SUNDAY IS A GOOD POSTAL DELIVERY DAY

Knitting Goodness
Yes I know today is Sunday. I also know there is no mail delivery on Sunday BUT I received a package. It was delivered by the postman who drives the truck to make sure that the week day workers are not inundated with too many parcels to deliver. So this afternoon I received my Fall Felted Bag Exchange. Look at all the goodies I got.

Here is the bag. Leslie my partner who lives in Nova Scotia wrote in a note the bag was to be the constant companion felted bag but it went all wonky in the washer and this is the salvaged version. Leslie had to cut the bag and sew it. This is what it ended up being and it is quite nice. The colors are black and pink, faves of mine.
Here is the magnetic snap sewn in the center to keep the bag closed. I think I may put in a couple more. One on each side. The bag isn't heavy so it will be really nice holding a knitting project.
Close up of the goodies I received showing two patterns and a book. One pattern is for the constant companion which I really want but have yet to get around to making and the other is for a bag that is smaller and quicker to knit and felt. The book has some very cute patterns. I even found several I would like to knit.
Not only did I get a pattern for a quick knit felted bag but Leslie also included bamboo circs, stitch markers and the wool yarn to make the bag with. In fact, there were two sets of stitch markers. Did you make these stitch markers Leslie? I am going to try to make some. I have the required supplies just not the how to knowledge yet. And there also are some Halloween chocolate candy balls wrapped in orange (see top photo of all the goodies) which are slowly disappearing.

Not only did I get goodies but there was a treat for Solara also. She has already lost one of the little balls.This is what she thinks of it all. She does have a thing for wool and for felted items. An hour after this photo and she is still sitting in the same position on all the swap goodies.
So where have I been all week?
I have been busy taking photographs of my stash (and I have lots more photographs to take) and playing on ravelry. Some of the photos I took I couldn't find when I tried to put them on ravelry. So I started deleting photos from flicker only to discover that it didn't take away from the amount you were allowed to upload each month on the flicker's free service despite the removal of photographs providing more space. Funny how some of the missing photographs did show up for me to use on ravelry but others didn't. So for now the monkey socks I did remain without a picture until November. I will be going back to ravelry later and putting some more stash and projects in. I have more books to list but they are not in the ravelry's database so I have to wait until they are in the database for me to list.

My whoduknit trick and treat swap has been received by my partner. I haven't received my package yet but it should be here shortly since Halloween is Wednesday. My monkey swap partner has a card to go and pick her package up or have it redelivered. We do not get re- deliveries even if it is the post office's mistake and someone was home waiting for the package. My monkey swap partner emailed me and told me she hopes to mail her package to me by the due date which is Wednesday. Tomorrow or Tuesday I will be mailing my KTS4 package out and my partner should be mailing hers about the same time. My package is going out a few days late but I had to wait to get money for the postage. Again there was more month than money. The package is otherwise ready to go. I have finished my Harvest Sock for my partner and after I washed it and put it in the dryer to bloom it is lovely and should fit her. At least I hope it does and that she likes it. Here is a photo of the finished sock. I love the colors of this sock.I am going to make something especially for her. All I can say is HEE HEE!! I also need to find a few treats to add to her package and it will be ready to be mailed.

I am quite upset with the Purl When Ready pattern and socks. The pattern is probably fine BUT.... I purchased the Opal "Tiger" yarn which I had Mona specifically order for me and it seems that there must have been another Opal "Tiger" sock yarn as I can't get the purl when ready sock pattern to work with this yarn. AND it seems that it really isn't the same color pattern as shown photograph with the?????? I have seen several other pairs of these socks knit at the Opal site and I really have to say this yarn does look different.

As I am doing my blog I have been thinking where oh where has the month of October gone? It seems just a few short days ago it was only the beginning of the month. Gheez. it seems as if only a short while ago it was summer. In fact, the year seems to have just flown by. I know 24 hours is still 24 hours and there are still 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour and a day continues to have only 24 hours. If that is still the truth and I haven't read anywhere of any changes than why does time seem to be going a lot faster? So if anyone has any ideas please let me know. I know what my grandmother would say. If that is true than I am afraid to go to sleep as I may wake up and I will be 100 years old or at least 80.

I will leave you with photos of my furchild doing what she does best, go in boxes. She really doesn't care if they are empty or have stuff in them. She just likes to sit in boxes. This is a box with clean clothes just out of the dryer and folded. What a life, eh?

WHERE SHOULD I START......?

....since I last wrote on Monday. How about Tuesday?

