Amazing Lace Challenge #5

Do you ever get to the point where you’ve knit so much lace that you start seeing lace everywhere? A sunset reminds you of the colorway of your shawl; iron scrollwork on a bridge reminds you of the lace motif on your lacy socks; your eyes can immediately spot a flash of lace a mile away?

In honor of that slightly crazed I-see-lace-everywhere mental state that’s a symptom of obsessive lace knitting, your challenge is to post one photo on your blog in which your lace is a hidden or unexpected part of the picture.

So...okay - Where's My Lace?

Knitpicks Package

Look what the mailman brought today! 5 skeins of Knitpicks Memories - 2 in Geranium and 3 in Morning Glory. The Geranium is for a bowl for my Whoduknit project (although it seems like the moderators of that forum have gone missing!) I thought it would resemble the pottery made in the southwest, where this month's book, Tooth of Time, takes place. I'm not sure about the Morning Glory yet, but it was just so pretty!

International Friendship Quilters

I don't do much sewing anymore (too busy knitting!), but I do belong to the International Friendship Quilters Forum
I've participated in a few of their simple swaps, that did not involve too much talent and have made some great friends from all over the world. I haven't participated lately, but decided to sign up for their "Christmas in July" swap - a handmade Christmas ornament. Since I already have a large collection of hand made Christmas ornaments from my sewing days, this will be an easy one, so I signed up for two ornament exchanges. The best part about these exchanges is the very interesting letters that come with them. These are the ornaments that I will be swapping with two different IFQ members. They are both made with felt, hand sewed and hand beaded and embroidered.

One Skein Swap Package

My final OSSP package is ready to go! I knit and felted this circular needle case (Family Circle Easy Knitting Holiday 2005) from one skein of Patons Classic Marino Wool in blue denim, plus some leftover blue for the trim and lined it with a blueberry print fabric. I filled it with sock-shaped point protectors, a knitting needle and stitch gauge, blueberry candles, handmade beaded stitch markers,and an Inox circular needle. I am also enclosing "Knitting to Go", 25 Chic and Easy Patterns by Kris Percival. This swap has been a lot of fun!

KTC Summer Book Swap

I have my package for my KTC SP just about ready to mail, so it will arrive the first week in August. I had a hard time deciding which book to send, but finally chose two. I chose mysteries because that is the genre that she likes. One is Sue Grafton's "S is for Silence" and the other is Mary Higgins Clark's "On the Street Where You Live". They are both sort of about women who travel (although it is a stretch!) and are authors that my SP has not read, so I hope that she will like them! I added a couple of paperback books (gently used) just for fun, because they take place in Maine. One is Sarah Graves' Triple Witch which takes place in Eastport, Maine, a fishing village very much like the one I live in, and the other a Jessica Fletcher book, which of course takes place in the fictional Cabot Cove, Maine. I'm adding some 'travel accessories' to the package. A handmade beaded bookmark, a book light, some Knit One, Pearl Two mohair yarn in her favorite colors, two scarf patterns that she can make from the yarn, a small crochet booklet, and some tea, all packed in a small hand-knit felted tote bag. This swap was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed putting the package together. I am pretty sure that she has not found out who I am, so I think it is safe to post this here!

One Skein SP Package!

I returned home from a vacation yesterday to find a package from my OSSP! Since she will be on vacation the next several weeks, she included both the July and August gifts. For July, there was not ONE but TWO skeins of the softest alpaca yarn in my favorite color. It's Knit Picks Decadence in Spring Leaf. The kind of yarn that you just want to hug! She also included a pattern for "I'll Pack a Hat" from Knit Picks. Then for August, she sent two felted bowls, which I just love! The colors are just great. Thank you so much Mary Lynn. You've been a wonderful SP, and I have enjoyed our e-mails over the last two months. I hope now that you are not a secret anymore, we can continue to keep in touch!

I Don't Do Windows

I just returned from a week long visit to New Jersey and I actually did not pick up a knitting needle the whole time! I will have some pictures up soon, but in the meantime I will leave you with this advice. And a few laughs

Wine Bottle Tote

I finished the wine bottle tote for my sister. Does the needle felting look anything like grapes to you???? The tote was simple. I used two strands of Paton's classic wool, and CO 50 stiches on a #11 16" circular needle. Knit around until it is 22" tall, then start decreasing for the bottom. The handle is a 36" I-cord, cut in half after it is felted, and then threaded through the bag (like the Booga bag).

I also finished the place mats for my other sister. I'm not thrilled with them, I should have used a better quality cotton yarn. Maybe I will tell her they are dishclothes. If I made them again, I would knit knit them lengthwise and leave all the ends as fringe instead of weaving them all in.

And the KTC WH Project Winner is.....

