The Dreaded House Guest!!

Just kidding! Yes, I did have a house guest all of last week, but it was a welcomed guest. Mr. X came down and spend the week with me and Frisco. I think he felt more like a Show & Tell puppet then a guest. He came in Monday night. Tuesday night he met my friends Tulabug and KnitRedSox - I think Tulabug gave him a tad of a hard time, but he seemed to have taken it well. Thursday night we had dinner with my sister and her family. Him and my BIL talked computers the whole time. Friday night the State Dept. of Ed. had a dinner for all those who achieved National Board Certification and he got to meet two more of my friends (Naomi and Pam - below)



The dinner was at the Marriot down on Annapolis. The food was good, the company was great. It was a good night :)



Apparently, all you have to do is feed Frisco a few treats and he's your friend for life.



While he was here he tried to fix my dryer, but it was beyone repair, so I had to buy a new one. He did a few other things around the house for me as well. We had planned to power wash my house while he was down, but it never seemed to be warm enough to be playing with water outside, so that didn't happen.

Mr. X went back home on Monday and when I came home from the airport and for then next 2 days, each time I came home Frisco would sit and meow at the door waiting for his friend to come in after me. Wednesday night he actually huffed at me and then gave me a look that asked "Where is he?" Then he sulked off to his bed. I know exactly how he feels. *sigh*

Homespun Party

Two weeks ago I went to the Homespun Party that was held at Savage Mill. A bunch of local dyers and crafters got together to sell their goods to the masses. I was there helping out my friends Sheila (KnitsWSithSticks) and KozyKitty (Etsy shop) along with my friends Tulabug and KnitRedSox!

Here is Sheila and her lovely yarn (I picked up 4 more skeins in her gorgeous colorways!!)





Here is KK with her gret project bags! (I picked up one of these!!)





I also picked up 2 skeins from Sanguine Gryphon! Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the yarns before I added them to my stash :)

Afterwards, several of us had dinner at the Ram's Head Taven at the Mill. It was a fun, filled day!!

This Weather is Killing Me!!

Ugh! I wish Mother Nature would make up her mind and decide that Spring should be here and stop with this crazy up and down weather! All these drastic temperature drop, front and barometric pressure ups and downs are recking havoc on me and triggering migraines like crazy! I don't know what percentage of the population actually gets migraines - and I'm not talking bad headaches here - I'm talking about debilitating, super-sensitive, mind shit. I had a really bad one last week and not my usual kind of off-kilterness when it comes to migraines. I was in bed Monday night and I had a slight headache. I didn't take anything because I was going to sleep and usually sleep will help get rid of it. I was just finishing up a chapter in a book when BAM I had a full force migraine come on. I've never had one hit me like that without one of my triggers. So, I got out of bed and took one of my prescription medications and crawled back into bed. I was up again at either 2:30 or 3:30 AM, my vision was blurry so I couldn't read my clock, and my head was pounding! It was time for the ice pack. I went down stairs and only by the grace of God did I make it down the flight of steps without falling and breaking my neck because my balance was soooooo off whack! I grabbed the ice pack from my freezer (I keep two in my freezer for just such times) and crawled back up the stairs *and I do mean crawl because I was afraid I might fall if I tried to stand up*, took another prescription pill, crawled back into bed, pulled up the covers, placed the ice pack on my head and drifted off to the blackness. I was up again a few hours later. It was like my body just knew that it could not handle the loud alarm clock because I woke up again, literally two minutes before my alarm went off. My head was still pound and when I got up to head to the bathroom, my balance was still off. There was no way I could drive into work. Called in sick, took a 3rd prescription pill *I know, not good* made sure the sun blocking shades were closed *I have those heavy light blocking shades for days like this that turn my usually bright room into the Bat Cave* and went back to bed. I didn't get up again till about 11AM. My head was still bothering me, but not as bad. I had something light to eat, took a 4th pill and started to make a mental list of who I would call to take me to the hospital if this pain didn't go away. I knew I couldn't take any more of my prescriptions. I shouldn't have take 4 in less that 24 hours, but thinking kind of is non-existent when you're dealing with pain like this.

I was straightening up a few things, staying off the computer because that can be a migraine trigger for me. Usually it's when I'm working on the computer a lot, but when I'm teetering on the brink the slightest thing can trigger a full blown migraine instantly. That's when I saw it....
the one bootie....
the one Christening bootie....
ONE...
on the floor in the spare room. The other was no where in sight! *don't panic, don't get hysterical, and whatever you don't - don't let your BP go up or you'll definitely be calling someone to take you to the hospital for another migraine*

I had both booties sitting on the top of the bookcase, drying. They were stuffed with plastic baggies to shape and stretch then just a little. The other booties was not on the bookcase. The other booties was not on the floor near the one bootie that I found. *know, this is where you can officially call me the crazy cat lady* I'm shaking the one booties that I had while demanding that Frisco, yes that's my cat, tell me where the other one was. I have no more of this yarn left, so I could not make another bootie. I needed to find it! Frisco, of course, is looking at me like "Uh oh, mommy's losing it again." I went searching all through the upstairs, looking under the bed, in the closets, in his little bed, went downstairs, moved the couch, moved the china buffet, searched high and low for where he might had swatted this bootie. It was driving me crazy, because Frisco doesn't usually play with things that don't make noise, unless it's a long piece of string or yarn or a measuring tape. I'm am soooo trying not to panic here. I went back upstairs to plead with Frisco to show me were the other booties was. This time, something apparently sunk in with him and he walks over to the chaise lounge that I have in the spare room, flops over and starts pawing at something under there. I go over and get on my knees and take a look *oh thanks the gods!* There under the chaise lounge was the bootie with half the plastic bag pulled out of it. The little stinker was playing with the plastic bag that inside the bootie *told you, he likes things that make noise* I snatched up that bootie and put them away where he couldn't get his paws on them again!