Tuesday was my knitting get together night. I really look forward to going to them. Imagine meeting in a bookstore and knitting. KNITTING and KNITTING BOOKS. How perfect can that be?
Shelagh gave a demonstration and instructions in how to do the Russian Join for those that didn't know how. AND, of course, there are photos of her doing that. Trust my handy dandy camera to know when it is needed. There is a link to the Russian Join on my sidebar. AND, of course, here are photos of some of the other gals Tuesday evening.


I didn't come home empty handed either. It seems I never do. I wonder who in the many many swaps I am in will get one of the magazines. The other will be mine. AND the book is mine all mine. I even have plans for several of the tea cozies and who they will be gifted to. There was something else purchased BUT I can't show a photo as that would give it away.

I did go to the doctor and had my head checked. I was told I could have a bruise on my skull. A hairline fracture and a subdural hematoma couldn't be felt. The twitching eye was another problem possibly but as the time is passing since I really banged my head the twitching of my left eye is slowly diminishing, I still think there was a correlation between the smacked head and the twitching eye. The area on my head is still sore especially if it is touched. I could feel a very small scab or something but I never got a goose egg and it never bled. I feel lucky that after hitting it so hard and almost loosing my balance, I didn't actually loose my balance and end up falling in my old fashion bathtub and knock the other side of my head.

Oh and on Thurday I mailed out my Monkey Sock Swap and my whoduknit Trick and Treat Swap.

Knitting Goodness

Thursday I received my second puffy from Susan L in the addictedtoknitdishcloth exchange where we send small exchanges to each other monthly for three months.
I received a lovely dishcloth she made with yarn I previously sent her in her first package. The pattern she chose is from the 365 Perpetual Calendar date October 24 called waves. I also received three packets of instant grits and four different teas. I have already had the first, a Jasmine Tea by Stash and it was yummy. Susan included some free patterns also.

Friday I received my third of four packages from Sharon in the yearly weluvknitting exchange. I received many items including three skeins of a wool blend yarn from Joanne's, a large cat calendar to hang on my wall and a mini size of the same to carry with me (sorry but I left it out of the photo). There was a fairy puzzle and some scrap book goodies but since I haven't opened the puzzle yet I don't know what they are. Sharon also send me Halloween candy (some wrapped to look like body parts but they sure tasted good) and some of it missed the photo but not my mouth. There were treats for my Solara to eat and play with.
I received a sewing tomato pin cushion with pins. Funny how I need these pins and good straight pins are very expensive. I told Paula she also needed pins when I was at her house last weekend. In the box were some Halloween spider tea lights, an autumn pumpkin candle in a tin, a board to put up and stick items in, and several postcards from Texas from when she visited family. I also got corn and soybeans but they were dried and dead. The last two items represented the part of the swap where she sends something from where she lives.
Here is a close up of the yarn I received from Sharon. I have been busy working on my Harvest Sock for my pal. I am knitting a Yukon Leaves pattern and here is a photo of how much I have completed so far. AND here is a close up of the sock leg. It is not a difficult pattern and reminds me a little of the monkey sock pattern. I hope my partner will like the pattern and the color choice and enjoy knitting the matching sock. I should have them competed soon and will then start the fun process of shopping for her. I have ideas. No hints.

I even have picked out my project for the whoduknit group October book Slipknot project. I have decided on what I will be making for Nancy who is part of the birthday club in the addictedtoknitdiscloth group. Her birthday is in December. I hope she likes it. I am ready to start on my Purl When Ready Socks. I even have decided on what is going in my SP 11 gift package #3. Oh and I have been slowly gathering goodies for my other swaps.

Friday I went out and delivered some Avon orders. I have only a few more to deliver. The weather wasn't that great yesterday either but I knew I needed to get it done and I waited until later in the afternoon when it had stopped raining. It may have been cool and drab out side but it was definitely not cool inside. Cooking soup certainly didn't help with the heat in my apartment. I had the window wide open. The radiators were blasting the heat as if the temperature was already 40 below zero outside. It really was a soup day even if was hot in the apartment. I made tomato hamburger macaroni cabbage soup based on my basic tomato macaroni soup. The recipe for the basic soup is below and you can adapt that to how you want.

