How Does Your Garden Grow?

Mine is growing with kool-aid dyed yarn, tote bags, and a hat that turned into a bowl (more about that later!)


I tried something new with the kool-aid dyeing this morning. I wanted to use a single color, but make it in variegated shades. So I mixed up the kool-aid in a pitcher and lowered 1/3 of the yarn into it for 5 minutes, than another 1/3 for a few more minutes,

then the rest of it for just a few seconds. Then I transferred it to an oblong pyrex baking dish that would fit in the microwave and microwaved as usual. I love the variation on the blue and green. The red is variegated but you can't see it as much.

A Blank Canvas

I finished knitting the tote for my ITEIV Pal, gave it a bath And now it's drying. I know it doesn't look like much right now, but just think of it as a blank canvas just waiting to be embellished! I was going to embellish with sewn on felted flowers, but now it's just calling out to me to be needle felted. While it's drying I started another bag - just in case this one doesn't turn out like the picture in my head! I'm making "Jayne's AP Bag" in colors that my pal says she likes. When they are both done I'll decide which one I think she will like the best - maybe I will let you all vote on it?

Virtual Vacation Swap Button

Knitters Virtual Vacation Swap

Knitter's Virtual Vacation Swap Questionnaire

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1. If you could visit any state in the US, which would it be? Alaska - I've always wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise. My sister and her husband went on one and had a great time - the pictures looked fascinating.
2. If you could visit any country in the world, other than your own, which would it be and why? Ireland. My ancestry is Irish. I love the history, the old castles, and of course the Irish yarn!
3. Have you ever driven across several states/providence/countries? I've driven from Maine to New Jersey many times, across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada, and across Morocco and Spain many years ago.
4. Have you ever visited someplace you consider exotic? Yes
Where was it? I would have to say Morocco - but it really wasn't a visit as I lived there for two years when my husband was stationed there.

5. What was your favorite "travel" vacation? I think I'd have to say a trip with my husband to Nova Scotia. It was a very relaxed trip with no schedule or deadlines, and the scenery was breathtaking, especially in Cape Breton.
6. Have you ever played tourist in your own home city/state (if international, country)? Oh yes! Explain. My sister is an avid traveler and when she travels, she wants to see everything there is to see. So whenever she visits in Maine, we find someplace we have never been before and 'play tourist'. One of my favorite places to play tourist is just across the bay from me in Bar Harbor.
7. Are you a museum visitor, beach comer or an amusement seeker? A little bit of each.

8. What's your favorite type of yarn? I love them all! I'm really not a yarn snob. I seem to use Cascade, Galway, Noro a lot, but I love to try new and different yarns.
9. What's your least favorite type of yarn? Red Heart Super Saver :)
10. What items do you like to knit/crochet? Mostly, I love to make felted items - bags, hats, slippers, etc. I also knit scarves, socks, washcloths, baby items, shawls (but not lace).
11. What do you pack, knit/crochet wise when you go on vacation? Small projects like socks or washcloths.

12. What other crafts do you do/would like to do other than Knit/Crochet? I've loved crafts all my life - but right now, other than knitting, it's mostly scrapbooking, card making, and some beading.
13. Are you allergic to anything? (Yarn wise or treat wise) Not yarn or treats, but smoke, perfume and cats.
14. What is your favorite color? Blue
Least Favorite? I really like all colors - but if I have to pick one, guess it would be yellow.
15. Sweet or Savory (Treat not personality)? Sweet!!!
16. Anything else we are forgetting to ask that you think your partner desperately needs to know. The best part of any swap is getting to know your pal, so I hope that you will be in touch often. Other than that - have fun!

Swaps

I'm participating in two fun swaps right now. The first one is the Whoduknit Mystery Bottle Swap. The bottle swap is a lot of fun. You have to stuff as much as you can into a 2 liter bottle and mail it to your secret pal. The mystery part is - how do you get all of this

into this....

