HAPPY HALLOWEEN

YUP Halloween evening and all the little ghosts and goblins have come and gone. I didn't get as many as I did last year by about 40 less. Only about 90 this evening. I wonder if the scare of the H1N1 FLU frightened many of the parents into not letting their children go out this year. I have some left over treats; small packages of Lay's Chips and assorted mini chocolate bars.

This is how I decorated my dining room window courtesy of Dollarama one of my favorite stores.

This is the top of my window.


AND here it is with the bottom of the window and my mini pumpkin lanterns.


On my fall wreath on the door I added some scary sticks to make it more Halloweeny. Is Halloweeny a word?

Now before I continue on my life and knitting check out this wedding gown. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1205007/Shepherdess-bride-marries-stunning-dress-wool-flock.html#comments%23ixzz0OogT2uOx. So what do you think? Could you carry it off at your wedding and would you ever consider wearing something like this?

These past two weeks have been busy busy busy. Monday October 18 I started a Hilltop study. It was for seven days Monday - Saturday 3X/day and once on Sunday. The money came in handy and let me put more on my VISA and also get some groceries and Halloween treats. It also allowed me to knit away and finish my second Sockknitter's Antonymous challenge of knitting with yellow. I have now knit two socks in yellow and don't think I will knit with yellow for a long time or knit yellow sock in a very long time. I enjoyed both patterns I knit but certainly was NOT in my comfort zone knitting with yellow.

Here is the challenge for September which was knit in yellow and the Sockknitter's Anonymous Sock which is called Froggie Faces. I purchased this yarn from The CraftsMeow on etsy and the color is called banana. It is 100% merino. It is a very thin yarn but bloomed beautifully after washing.

I felt better when the sock was completed and I noticed it was quite tonal. Why you ask? B/c the other yellow sock I knit, I dyed myself and it was tonal and I thought it was something I did wrong. Seeing someone else who sells sock yarn she dyed tonal made me feel a lot better.


Can you see the froggie faces in the pattern?


The second yellow sock managed to fall into two challenges. It was the fourth sock in the 2009 Sock Pentathlon called SUMMER and by doing it in yellow I could enter it in another September Sockknitter's challenge of knitting "any" sock pattern in yellow. I also entered it in the yahoo Whoduknit Sept project which was anything related to any book we have previously read. It was to represent yellow toddler socks for the book Bone harvest by Mary Logue despite it NOT being toddler socks. I figured since I used the lemonade Kool-Aid it would fit. You have to read the book to understand

The yarn I started with was Knit Picks Bare which I dyed with some lemonade Kool-Aid. Unable to find a second packet of which I knew I had as I received it in the whoduknit yahoo group I had to add some yellow food coloring. Here it is drying on a tree out my front door. Oh and on this tree I tied up a mummy for Halloween. Just look how nice it looks outside with green grass and leaves on the trees. It will be nice out like that again in several months. I am already counting the time and wishing my life away as I tend to do when the weather starts getting cold.


Here it is skeined ready to be caked and knitted.


Completed SUMMER Socks.


In this photo you can see how tonal these socks I dyed came out.


Close up of the PICOT cuff and pattern of the sock leg. I knit extra length on these socks as the pattern makes a short sock.


Back to my week's study at Hilltop.
Hilltop itself is always a challenge as I am NOT a morning person and I needed to be there for 8:25AM Monday thru Saturday for my first of three appt each day and on Sunday I needed to be there at 7:45AM. To get there for 7:45AM I had to take the first bus arriving at 7:24AM. Actually, I was #1 on the study and the time of that last visit on Sunday was supposed to be 16 - 18 hours after the second Saturday visit making the appt between 5:20AM and 7:20AM, only the staff doesn't even arrive until 7:30AM. The head of the study had to arrive by 7:15AM to set up the instrument machines and get them acclimated. It wouldn't have been so bad since I was there for such a brief period and could head back home to bed. Only there was a glitch in the plan when the I got to the bus figuring I missed one bus by 4 minutes realising I had to wait for the next bus., I was told by another waiting the bus I missed, it never arrived. The next bus 9:04AM didn't come either. The third bus was 11 minutes late. Thus, I didn't get home until 10AM and I had expected to be home much earlier and back to bed before 10AM. I did go back to bed anyway.

