magazine. This one is black was knit for MOI. A green one was knit for my friend Helene in Florida. It was another easy knit. The red doesn't show as much as this second photos makes it appear to
AND I am still knitting my February Lady Sweater. I have about two or three rows until the third buttonhole. Then the yoke will almost be complete and I will be up to the Gull Lake Lace pattern. I will take a photo when I have completed the yoke.

I have knit 10 rows on one Salida Sock and 25 rows on the second Salida Sock. Once I have 25 rows completed on the second sock I will take another photo.

I will now post this and finish the next one I have started.

AND as I look out my window I see it is snowing out, lots and lots.