Well, the answer is ...you can't. But I got most of it in and my bottle is ready to mail - that's right, you just put a mailing label on it and send the bottle through the mail.

The second swap is the International Tote Exchange IV. I did ITEII and ITEIII and they were both great swaps with great pals that I still keep in touch with. This time around I am a hostess, which means I have a group of ladies that I had to match up and be responsible for during the swap. After reading my pal's questionnaire, asking her a lot of questions, and looking through every knitting book, magazine, and on-line site I have bookmarked, I finally decided on a pattern and yarn for the tote that I am going to make. The yarn is a little dark in the picture - it's actually a little lighter than that. And I'm making it in a solid color - then embellishing it either with needle-felting, or felted flowers.

I've been resisting other swaps because too many can get confusing (and expensive) - but when I came across this one..well... I just couldn't resist! Besides, the other two will be finished by the time this one needs to be mailed - and no actual knitting is involved. It's a Virtual Vacation swap - you've got to check this one out!

When Good Yarn Goes Bad!

It's not a pretty sight! I was trying to make a plum color. My first try resulted in a faded blue look, so re-dyed and tried adding some 'berry punch'. It actually looks a lot worse than it does in the picture. Do they make black kool-aid?

Kool-Aid Dyeing Progress

It's 84 degrees and sunny out - everyone else in town is out planting gardens, mowing lawns, etc. But not me.....I'm dyeing yarn! This is so easy, I just couldn't believe it. Especially with Vigdis' wonderful tutorial which you can find here . (Directions are in Norwegian and English - click on the first picture to begin) I admit I didn't follow her directions to the letter. First of all, I didn't have any plastic gloves, so I used plastic bags on my hands - hey it worked, I only have a few stains on my fingers! I didn't use the vinegar because I didn't have any plain and didn't think balsamic would work! But that didn't seem to matter. And... I didn't take her advice about starting with only two colors - I tried, but couldn't resist adding a third. I used Knitpicks 'bare' yarn 100% wool, and Berry Blue, Watermelon Cherry and Grape Kool-aid. I tried to dye two skeins the same so I would have enough for a large scarf or shawl. The small skein is some leftover white Cascade wool that I died with the Watermelon Cherry. It should dry fast in the sun and warm breeze that's blowing (see the pretty dandelions growing in my yard? :)

Oh, and one more thing I ignored Vigdis' warning about - dyeing yarn with kool-aid can become addicting.....off to buy some more kool-aid!

And the finished product - dry and rewound.

MEME

I've come across this MEME on several blogs and decided to try it, although I did change a couple of things.

Mark with bold the things you have knit at least once, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.


Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens:
Cuff-upMittens
Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a weddingHousehold items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) using magic loop
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/feltingKnitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
EntrelacKnitting
purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linenKnitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories

Dyed in Kool-Aid

My friend Vigdis in Norway has become addicted to Kool-aid! She doesn't drink it though - she dyes yarn with it. The problem is that she can't get Kool-aid in Norway. So her friends on Whoduknit have been sending it to her by the planeload! I sent her a bunch - and look what I got in the mail today - isn't it beautiful! And with her own label too. Can you believe that was dyed with kool-aid in her kitchen! she has the directions on her blog.





Do you know what the wooden thing in the picture is? Well, I have to admit I didn't either until I asked - isn't this just the greatest idea? And Vigdis makes these too!

I'm inspired to attemped my own dyeing, and have my supplies all ready. Just have to find the time to do it!

Beautiful Day!

Today was a beautiful day! We went out for breakfast with my daughter and her family. It was a buffet, and the easiest thing to do with the kids, since they don't have to wait and can eat as much as they want. They gave me a gift certificate to the Dress Barn - it will be fun to shop for some summer clothes. I gave her a gift certificate to Victoria Secret, as she is a pretty sexy daughter and the mother of my beautiful grandchildren!
Then home to watch the Red Sox game. The Orioles were on top 5-0 in the 9th, and the Sox came back and scored 6 runs to win the game! My son called from Texas to tell me that he had arranged that for my Mother's Day gift. (in other words he was too broke to send flowers LOL) While I watched the game I knit my own flowers from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flower's book, which I bought with my 50% off A.C.Moore coupon - a Mother's Day gift to myself.

