NEWS NEWS NEWS

Today I will start with knitting goodness

I wanted to post this earlier but I got a bit busy and then on Friday I wasn't feeling good. It felt like someone was squeezing my insides the cramps were soooooo bad. I took a Gravol (Dramamine for you in the states) which relaxes smooth muscles which ended up making me very sleepy. I guess that was good. I also took my cocktail of pills for when that happens Reactine, Rinitidine [sp] and predisone). I have something called angioedema which affects my face the left side mainly and my gut causing them to swell. Some uncommon thing which they figure they know what it is as I have all the indicators for it and they CAN'T find it on the known gene. If they found it on the known gene it would be a different kind of angioedema. So I slept most of Friday away.

Then Saturday I planned to plant my tulips but it rained and that ended that idea. So I knitted and had some company from a neighbor. Now it is Sunday and I figured it was time to post.

Knitting Goodness

YUP my Whoduknit Halloween Swap package arrived from Maureen who lives in Calgary. What did I receive?

I got a lovely skein of Patons Classic Wool in rich red tweed which looks more rust colored. It is a very lovely color and this photo just doesn't do it justice.
I also received a full pound of Red Heart Orange Acrylic yarn. I guess this the trick Maureen sent me since I am not a fan of orange. Orange just doesn't look good on me. I can wear salmon if it has a lot of pink in it. I am not crazy about knitting with this color even when I have to for a swap but I do if I must. I received four wonderful books I look forward to reading. It is really great when you receive books you haven't read yet. AND no Maureen I certainly don't mind that you sent USED books. I send USED books also. AND in this group sending used books is perfectly acceptable. I pass a lot of books I read on. In case you can't read the titles they are.

1. Beware the Mummy's Curse The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker

2. Ten Great Mysteries by Edgar Allan Poe There are many timeless short stores in this book I am sure I have read these many many many years ago but these are the kind of great short stories that can be read over and over again.

3. The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry James

4. Wordsworth Classics M.R. James Collected Ghost Stories I also received a lovely pattern for a cabled Beret. Check out the cabled design on it. It can be found on Ravelry.
Last BUT not least I received "EYEBALLS". Isn't it funny how some photos can come out really great and others don't. They are actually candies or were candies since they have all been eaten BUT I have absolutely perfect vision now.
Again Thank-You Maureen for the lovely gifts and yes even the very large ball orange yarn that I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with it. That sure is one big ball of orange yarn.
My swap has gone out and should be arriving very soon. LOL

I have been busy knitting and finally finished my Clapotis Shawl.
Close up of the shawl.
Solara was guarding it while it was being blocked.
It is covered because she has a thing for pins!!!. She managed to get one out and I had to chase her around the kitchen and hall with her running all over the shawl but she did drop the pin. PHEW!!! Solara also likes twist ties and rubber bands.

I was very disappointed while knitting the shawl as it was piling something awful. Now that is it blocked I don't see the piling as much. I am going to look really closely at it. It is knit with Handmaiden Sea Silk and that is expensive yarn even when on sale. It was so much fun to drop all those stitches!!!

I also finished Clue #1 (30 rows) on the MS4 KAL finally. For a while I wasn't sure if I ever was. So now it is on to Clue #2.


I also finished the first clue on the Through the Loops Socktoberfest Mystery Sock KAL. Another KAL where I will have to follow a chart only this one has a cable pattern in it also. I am knitting these socks with Cherry Tree Hill colorway Moody Blues I received in a swap quite a while ago.

The reason it has taken me so long to complete these first two clues is b/c I have been knitting on projects with deadlines. I finished my Big Bag for my Big Bag KAL and Swap partner and have shipped it. I can't show what it looks like as we are not secret partners so once it has been received I will post photos here and on my Ravelry project page. I also have completed my project for my Ravelry Color Swap partner but being it is a color swap I won't show any photos until sometime in November after it is received as I don't know how many people have the same color choice. I don't want to give anything away. I also finished a project for my Ravelry Starbucks swap partner but have to redo it. I don't like how it came out. So any of you who do read my blog and know what it is SHHHHHHHH.

I had hoped to try and get some sewing done today but I think since it is time for dinner I will just knit after I have eaten. I am going to work on my Noro Cavendish (Shawl) knit project and think about finishing a project to go south that has for some unknown reason become a UFO and all it needs is the lining and handle.

Later tonight I have to submit my Avon order online along with returns, exchanges and demos. That I will start at about 9PM as I am still waiting for one order to come in.

I am going to end with a funny you tube video. I hope you enjoy it.

STARTING WITH MY ADVENTURES SWIMMING AT THE FROG POND

So last night I am knitting away on my Clapotis shawl which I am enjoying knitting. I have the pattern memorized with a quick occasional check at the actual written copy and I am up to the 10th set of dropped stitches.......WHEN.... I look at the nice row of dropped stitches to see this.

Where is this in the shawl you ask? It is about 100+ rows down the shawl. If you look at the bottom of the photo you can see the needles.
I guess I am lucky as it could have been further down in that row of dropped stitches as in this photo you can see how far it didn't go.
This isn't the first time I had to fix a mistake like this but at least the last time it wasn't so far down since it was in the beginning of the dropped stitches. It has been fixed and I am sure when it is blocked any looseness in the stitches will even itself out. At least, I hope so.