Monday I was just so tired I didn't do very much. I did go and get my Halloween treats and some groceries. I also had to prepare myself for my capsule camera endoscopy which was Tuesday October 30 starting early in the morning. My preparation was only clear fluids after lunch and nothing after MN. Thank-goodness I didn't have to take any laxatives but I usually don't anyway since I have no large bowel and am missing a bit of my small bowel also.

Here is the camera I had to swallow. Over the course of eight hours it would take 60,000 photos of the inside of my small bowel. I had a lot of electrodes stuck on my abd which were connected to a computer that was recording the photos the camera was taking. The computer was in a case I carried like a pocketbook with a shoulder strap. After two hours of swallowing the pill I could have some clear fluids and jello. In another two hours (four hours after swallowing the pill) I could eat. Once I swallowed the pill I could go about my business to return at 4PM to have the electrodes removed. Then the computer I was carrying was sinked to a regular computer to download the photos which would take several hours. I did get to see the beginning before I left. Now I wait to hear from my gastroentrologist. Only one of these procedures is done each day as they only have one of the portable computers you carry about. I never did see the doctor in charge of this procedure, just a couple of nurses.

Well since this is so old and sitting in my folder waiting to be published I will do that now and won't tell you what the date is I am doing this and go on with another blog post especially since I can't remember now what else I was going to write here.

LOOK AT ALL MY GOODIES

This post is extremely late in coming. I can't apologise enough for my bad manners in blogging about a swap received three and half weeks ago.

I have received two wonderful swap packages my angel Ravelry Starbucks Swap and my Kitty Mat from the Ravelry Kitty Toy Swap. I also received my Phat Fiber Box and my 2010 Dishcloth Calendar. OH MY OH MY OH MY

These three boxes arrived the same day.

I will start off with my Ravelry Starbucks Swap Swap package which was sent by an angel since my partner disappeared. The box was addressed to me but the enclosed card was written to someone else by the name of Marjorie. I guess my partner Michele had Marjorie on her mind.

I adore this little crochet hook which is great for picking up dropped stitches. I have a couple different ones but this is the smallest. Every project bag should have one. I love my Euclan and Soak I get in swaps to wash my knitted garments especially my socks when they are done. AND a Starbucks gift card. YUM YUM

Now check out this yarn. It is Wollmeise in color Box Wreath. Drooling is allowed since it will be on your keyboard and not mine or my yarn. HEE HEE These are the best of all nine photos I took. My camera is just not taking great photos anymore. I tried taking photos of this yarn inside and outside close up and further away with natural and artificial light. ARRGH!!!! The actual colors are unbelievably gorgeous.



I also received stitch markers in both swaps and in my PHAT Fiber box. Here they are. these photos came out good.


These two stitch markers were from the PHAT Fiber box.



Now for my package from the Ravelry Kitty Toy Swap.

My big girl Solara took immediately to her package and enjoying her kitty mat, which is so to her liking being it was felted. Check out her name on it.

I certainly hope I got this correctly. These are from my pal in the Kitty toy Swap. See the card. It has disappeared along with my note/card from my angel in the Starbucks Swap. It was on my desk for me to refer to and now it is gone gone gone. I know it will show up since I hardly ever toss cards and notes out. It is just a matter of when it will reappear.

This is YUM YUM yarn. It has glittery shiny yarn in it which makes me very happy. I checked ravelry but couldn't find it listed there to help decide what to make with it.

Here is Solara enjoying her mat and her catnip snake and mouse.


AND then she also got some Kitty Treats which are long gone now.


Yes Solara enjoys here swaps as much as I enjoy mine.