Now DH is cooking dinner - something involving pork and pears. And tonight - the Survivor Finale. You see, it really doesn't take much to make me happy :)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

For my mom, who has been gone for 15 years, but lives on in the hearts of all of us who loved her,

...... and for all mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in
their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry
Kool-Aid saying, "It's alright honey, Mommy's here."

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who
can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair
and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween
costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And
the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. And for the
mothers who lost their baby in that precious 9 months that they will never
get to watch grow on earth but one day will be reunited with in Heaven!

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on
their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at
football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their
cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could
say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. For
all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And
then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their
shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted
for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their
daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little
voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring
are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach
aches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get
calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them
up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the
words to reach them.

This is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or
children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally
unappreciated!

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their
14-year-olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the
mothers of those who did the shooting.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad
hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a
shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you
feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street,
walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you
from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the
back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2
A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are
safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and
hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child
dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young
mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation... And
mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all.

For all of us.

Hang in there.

In the end we can only do the best we can.

Tell them every day that we love them.

And pray.

Please pass along to all the Moms in your life.

"Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."

My Lucky Day (yours too?)

I just found out I won the prize for the "Life's Importance" Necklace that I made for my KTC Joy Luck Club project.
Four skeins of this lovely cotton blend yarn and a mahjong bracelet!
Today, I also received the autographed copy of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Cast Off that I won on the Unknitted Blog. Thanks again so much girls!
Patty received the package I sent for the Whoduknit Spring Swap. I had posted a little contest on my blog to guess what I made from the yarn she sent me. Unfortunately no one guessed - that was a pretty safe bet! Here is what is was:
Glass cozies! Patty lives in Florida and has an 'oasis' in her back yarn - a cozy place where she goes to read. So I sent some things for her to enjoy in her oasis. I had fun knitting the glass cozies - each one was a different pattern. Even though no one guessed correctly- I do appreciate those of you who took the time to try - so I did a random drawing - and Vicki (Dandy)'s name came out! A cool windsock will be on it's way to you Vicki.
I love contests!!!

The Glass Castle

Believe it or not, I don't always read mysteries! I just finished reading an amazing book called The Glass Castle - a memoir by Jeannette Walls who is a regular contributor to MSNBC. It's a true story about growing up in poverty -in the most unbelievable circumstances - in a loyal but dysfunctional family, and overcoming all the odds against her. I highly recommend it!

Whoduknit Mystery Swap

I received my swap package today from Patty today and I love it! I really didn't give her that much to work with - I followed the rules and sent her just one small skein of fingering weight alpaca yarn in a pretty shade of blue/green, that I loved, but didn't know what to do with. I can't believe what she did with it!!

She made me this beautiful crocheted collar, which I really love, a pretty smelling sachet, and a cute bookmark.

She also sent this beautiful crocheted doily - she does such beautiful work! There is no way I could ever make anything like this!

The books she included were Rumble on the Bayou by Jana DeLeon, and (I laughed when I saw this one) Murder Can Depress Your Dachshund. I think Marielle (her doxie) must have put that one in the package. There was also some yummy candy and chocolate, which I managed to get a picture of before sampling.
Thank you so much Patty - this was a great package - I love everything!

Whoduknit Spring Mystery Swap

Patty's package for the Whoduknit Spring Mystery Swap is ready to go. Here is the yarn she sent -two skeins of a beautiful Artyarns Supermerino handpainted yarn, from which I had to knit something for her.

And...this is what is going back to her. Any guesses?

Well - of course there's a prize for a correct guess! And it's a duplicate of one of the items in the box!