Not me :( Although I did have a lot of nice comments on my baby bonnet and my reasons for knitting it for this project. The winner was my favorite project,
Key Fobs by Hope. She is very clever and she won a skein of very pretty yarn.
But - I was a winner today too! I met a friend for lunch and we walked by a yard sale on the way- look what I took home! The whole stack cost me $10.50, so I feel like I hit the jackpot!

KTC Summer Book Swap

This was the invitation from Amanda for the Knit the Classics summer swap

Swap time -- Women travelers

Since both of our summer KTC choices feature women on journeys, our Summer Swap theme will be "Women Travelers." The heroine might be on vacation or on business, traveling for pleasure or for adventure, circumnavigating the globe or flying to another galaxy! Use your imaginations...Would you like to come along?

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Of course I'd like to come along! I have already received the name of the person I will be sending to and after receiving her questionnaire I was quite surprised to learn that her favorite books were "Vampire" novels! But after several e-mails back and forth she has convinced me that she is a 'normal person'(her words!) and a very interesting one at that. I have a pretty good idea about which book I will be sending her (it won't be a Vampire book - she's read them all!), and just have to come up with some 'accessories' to go with it.
I also heard from my 'upstream' - but only once. So, if you are lurking out there and reading this - Hi!

Shopping Trip

I made a trip up to the big city (Bangor) yesterday to pick up a few things I need. I DID NOT need any yarn. I have too many WIPs right now, and have all the yarn I need to make them. But - as I was walking by A.C. Moore on my way to Kohls, I saw they were having a sidewalk sale. There were lots of little crafty things on sale, so I picked up a bunch to take down to NJ with me for my nieces and nephews. Well - you probably won't believe this, but these two balls of yarn jumped into my cart.
They were both marked $9.99, marked down to $2.00. I thought they were too cute to put back on the table, so I took them home with me. I have no idea what I'll do with them. One is a skinny shiny ribbon yarn and the other some kind of bumpy yarn. I guess I could always use them for gift wrapping, if nothing else. Then I stopped at Borders to pick up a couple of books. I DID NOT need any more knitting magazines - again I have more projects right now than I can handle, but I did kind of glance at the magazine rack. These little sheep puppets jumped out at me - how adorable. the magazine is "Spin-Off"by Interweave. I don't spin - but I love the idea of it, and besides, I'm sure it is not against the law to use store bought yarn for the sheep puppets. I will probably even cheat and use self patterning sock yarn for them, as the patterns seems quite complicated.
There were some other cute patterns in it too - one for a beaded change purse, and another for a cute crocheted bag that hangs on your wrist and is used to hold a ball of yarn while knitting. I don't know if I would ever make it, or use it - but cute!
So, that magazine came home with me too.



And last, but not least, I rescued my son's Beta fish from his apartment to 'fish sit' while he is away for a couple of weeks.

Rainy Day Musings

Another rainy day in Maine! I have had to put aside my other projects, including poor little Miss Surie Lace to work on some gifts to bring down to New Jersey. My daughter and I, along with my three grandchildren are driving down to visit family and friends. One project is a set of placemats that I'm making for my sister. I'm making four and have one finished and another started. They are very colorful and summery and I think she will like them. Another is Cupcakes - yes cupcakes! for my friend and my SIL. I am almost finished with them - just have to add some sprinkles and a couple of cherries. I'm going to get some plastic bakery boxes to present them in. For my other sister, I'm planning on making a felted wine tote, and if I have time, some glass cozies. We are leaving in 10 days, so that doesn't give me much time, but I figure I can work on the placemats and drink cozies on the way down, when I'm not driving of course. And, while I sit here waiting for pictures to load I am working on Day #2 of the July dishcloth KAL. No clue what it is yet, but I'm guessing it's something to do with summer, and the suggest color was light blue - so maybe that's water, and it's a boat?
I also started reading Sue Henry's Tooth of Time for the Whodunkint KAL. I'm enjoying it so far - the setting is in New Mexico and revolves around a fiber shop there, which really exists called Weaving Southwest What a yummy selection of yarns and fibers! I'd like to get in my Winnebego and head there right now! But of course I don't have a Winnebego.
But - I do have a 'camp' - that is a tiny cottage on a lake in the Maine woods. We actually got some sunshine yesterday and my son, Steven, and I headed up there to check out the progress that my husband is making on the addition (which is bigger than the camp!)

Upper Middle Branch Lake

The first picture is the camp - you can see the addition going up behind it. We have to build in the back because of the state law against building any closer than 100 feet to the water. The camp is already closer than that (grandfathered), but the addition cannot be. The addition will include two bedrooms, a loft, and a screen porch. I'm really looking forward to the screen porch, since bugs and the Maine woods go hand in hand. The next two are views of the addition Steve and his friend Tim have been working hard on. The last is a picture of the lake - Upper Middle Branch lake, our dock and Steve's fishing boat.