Again please forgive me if I got some of the swap items mixed.

So you want to know what is a PHAT Fiber box?

From the PHAT Fiber ravelry group it says, "A yarn store or fiber festival in a box delivered to your doorstep once a month. Featuring indie yarn samples, batts, roving, original patterns, teas, stitch markers, and much more!"

More details can be found here: http://www.phatfiber.com/ and you can sign up here to be notified when a box will be available to purchase from etsy:
http://www.phatfiber.com/notifyme.htm.

This is what it says on the blog, "The Phat Fiber Sampler box is a way for independent fiber, yarn and related needlecraft companies and artisans to promote their products through a tactile goodie box that goes on sale once monthly. Our contributors get exposure while the consumers get to handle and experiment with products before making larger purchases."

This is what I saw when I first opened the lid of my box.



My first box in September contained these items in addition to the stitch markers. For my first box I chose a mixed box of fiber and fluff. You can also choose just a fluff box or just a fiber box. BUT you have to be fast to get one. I so need to learn how to spin better so I can play with these new fluffs. On the ravelry site you can see what people have spun with their samples.









AND also in the box was discount coupons for different sites on etsy. Here are some of them.





I also received my 2010 Dishcloth Calendar and stitch markers. This is the third year I have purchased this calendar. Each year it gets better.

SECRET PAL GOODNESS

I have received all three of my secret pal gifts. The last arriving yesterday. Boy did I get some wonderful yarns and treats. This short post is dedicated to thanking my Secret Pal for the last two packages.

Now check out this PINK cotton yarn. I was sent five skeins each 131 yds. Right now it is saying it wants to be a summer top. I wonder if I have a pattern. Part of me thinks I may have but I am not 100% sure.

I also received this lovely luggage tag in PINK despite the photograph making it look more red. It has lots of dots on it and my initial in big black letters. Now I just need a place to go. I would love to go on a knitting cruise but, alas, the funds won't allow it.

Of course, there was candy, YUM YUM and a cute card.

My final package was just as wonderful if not more wonderful and I got to find out who my pal was. Her name is Stacey.

She read that I am interested in learning how to make stitch markers so she sent this little box of assorted PINK beads and

these two strands of unique PINK beads. I may want to save the larger ones from the box and the strands to put on a knitting project.


To help me in making stitch markers I now have these very small jewelry tools and
these wires. One of the wires seems a bit heavy but I guess it can be used to make jewelry instead of stitch markers. I just have to get my nerve up to try.

Yes there was candy in my box too. This is all there was left when I took the photo and it was soon gone after the photo was taken. It was delicious chocolate coated peanut brittle.

I did receive yarn in my box. This Colinette yarn is really more PINK than purple but it does have a hint of purple in it also. One lovely skein of soft merino yarn.

Here is a close up.

My box contained two skeins of this yarn which is not as ORANGE as it appears. It is more salmon with some pinky purple. I wonder what I can make with the two skeins of this yarn.

AND yes there was more yarn, three skeins of Lousia Harding Castello. You don't see it in the photo but it sparkles. There is some glittery yarn mixed in.

I will check out ravelry to get ideas on what can be knitted with these yarns. Isn't ravelry wonderful?

Even Solara wasn't forgotten. I have a cute picture frame to put a photo of Solara and some catnip seeds to make her some FRESH catnip. Solara loves catnip. Did you know that for a cat to get all weird around catnip they need to have a gene for it. If they don't it won't have any affect on them.

So Stacey thank-you for all the wonderful gifties you gave me and putting up with my not blogging properly.

I am trying to get myself caught up with my blogging. I have two more swaps to post and my Phat Fiber Box. I hope I won't be missing any swaps in my next post. I will also include photos of my big girl princess Solara.

Please accept my apologies for not posting so regularly as intended but with both my knees so sore when I get ready to be able to blog when chores, errands and what I have to get done is completed I am so tired and in so much pain I just end up going to bed.