A little knitting

It doesn't seem like I have had much knitting progress lately. But here are a few small FOs.
The first is my KTC project for The Joy Luck Club. I loved the book and wanted to make something that would remind me of it. Jing-mei is one of the characters in the book and shortly before her mother died she gave Jing-mei, her "Life's Importance," a 2" long apple green jade pendant, on a gold chain. Jing-mei put the pendant away until after her mother, Suyuan, died. Then she realized the great meaning behind the pendant and wore it every day. When Suyuan began telling her life's story to Jing-mei, she unraveled yarn from old sweaters as she unraveled her tale. So I knit the cord for my pendant from an unraveled black sweater to symbolize the past. I added a strand of metallic gold to represent their hopes for great riches in their new country. As I knit the I-cord and moved the stitches up the needle and down the needle it reminded me of the hilly streets of San Francisco, where they lived. The cord is bumpy in places, like the lives of the families in the book. The magnetic closure is the tie that binds the families in this book together. So...here is my "Life's Importance"


The next FO is the teeny tiny felted bag made from one skein of Noro. My granddaughter loved it!






I also finished my project for the Whoduknit Spring Swap - but can't post the picture until Patty has received it.
Now I am working on this felted bag. I'm making it in blue/pink/purple/green.
And that's my knitting update!

International Tote Exchange IV

International Tote Exchange IV has begun! I enjoyed the last two Tote Exchanges so much that I'm going to be a hostess for this one!

You’re invited to join International Tote Exchange IV. We hope you will decide to participate. So how does it work? You will make a tote/purse/handbag for your Secret Pal and a different Secret Pal will make a tote for you. The "totes" can be big or small, knit or crochet, felted or not - whatever you want to make. If you are interested please go to the blog http://internationaltotexchangeiv.blogspot.com/ and read the rules. If still interested, send an e-mail as described below. Hurry! Sign-ups close 05/15/2007.
The Sign-up Process:
Send an email to ToteExchangeHostesses gmail com Please include:
Your full name
Email address
Blog address (if applicable)
Blog Signature (e.g. Deb Brown is how my blog posts appear)
Street address
Phone number
This information will only be available to the Hostesses and your Secret Pal.
We will send you an invitation to join the blog.
Join the blog.
Complete the questionnaire and post your responses to the blog no later than 05/15/2007
Sit back and wait for partner assignment!

Red Sox 7 - Yankees 6

Congratulations Jeff! Jeff's guess of Red Sox 8 - Yankees 6, was the closest. (You must have been watching the game Patty). There were some other really close guesses - thank you all for playing!

Some scenes from Saturday's baseball party.



(I support two teams - the Red Sox and whoever beats the Yankees)

Contests

Karen, Kim, and Kris are three sisters who knit and have a wonderful blog (that you should visit!) called "Unknitted". This month they celebrated their 3 month blogiversary with a contest. To enter the contest all you had to do was comment on their blog. For every comment you made, your name would go into the drawing for an autographed copy of The Yarn Harlots new book

AND GUESS WHO WON!!!! I'm so excited I'm going to have my own contest!
If you read my blog, you know that I am an avid Red Sox fan. Today they play their ultimate rival, the NY Yankees. My sister and her husband (Yankee fans) are visiting from NJ, so we are having a Red Sox/Yankee party this afternoon complete with ballpark food - hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, etc. It is such a beautiful day I wish we could take the t.v. outside! I also have a little contest going on during the game -guess the final score - 25 cents a guess, closest wins the money. So, I thought I'd let you all in on it. You don't even have to pay the 25 cents. Just guess the final score of Sunday night's Red Sox/Yankee game and you will win - what else - but some 'sox' yarn. One skein of Magic Stripes sock yarn - enough to make a pair of socks - not red socks - but socks nonetheless. To enter - post your guess for the final score and winner of tomorow night's Red Sox/Yankee game as a comment to this post before the start of the game at 8 p.m.(Eastern time). Good Luck!