Tomato Macaroni Soup

3 tbsp butter
2 large carrots “grated”
2 large onions diced
6 cups ripe tomatoes skinned and chopped
or
1 28 oz. can tomatoes diced (if whole need to break them up)
1 tbsp basil or to taste
oregano if desired to taste
¾ tsp sugar to taste
salt and pepper to taste
dill weed if desired
veggie or chicken bullions mixed with 6 cups water
(I have been known to use six packages of veggie powder and always more water since I tend to make a pasta dinner if I don’t add enough liquid)
¾ cup elbow macaroni*
OPTIONAL chick peas, hot sauce &/or even curry seasoning
(be creative and after you have made it once adapt it to your liking with other spices and veggies. I have even added some barley but then do add more broth.)

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven,
Add onions and carrots.
Cook till onions and carrots are soft.
Stir in tomatoes and seasonings.
Bring to a boil.
Simmer about 15 minutes.
Add broth mixture, hot sauce and bring to a boil.
Add macaroni.
Simmer until macaroni is cooked.

* If you add to much macaroni you will have a pasta dinner and not a soup.
**You may need to add more water.
*** You could even add hamburger and turn it into a hamburger soup.
The possibilities are endless. Believe me I know as I have had this recipe for years and have had it many different ways.

For the version I cooked yesterday I sautéed the onions and carrots in white cooking wine and the liquid from the onions. I did add hamburger and browned it with the carrots and onions. I also added a few shakes of hot sauce when I added the can of diced tomatoes. I used three of the double sized herb and garlic flavored bullion and I used nine cups of water. I added an entire small cabbage cut up. Then last minute I put a few spoons of pasta sauce in. I didn't have macaroni so I used penne pasta as that is all I had on hand. I even tossed in the remainder of a can of baked beans I had left after my dinner. So you see it is an all purpose type soup. It smells so good and tastes even better.

Genie came over last night while we gabbed and watched TV (Ghost Whisperer and Moonlight) she crocheted and I knitted on my Harvest Sock Pal's sock. We had some soup just to make sure it was tasty.

So now we are up to today. Today I cleaned the flatwear and draw in the kitchen, played on the computer and went out for dinner. My friend Lori picked me up and we went to Casa Grande to use up the last coupon for that restaurant in the 2007 Entertainment Guide. It gave us $17 off and we split the bill. We had the G-dfather pizza, the extra large hugh big giant size. Want to see it. Here it is. You can't see it clearly and need a larger closer up photo. I can accomodate that request. AND what we didn't finish we had the waiter divide it in half and took it home. I love left over pizza.

More knitting news
I have been accepted into The Hand Dyed Yarn Swap 2. This will be my third time dying yarn with Kool-Aid. I found a new swap the Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap. I have put the button and also a link on the side bar but sign ups aren't until Tuesday or Wednesday. It is by the same hostess who had the Fall Felted Bag Exchange and the Knit One Tea Too Color Swap. My questionnaire will be next in a seperate blog.

Last week I managed to share in some treasures that my friend Janice found. Look at the goodies and check out the prices for them. This first photo is of some Kid Mohair. There were five 20gram skeins in each package and I got two packages. They were $4.99/package of five.

This next photo is one of sock yarns. Now I must admit they were divided among two bags and the bags contained other different yarns (sayelles and fluffs) but the bags were again only $4.99 each. The top row of sock yarns in the photo are wool with some nylon and the top right also had a card with matching thread. The two bottom grey tweed sock yarns are a cotton blend. There were several balls of acrylic sock yarn and also several skeins of cotton that appear to be "Grace". All in all, I think it was a great bargain. Thanks Janice for finding it. This was not all she found. There was a rich blue mohair and I think an alpaca yarn but the color of that was just NOT me. Of course, there was yarn she kept for herself which was good it was in plastic or I may have drooled all over it.

Now before I close I want to thank you Andrea for your comment on why I couldn't get my photos uploaded. Here is what she found out and sent me

Blogger Status
Saturday, October 20, 2007

Blogger engineers are currently investigating problems with photo uploading, which is manifesting as the “bX-9pjt6o” error code when clicking on the image upload button.
Update, 9:00PM: This has been fixed. Photo uploading has resumed to normal operation.
Posted by Pete at 19:59 PDT

Closing with a photo of sleeping Solara. She is under my bed (a futon), lying on my linen which is in a zip up container where the zipper is broken. I have put a sheet over all the contents of the container as after I discovered this hiding spot I also discovered it was covered in cat fur. Now I only have to wash the top layer. I pulled it out enough to take the photo and I didn't even wake her when I pulled her out, took the photo and shoved her back under the bed.

THREE DAYS SINCE MY LAST POST

Where has the time gone? I can't believe how busy I have been these last three days during the day and during the evenings. Busy with errands, knitting and my Avon banquet.