I knew something was wrong b/c when I was looking at the shawl way before I was along this far I could see a small mistake where I purled instead of knitting one stitch. I counted and knew it wouldn't be in the dropped stitch but thought it was so far down no one would see it BUT as I kept knitting the shawl it niggled at me. Then I drop the stitch and lo and behold it is twisted where that purl stitch was (to the right of it) which meant a swim in the frog pond.

Once again I am on my way with my shawl.

I am not knitting much else at present. I will be though start a couple more projects later this week. I am knitting and felting a bag for a friend of a friend. Today I am going to collect the money for the yarn ($44) and I charged her $30 to knit and felt it. I know I am probably undervaluing my work but I also know if I charge too much she won't want one and I can use that $30 now. It is straight knitting so it will be fast. I also will be knitting my whoduknit project for the PD James book I finished. I just need to find some white that felts and is bulky weight at 2 st/in. I have the pattern and will show it when it is completed. The bag and whoduknit project need to be finished before the Olympics begin so I am keeping my plate of knitting small now.

I was so upset with myself and so tired I fell asleep watching TV on my couch but woke up three hours later unable to get back to sleep. I kept thinking about the glaring error in my Clapotis shawl. It really bothered me so I had to fix it then. Well, being I am NOT a morning person anyway I figured I would just sleep in today. BUT other plans had been made for me without me knowing.
First I got a call from an Avon customer at 7:30AM requesting a brochure. Then I heard loud strange noises about about 9AM and
This
YUP that pine tree is this close to my gate.
has become this


Notice something missing? They took the pine tree down. It took about two hours and they cleaned up after also.

This is the new view from my LR window which still needs coverings.

I need to work on this area here. It is the dark area in the first photo behind the white patio chairs. I was thinking of putting some strawberry rhubarb in this area but now with the pine tree down I am not sure if it should go here or in the front yard. I received this from my friend Lori. She is sharing it with me b/c she says it is a perennial and hers needed to be cut back. It is Chinese Lantern plant and I need to find it a good home in my garden.
This is the lantern and there are more on the plant. It almost didn't survive the trip from her home to my home b/c she spilled the cup of water it was in and in a short time it shriveled up. Lori told me she had more and I may want to take her up on it.
I can't wait to see what color it becomes.
My other plants are doing better also. See there is no more yellow parsley. I cut away the yellow and it, the mint and lavender are growing wonderfully in the planter. I will have to get more planters since the mint is really growing fast. I hope to put planter all along the edges of the garden area with herbs and petunias since petunias seem to grow so well in planters. They didn't do so well in the garden.

The large cherry tomato plant I purchased is finally growing and doing well. There are even little tomatoes growing. AND the tomato plants I got from Shelagh are also growing. I only hope they produce tomatoes for me. The plant on the left is one of the tomato plants from Shelagh.
See how big my cherry tomato plant is?
I have daises in my garden which were here when I moved it. Daisies are one of my favorite plants along with gardenias.
AND I purchased Portulaca's last week which I really love and still need to be planted and also some Celosia which have been planted. Actually, there are three different newly purchased plants. The third I can't remember the name but is on the left in the photo below and is a ground cover.
Variety of new plants.
Close up of Celosia.

I want a few rose bushes but ones that smell. I have a hard time touching roses as when I do it seems the flowers just bend at the neck, don't open if they aren't already opened and then die. Must be something in my system. AND then there are the bulbs I will have to consider getting for next spring and summer. Oh there is so many fun things to do when you have a garden. So much dirt to play in which goes so well with knitting. LOL

I also received a gazebo from my friend Paula. The instructions were even still there. It smells like when you take your tent out for the first time every year which brings back memories. Only there are three missing pieces so far. I have only one of the four flat bottom pieces you put on the end of the poles to stand on the ground. I even had duck taped the most of the rips in hopes of getting to use it. Maybe I can find the missing parts at Home Depot or Roma. I hope so. I sure would love to sit outside and NOT be eaten alive by the mosquitoes.

Here is the view when you step outside the gate and look to the left. Pretty isn't it? There are 152 townhouses on 13 acres in this complex I live in. Oh it seems I have to take new photos of my beans. WOW are those plants getting large. AND in the front I have put in beet and Swiss chard seeds. We shall see. We shall see. I am hoping the growing season is long and they both grow. HMMMM fresh Swiss chard, beets and beet greens. In time, I would like to make the front yard area where the grass is into a perennial, veggie, and herb garden with some annuals also.

Yes I am planning on having an open house and decided on the middle of August but now I am rethinking the date as I am afraid it will be in the heart of the wasp season. Wasps and I don't get along very well. I do carry an epipen with me but I don't want to chance it or actually have to use it. I am wondering if the middle of Sept would be better time for the open house. I have been working on the menu and if I want to bake apple pie maybe Sept would be better date to have it. I would bake peach or nectarine pie if I was sure the fruits would be good and not woody if I have it in Aug. Decisions Decisions Decisions!!!

Back to knitting
I have entered the Sock Put over at Ravelrympyics. I am going to try to finish a pair of socks in the 17 days of the Olympics. I am going to use my new Flat Feet I received from my secret pal and have planned on knitting the socks in a 3/2 rib. It will be a first for me to complete a pair of socks in that short of time. I had also thought of entering the WIP Wrestling and finishing either my Cavendish Afghan Shawl or Harvest Socks but I don't think I could complete three projects in that short of time. I may be able to do one WIP wrestling project.

Solara has been busy being photogenic. Look at her tail. It is very long.

Same chair but a different day.