Disaster averted, cat still have his skin in tact.

In other knitting news. I finished two projects since I last posted. First up is the baby blanket. This was made for one of the big wigs at the Panera's that my knitting group meets at every Wednesday night. The pattern was easily memorized and fairly easy to knit up.


Pattern: Elegantly Simple Baby Blanket by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer
Needles: Addi Turbos size 9
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted (4 skeins)
Modifications: none

And then, I finally finished my Valetine Baudelaire socks *ok, ok, so it's no longer Valentine's Day, but who cares!* And I love them!! It was a perfect marriage of yarn and pattern!


Pattern: Baudelaire by Cookie A.
Needles: KnitPicks Circulars - 3.0 mm 32"
Yarn: Yarn Love Marianne Dashwood - Summer Sangria
Modifications: I made the socks 2-@-a-time and in the larger size, but without the larger instep. The larger instep would probably have aided in getting the socks over my heel a little better, but then they would have been to big on the calf. I like them just how they are.

I would definately make another pair with this pattern. It was lots of fun. I have another pair of Cookie A's on needles and can't wait for her sock book to come out! I've already ordered mine on Amazon and it says it should be delivered on April 3rd!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

See Ellen, I posted before you could yell at me :)

Swamped in Swaps!!

And lovin it!! I know folks outside the swap world just have no clue as to why people would be in swaps.

"What? You buy stuff for someone you don't know??" Is the usual response I get when explaining a swap, but I've gotten some pretty neat things from a swap.

I will admit the very first swap I joined was a Secret Pal swap (a while back) and my partner completely flaked out on me! It was very disappointing. I had a lot of fun putting together a package for her and couldn't wait to see what she was putting together for me. Plus it's always fun to shop for yarn and goodies!! When I realized my partner had flaked out, I contacted the coordinator and she found an "angel" for me. An angel is a generous someone who is willing to put together another package for a swappee who hasn't received anything.

I did not let this one person taint my hopes for swapping. I was reading all the other swap posts and how other people were getting all these great package and though everyone must get a "dud" everyone once in a while. So I've tried a few other swaps and lucky have not been disappointed again.

I also think that Ravelry has helped to really cut down on the swap flakers because there is "Naughty Swappers" list that people can check.

Anyhoo, I was in 3 swaps this past month. I don't know what I was thinking in joining three of them, but I did and it was a lot of fun. One of the three I was even a co-hostess of.

First up in the Valentine Vampire Swap. *yes, I'm a vampire lover and have read and seen many vampire novels and movies*


Here’s everything that was in my package from LadyMay (Ravelry profile):

• 4 patterns: Thermis, Boo the Bat, Sweetheart Glovettes, Loves Bites fingerless gloves
• 4 skeins of yarns: Wool-Ease, Wiggles, Cascade 220, Classic Elite Alaska
• Loves Bites music CD she made for me
• A TY beanie Spider
• Pretty stitch markers
• Hand lotion
• The Cursed by L. A. Banks
• The Love Voodoo kit Vampire in a Box
• Tootsie Roll lip balm
• Choclate covered nuts and a few Hershey Kisses

And as if that wasn't enough - she knitted two items for me!! The first is a pair of fingerless gloves with Classic Elite Yarns Lush (50% Angora/50% wool) YUMMY!! I think I have worn these almost everyday since I received my package!



The second was Boo the Bat! Isn't he just too cute!!



The next swap I was in was from the Caffine Addicts Ravelry group. Pinky23 (Ravelry Profile)put togheter this great package for me.

• a pound of Irving Farms "Gotham" coffee - I just love that name!
• a bag of dark chocolate heart candies - yeah that package didn't last too long ;)
• a cute Valentine mug from Starbucks (a coffee lover can never have too many mugs, can she??)
• hand lotion (don't all yarnie people love their hand lotions!)
• a small package of SOAK
• two candles
• and of course yarn!! Malabrigo Sock yarn!! I have been dying to get my hands on some of this yarn! Look at that rich purple colorway!! *No Lavlaurie you can't have my purple!*
• and the card she semd me was so cute!! The cover reads "And now for the final word on knitting socks" and you open the card up and it reads “Whaddya MEAN, you’d kinda like one for the other foot?!” *laugh*

Luckily, I make my socks 2-@-a-time so I never worry about the dreaded 2nd sock syndrom.

My final package for this month came from the Knitter's Coffee Swap 4, which I was one of the hostess for. This terrific package came from Pennala (Ravelry profile) in Canada.

Here's what was in my goodie package:

• Knitscene Winter 08/Spring 09 (I almost bought this magazine on Monday!)
• The Sculptress (she apparently found my weakness for mystery novels)
• A French Press travel mug (now I can make GOOD coffee at work!)
• two different coffees that just smelled heavenly when I open the box - I tried the Cuzco this morning - YUM!
• a pouch of kitty treats for Frisco (which he absolutely loves!
• Avon goodies (hand lotion, hand sanitizer - perfect purse size, bubble bath, nail files)
• a keychain flashlight
• a little coffie cup candle holer (so cute)
• And of course and beautiful skein of Araucania Rance in a gorgeous Victorian pink and green colorway *no Tulabug, you can't have it, it's all mine!!*

I couldn't resist, here are a few pictures of Frisco eating the treats Pennala sent him! As you can see he was impatient for his treats. As I was trying to take pictures that he was trying to pull my hand holding the treat down to this mouth!

Now I am all caught up on my sharing :) .... At least I think I am for now!