2010 FIRST POST

Well - I thought I would get around to posting a Happy New Year wish to everyone but I never did.  Not sure what happened to my 3 day weekend but it just flew by.  I spent a lot of time sitting in my wool room and organizing my yarn stash.  I have an exciting announcement about my yarn stash but I am going to wait until things are actually in place before I mention it in blog land.

I got a neat plate from Cazan redware back in December - one for me and one for my rug hooking guild exchange gift.  A good friend got my gift and I was SO glad - I know she likes pottery pieces so that was perfect.  I know lots of you got the personalized sampler plate but I thought the rug hooker one would be great for my wool room.  The tiny little acorn is a gift from DF Henrietta - she did the felted bottom and put a real acorn cap on top - tooooo cute!

I got these beautiful hand knit wool socks from DF Kris.  I think she said the yarn was plymouth happy feet for those curious knitters out there.  Will sure need them this week - we are having a "real" cold snap this week with night time temps in the low 20's all week.  It normally doesn't get that cold and doesn't stay that cold for this long - sure hope I don't lose my palms by the pool but they are covered with plant blankets. The angle of the photo makes them look HUGE - my feet are not nearly that big

I know I must sound like a broken record - all I have been doing is knitting.  We have so little "real winter" weather here is North Florida - I try to hit the wooley things very hard in the fall and winter months.  Speaking of wooley things - my annual "Off the Ocean" rug hooking conference starts in a little less than 2 weeks - I love this camp being in January - traditionally January was always a depressing month for me - a big let down after all the holiday activities, festive occasions to attend, beautiful decorations, food and more food and then the big wall hits - JANUARY - a time to dither about gaining weight, buckling down to a more strict schedule, what I did not accomplish in the previous year - yadda yadda - Having rug camp in January for the past 10 years has helped me pull out of the post holiday funk - I start looking forward to camp in the fall and usually have my project picked out and am working with my teacher on the color plan way in advance of the big day - the start of rug camp - I'll post more about that later.

Here is one last photo for you - this is a cowl with a bobble border on the top and bottom of the cowl.  It is knit on 13 needles which I definitely do NOT care for and a lovely hand dyed icelandic wool by Blue Moon Fibers - the pattern is from Knitty.com for all the knitters out there.  I saw this on a blog for a shop in Atlanta that I visited last February Knitch - it was so neat I knew I had to make one.  So I called them and had them ship me the wool.

This progress was all in 2 evenings - about 6 hrs total - that's why a lot of people like using big needles - you get instant gratification.  I hope to have it finished soon but I got the stink eye from Jody on Saturday night when he realized I was not hard at work on his scarf.  You know the one that was for christmas LOL - Last night I picked up some stitching and he definitely could tell I was NOT knitting on his scarf so I had to get busy as he said in the "oh so pitiful" voice that he could "really" use that scarf right now it was so cold.

So many blogs I read talk about new starts.  I dithered about this so long that I finally just gave up and did start something new on NYD - I started the Elizabeth Bechtel sampler by Essamplaire - it is a Schwankfelder (sp may not be correct) sampler from PA.  It has the silks in the kit but I changed the linen out to R&R Iced Cappuchino - I just did not care for the starkness of the kit linen.  It is sure a pretty sampler and I hope to devote a little time to her but my main focus this year will be the sampler for my folks anniversary - I'm about ready to show another progress photo.  Maybe I can get a little more done on it before I do.

Well - it's time to wish you all health and happiness in the new year - many happy stitches too.  I enjoy all your blogs very much and the friendship you offer me thru your comments and support.