I will start with:

Knitting Goodness

I received my ITE4 package from my angel Sarah in Arizona. AND what a great package she sent. She told me there was a surprise in the box. Sarah didn't send me just one bag she sent me two bags!!! She also sent a whole lot of goodies which included: three knitted mug rugs, size 3DPNs by Susan Bates, a Leisure Arts leaflet called Knit Beaded Bags, a row counter, note cards, a magnetic note pad, a miniature calendar, sticky notes, jelly Bellys, patterns for one of the tote bags and two skeins of Lion Brand Micro Spun yarn.

Here is a photo of the bag called a Bag of all Reasons which was designed by Sarah. Notice the bottle holder pocket. Clever very clever and the pocket will fit a 20 ounce bottle. Here is the inside of the bag showing the three pockets. You can also see the little toggle button closure. What doesn't show up is the little hook to put your keys or another item on you don't want to have fall to the bottom of the bag and get lost. The color is somewhat off also. She put really nice handles on this bag.
This is the second bag Sarah sent. It has knitted handles and doesn't have the water bottle pocket on the outside.
BUT it has several pockets on the inside. She knit them with double strands so they are nice and sturdy.
Thursday I received a puffy from my one of the group members in a pen pal group I belong to as this month I am Member of the Month (MOTM). In it was a looooong pen that can be twisted into different shapes, a mini pocket memo note book, note cards, and a kit to make 3D cards. I also received my journal back of which I was the first to write in. We each take turns and write in it for a week. Each time we send a journal around it belongs to a different member of the group. It is amazing to read what is happening in other people's lives and see how different our lives are yet how similar they are also.

Then this afternoon I received a UPS package. I was sure I wasn't expecting anything when I read the return address. It was from Yves Rocher. Yes Yes YES I know I sell Avon but I have to see what the competition sells and there are some items they sell I like. Also, I have a few friends that like Yves Rocher and Christmas is just around the corner. I was quite surprised it came by UPS though and not via good old Canada post. AND there were two identical 2007 catalogues???? HMMMMM

There is other goodness happening. Last night was my Avon banquet. I am working on my 10th year with Avon and 10 years in the President's Club. Next year I will receive a tribute for being with Avon for 10 years. Every year I get an anniversary card from Avon when that time of the year rolls around when I first signed up. I also get a birthday card and a Christmas card from them. They send gifts a few times during the year including a Christmas gift. All because I am in the President's Club. Well last night we had a lovely dinner at one of the city's fancy hotels. The food was delicious. I had hoped to take a photo of the dessert a chocolate cheesecake which was like a mousse in a chocolate cup with whipped cream, fruit decoration and a triangular shaped piece of chocolate. It was on a white plate with some coulee for decoration and it tasted great. I had hoped to take of photo of it but that is when the batteries of my camera died.

I did win a door prize at the banquet. Can you guess or even imagine what it was??? It was a red bag. I had a choice of a small one or a large one. Of course, you figured out I took the larger one. It has capital As all over it and was made especially for us by Avon. Here is another view. It has a lot of pockets, not that you can see them from these photos.
When I picked the larger bag of the two my manager Sue said to me, I knew you would pick that one.

That isn't all I got at the banquet. I was given a tea light candle holder and tea light candle especially made for those of us in President's Club,
a beautiful and large rhinestone pin which on the back says Avon 120th anniversary,
and a miniature Lady Albee of the larger one I will receive when I reach President's Club status again this year.

Then if that were not enough we were also given a bottle of the new Eau de Parfum that will be out in a couple of campaigns called ROUGE by Christian Lacroix. I like the smell of this new parfum. I am sorry it isn't a great photo. AND there is more news.

Well Andrea you may have put your Tuesday knitting photos in on Thursday but I am putting mine in on Friday. Tuesday was our monthly knitting get together. There were almost 20 of us knitting. Of course, I have a few photos of us knitting to share. Well us except moi as I was taking the photos. We are all mainly knitting except when we were having a good laugh. That is Andrea taking a photo of me taking a photo of her. Her photo of me is on her blog. I don't know how to link to her blog with her name so I have to do it the long way with a full link to her blog. Oh well, you really don't want to see a photo of me taking a photo of her so I won't bother putting the link in. HEE HEE!!

Pat, Janice and Andrea you look so serious. Aren't you having any fun? Janice I like that shirt you are wearing.Now to interrupt my own post what is that noise I hear??? Why it is my rad. The heat is on this evening. Hooray!

I was so busy yesterday I was only on the computer briefly in the morning. When I got on today and checked my email I found I got my Harvest Sock Swap Partner. I have already contacted her secretly and my partner contacted me secretly. WHOO HOO!!!!