What's that Yellow Thing in the Sky?

There was a strange yellow ball in the sky today - I heard some rumors that it might be the sun!!!
My sister and her DH are visiting from NJ and although they had a very wet drive up, it seems like they brought some sunshine with them. We had a pleasant day today. A drive out to Schoodic Point which looks relatively undamaged except for a lot of trees being down. The waves have subsided, but there were no fishing boats in sight. Then we went into town and had lunch, stopping on the way home at a used book store, where I picked up Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh. We are reading another one of her books, Died in the Wool, on Whoduknit in May. I have that book ordered on paperback.com. If you like to read and have lots of books to trade, you should check out that site. Then we stopped at Shirley's Yarns and Crafts- my favorite LYS. I was good - didn't buy any yarn! But I did visit, pet, and squeeze a lot of it. Pat bought some pretty fuzzy stuff to make a scarf with. We got back to my house in time to see the Red Sox win game three of their series with Toronto. Tomorrow.....Red Sox/Yankees at Fenway - what could be better!

Wild and Woolly, but Not White!

The storm that has come pounding up the east coast has reached us. Some parts of Maine are getting up to 10 more inches of snow! But, here on the coast at least, it is rain - torrential rain, and high winds, flooding and power outages. The ocean is roaring, and I'm anxious to go up to Schoodic Point and get some pictures of it in all of its awesome glory - but...I think I'll probably stay home and knit today instead! Maybe tomorrow I'll have some pictures to share. It's a holiday here -
Patriots' Day (celebrated in Maine and MA) and the beginning of my spring break (not looking much like spring!). I'm working on a project for my Whoduknit Spring Mystery Swap Pal. It's a fun swap, where pals exchange a skein of yarn, and then knit something with it, and send it back along with a book. I can't tell you what I'm knitting, since it's not a secret swap and she reads my blog - but here is a peek:

How to get to Paris

1. go to www.google.com
2. click on "maps"
3. click on "get directions"
4. type your city and state in the first box (the "from" box)
5. type "Paris, France" in the second box (the "to" box)
6. click on "get directions" again
7. scroll down and read the directions

Have a good trip!

(Thanks Vicki)

And the babies keep coming!

Introducing the newest member of my extended family - my great neice Giana:

I'm working on some girly versions of the Mason Dixon bibs for her.

Happy Easter

I don't know if the Easter Bunny will find his way here in all of this snow (if he's smart he hip hopped down to Florida and is sunning himself by a pool), but if he does I'm ready. The plastic Easter eggs are stuffed with goodies and are ready to hide, the baskets are brimming over, and the ham is in the oven. The sun is shining but the ground is still white, so it will be an indoor hunt this year! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Snow Day

We didn't have a white Christmas, but looks like we will have a white Easter! 18" of snow today - more than we have had all year. School was closed, so I had the day off. The bad news is that we will have one more day added to the school calendar, the good news was that I got to watch the new Red Sox Ace - Dice K - the multi-million $ pitcher win his first game. We are going to celebrate the spring snow and the Red Sox win by grilling some steaks on the outdoor grill - why not!
We have some friends who live here in the summer and go to Arizona in the winter. They play golf every day and complain about the hot weather - so my DH posed for this picture to send them - It's supposed to be him playing a few rounds of golf - hitting a ball out of a snow trap.

The mail did make it through today and I received a package from my Whoduknit Spring Mystery Swap partner, Patty. In this swap, partners send each other a skein of yarn and then they knit something for their partner from this skein and then mail it back. Patty sent me two beautiful skeins of Artyarns Supermerino handpainted yarn. She also included some goodies - a beautiful washcloth in the colors of Easter eggs, a darling little lamb Pez dispenser (I think my 7 year old granddaughter will claim that!) an Egypt key ring, a reminder of the Whoduknit January book, which took place in Egypt, and CHOCOLATE! Guess she knows I'm a chocoholic. So, I spent part of my snow day looking through knitting books and magazines trying to decide what to make with the yarn that she sent. Any ideas? It's worsted weight - super wash, so no felting, and each skein is 104 yards - so 208 altogether. I have a couple of ideas - but would love to hear yours. She received the yarn I sent to her today too. A skein of fingerweight alpaca yarn in a pretty aqua color that I had no idea what to do with. I can't wait to see what she will make with it. She crochets, so I'm hoping for something crocheted.