Here is my furchild waiting for me to come out of the shower today so I can rub my wet feet on her fur.

How about a ravelry update?

Ravelry Update

I'M IN! YAY!!!!!!! You can find me under pennala. So far I have joined some groups, listed some of my books (they don't have all I have) and said hello to a few of the gals I know. I also have been browsing around. I will have to put my photos in flicker and then into ravelry. I could spend way tooooooooo much time there.

So until I write again.

OH IT'S COLD IN HERE

I know I promised to write yesterday but it was sooooo.... cold in my apartment my hands were frozen. They were so cold when I took a shower to warm up the hot water was burning my hands and yet I was shivering in the shower I was so cold. Thus, I had to go and dig out this!

A full view of my portable heater. A close up showing the heating element on low. You can even see a dent in I noticed last year and I don't remember doing anything to make that dent. It really does warm up the area, me and Solara as she will try to get right in front of it hogging the heat and warmth. In addition to the heater when I went to sleep I turned on the mattress pad heater and warmed up the gel pack. It definitely is colder in my apartment than it is outside.

It is so cold my Solara has been sitting on my lap and snuggling up in bed with me at night. Only she doesn't fit as well as when she was only a kitten now that she weights in at 12 pounds or close to it. She does seem to get shy a lot when the camera is on and I get lots of photos of her beautiful coat. She is sitting on my purple pants and black top. She sometimes does turn when I call her.
Now I promised some photos of her when she was a kitten.

This first photo is of a mug I received in a swap last year. As a kitten she looked just like this photo. And here she is as a kitten.



What do you think. Doesn't she look like the kitten on the mug?
I can always remember her baby kitten face when I see the mug.

This is a very cute photo of her trying to peak through the pull out draw which my keyboard sits on.

She also liked to sit on top of the monitor with the stuffed animals I have received from friends and in swaps. Can you find her?

Here is a clearer photo.
It must be the warmth of the monitor when I am using the computer.
Here she is trying to see what other mischief she can get into.
She does like to sit with her paws extended.


Paws extended on towel shelf behind the tub.


Look at those ears. It took a year for her to grow into them.
I wonder what she is looking at? There was nothing to see.
I love to sit in the sink she says with her paws extended.
So there you are lots of photos of my Solara Sprinkles.

Knitting news.
I heard from my secret pal who put a reply in my blog. She has sent her package to me. I would think I should have it by next week. My pal should be getting her giftie soon also. While I was out delivering some Avon this afternoon the postman in the truck came with a package and I missed him by about 8 - 10 minutes. Tomorrow I will add to my list of errands to stop at the postal outlet and see who it is from and find out what goodies I got. It could be my August pink and peach color swap or my first of three monthly exchanges from one of the groups I am in.
I did receive my cloth and food item today but I can't open it until Oct 1. In the love2knitdishcloth group we keep our packages until opening day and everyone opens them the at the same time. I will be mailing mine out either tomorrow or Friday.
My monkey socks are progressing alone nicely. One sock is up to the toe decrease and the other is up to the gusset decreases. My bag for the fall felted bag exchange is also moving along. It should be completed soon. Then I will knit a pocket, the strap and felt it. I know what treats I want to include and on Saturday I will pick up a couple items at Ram's during their sale and open house.
I did join the Harvest Sock Swap. I have a couple of socks I would like to do. Remember on this one you only knit one sock and send that sock, the remaining yarn and pattern for your partner to complete. You can find it here http://harvestsockswap.blogspot.com/ if you are interested in joining. Mention you found out about it from me and I will get an extra entry into the contest. You will also get an entry into the contest which is for skein of sock yarn and a set of custom made stitch markers when you enter and another entry for everyone you refer. It does close soon so hurry and decide so you don't miss out on it.
I heard from my angel in the ITE4 exchange who is going to send me my bag. Isn't she sweet. My original partner should be ashamed of herself for not full filling her obligation in the swap and taking her bag full of goodies and running.
My Angel Sarah from Arizona told me she doesn't felt. I told her that is fine. I would be happy with whatever she makes for me and am very thankful she is stepping in for my partner. I only told her nothing in orange, yellow, brown or lime green and no black licorice and I would be very happy. Hooray for angels!!!!

It remains cold in my apartment and I am once again having a dilemma of what to sleep in tonight, pj's or a long flannel nightie OR should I even take my clothes off??? I might freeze doing so. I do have the little heater on my me as I do this blog entry.

Ravelry Update
You signed up on July 6, 2007
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