Do you think we could just postpone Easter for a week????

Belated April Fool's Joke

That's what Mother Nature is playing on us this morning! And I can't say I care much for her sense of humor!

Bobble Heads

ROTFL - You are all very creative!
Yes, they are announcers - but not Monday Night Football - that is finally over and the Patriots won the Super Bowl (just checking to see if you are paying attention Cathy and Linda!)
Not - Rowan and Martin - (but at least I know you are in my generation!)
Don't know who Bill Rafferty and Dick Vitale are - but good guess since we've just gone through March Madness (but I'm not a basketball fan unless my grandchildren are playing)
Kim came pretty close - "Dave McCarty and Jerry Remy, and the hint about April 2nd would be Boston's Red Sox opening day!!"
But, Stephanie said it best "OK I think the guy with the mustache is Jerry Remy and the other guy is Don Orsillo; together they comprise the play-by-play announcer team for the one and only Boston Red Sox."

Yes - those bobble heads are Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo - two of my favorite guys in the whole world (and they don't even knit!). They announce the Red Sox games on NESN. And today was opening day. (My son -an avid Red Sox Fan gave me the bobble heads for Christmas.) For the next six months, we here in Red Sox Nation, will be living the disfunctional life of Red Sox fans, as evidenced by today's game. I will survive the season by knitting while watching the games - maybe even knitting red sox!

So...the winner is Stephanie - and the runner up is Kim! Thanks for playing!

Who are these bobble heads?

Do you know who these bobble heads are? If you do, e-mail me at grammieknits@yahoo.com before midnight on Monday, April 2 (that's a hint!) and tell me their names and what they do, and I'll send you some personalized knitting notecards!

On and Off the Needles

Off the needles: Striped tote from One Skein - 20 x 20 before felting. Then - OMG, what happened to it? It practically disappeared. I've knit this bag twice before, using the same yarn (Paton's wool) and I had the timing down pat for felting. The only thing I can think of is that we had a new boiler installed and the water must be a lot hotter than before. It felted down to 8 x 10 - it's cute and it's sturdy! I think it's too plain though. I will probably either do some needle felting on it or add some felted flowers.

Never Trust a Pull Skein!

I usually don't. I usually wind them up from the outside. But this one seemed to pull out easily and smoothly - right! Until about half-way through when it ended up in a tangled knot.

I had to cut and wind and finally ended up with three balls of yarn that will have to be spliced together. It's going to become a striped tote from One Skein. I'm using Paton's wool in a variegated blue, tan, brown color (do you recognize it Rose?) Never trust a pull skein!

Secret Leprechaun

The staff at my school does SP swaps once a month for one week as part of our wellness program. Although some think it is silly, there are a group of us who appreciate swaps for what they are (bringing a smile to someone's face, making their day a little bit more special, giving a boost to their mental health - you know what I'm talking about!) and we sign up each month. We usually leave a small surprise in our pal's mailbox each day for a week. This week is Secret leprechaun week, and my SP happens to be our custodian, and believe me she deserves to be spoiled! One of the gifts I will be giving her is a couple of these "Tribbles" and some Irish Spring soap. Thanks to Abigail for sharing the pattern for these cute scrubbies on her blog. (look on the sidebar for "Trouble with Tribbles") They take just a little bit of leftover dishcloth cotton and knit up in a jiffy. Today I got some chocolate covered cherries from my pal- don't you wish you had a secret leprechaun?