Disco ball - part 2

We found another red "disco" ball, which also made several different noises, like a childrens toy police car, or a slot machine, when you chew it, and of course it flickered too. We didn't know about the noise at first. This made this ball even more interesting for the pups. For Happy to have a go at it, I had to put Denny in his crate for a while. Here is how my cutey pie dealt with this toy.


Mmm, thanks Ma, for this wonderful toy. I need to enjoy it on the sofa now, without rude interruption from Denny the destroyer. Chew, chew ...



Oops, it fell down.


WHATEVER WILL I DO NOW???


Thanks, Ma, you are the best. Chew, chew ....



It flickers already, but I know it can do more.



Oops - there it is! Weird ball.

***
Sorry to say, the ball didn't make it, once Denny was let out of the crate.

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Disco ball - part 1

The pups are still here, and keeping me busy, besides all else I've got to do. When we got Biko, back in 2001, we bought her a red ball, like the yellow one below, which would flicker inside, when bounced on the floor, or chewed on.

yellow ball on black merino fiber

I called it the disco ball. The red ball was lost for years (under furniture), to be found by Denny. He destroyed it in no time, but Happy and he had lots of fun, before it was destroyed. So we bought another one, a yellow one.

They love to play with it, and I only give it to them, when I'm supervising, so the disco ball has a chance of a longer life.

I know it's a crappy photo, but he's never holding still for long, and you can see the ball glowing in this picture.

Anyway, Denny, his usual self is always hogging it, while Happy is looking on longingly.

Happy acts bored, and yawns, but secretly he's only waiting for a chance to get the ball.
Fat chance:


We took pity on Happy, and got another fun ball, disco ball, and squeak toy in one, but that's part 2 of the story! :o) If you are a Happy fan, you don't want t o miss it, so stay tuned ..... :o)

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I almost forgot. Another lovely surprise arrived yesterday. Mailed October 21, it finally arrived November 22 in my mail box. But it was not only for me, but the pups got some pressies as well.

Toys for the dogs, and an interesting book for me, as well as tea, and the cute sheepy mug, and candy! Thank you so much, Sabine!!! :o)))
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The kitchen is done???

No, it's not. After weeks of waiting, the kitchen guy called, that he would send somebody to install the missing pieces, and deal with small things, like missing grout, missing cover for electrical outlet etc.
I was ready to do the happy dance, but didn't hold my breath that it would all finally be done.
Well, the guy came, and did some things, but there is still a cover for one drawer missing, the cabinet above the dish washer still has no shelves, and one cabinet door still has a scratch, and they didn't bring a replacement. So he lied to me, because now he tells me, he didn't even know the shelves were missing. I'm ready to explode, and I'm very disappointed with this company.
In any case, I took some pictures, because it's not going to be much more different, once it's finally done. We still have to paint the kitchen island we bought at IKEA's (still in the garage). We've got new blinds, very necessary!

I love the new kitchen, but I did not know, and was not told, that the cabinets would not be as deep as the old ones were. The kitchen sink is smaller too. I didn't think at the time to ask, because I thought we'd be getting the same size as we had. Too late now.
I LOVE the back splash glass tiles, and all my new electrical appliances, even though, we are waiting to get a new freezer door, because it came scratched and with a little dent in the door (been waiting for that for weeks too).
So here are some photos of the old kitchen:

We closed the door into the pink room. We never used it anyway.





And here is the new kitchen:












We opened up this opening to the dining room, which was formerly my office. We will not have a table or chairs in the kitchen itself. I like this setting very much. We never used the "dining room" which was part of the living room before, and had our meals in the kitchen most of the time.











The first thing I've cooked on my new cook top is -

- hard boiled eggs! :o)

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And for those who wanted to know, I found a rug for under my spinning chair. The dogs love it and go there to chew on their bones. The spinning wheel is still in the basement living room, but once I'm putting it in its new place, the rug will be crowded.



Off I go, unpacking more boxes.
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Socks!

I AM still knitting little by little, and getting things done. So here are three pairs of socks I've finished lately.
First are the Low Country Light socks by Peth Parrott from her book "Sock Club". I love the socks in the book, the colors are beautiful, but I hated knitting this pair. The stitch pattern was so boring, I almost fell asleep while knitting. I thought I'd do the second sock with a different stitch pattern, but then decided to just do it on the leg on both of them. The other reason for not liking these socks was the yarn. It's Drops Delight in color # 10. I dislike this sock yarn. It might be lovely to knit a shawl with it, but never again socks. They still will be worn by me, socks are socks.



The next pair are going to be gifted. I loved knitting them. The yarn is lovely to work with, and I like it, that they did some kind of striping, and not too much pooling. I almost want to keep them for myself, but thankfully I knit them for smaller feet, so I HAVE to give them away.



The yarn I've used here is Wandering Cat Yarns Barn Cat in the color Summer Squash. Soft, and warm, but still with some nylon to make them more durable.

Next up are my handspun socks! Of course I love those! Spinning for socks is always a pleasure. I spun 3-ply yarn, 2 plies Ghost & Gremlins Falkland from SAG fiber club, and one ply undyed white merino. They are soft and warm too, and hopefully will hold up well.



The socks turned out different, which did not surprise me. I spun two skeins, one for each sock, with some time in between. When the time came for the second skein to be spun, I didn't quite remember how I prepared the fiber, meaning how many strips did I rip? I knew I did it different than the first one, but I didn't care.
I often use toe up sock patterns for handspun socks, to use up most of the yarn I have. This time I used Fleegle's toe -up no flap, no hassle sock design, and I have to say, it's the best fitting toe up sock I've knit so far. The heel looks weird, but fits so well. I definitely will use this design again.
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Friends!

As a teenager I had three pen pals from other countries, which required some English skills on my part ( I did say -some), to communicate with them, at least for a while. There was this girl from England, another one from Turkey, and one girl from Jamaica. We wrote to each other for a while, the Jamaican girl being the one, who wrote even as we were adults, and had our own children. Don't know exactly how it ended, or why.

Today, I find myself with pen pals, via email once again, all over the world, and it's a wonderful feeling! I don't like to travel, but I do like to hear from all over the world, and what better way than to use the internet. I've found many friends this way, lost some, and found new ones.

One such a wonderful friend is Christa from London, England! We've been writing each other for some time now, not often, but just enough to keep up on how we are doing. I must admit, that this last year, I did not keep up with my pen pals, as much as I would have normally liked, but I vowed to myself, that I would be better from now on. It's just that I have to be in a "good" place myself, to feel like writing. I'm always open to listening though.
Anyway ...
Today I had a wonderful surprise! When I went to pick up the mail, I found a huge package in my mail box. I first wondered what it was that I'd ordered, and could think of nothing. Soon enough I knew who it was from, and I could not get home fast enough. I'm such a child, when it comes to surprise packages! No careful opening of the envelope, but tearing into it, like a hungry lion into his prey (oh, I know, gross, but that's me).
But looky here, that's what I found inside, worth the mayham:

I just realized the Jelly Belly's didn't make it to the photo shoot. I've never had any, because I thought they are hard candy. Well, actually I thought Jelly Beans are hard candy, I've never heard of Jelly Belly's before. But now they are all gone. I tasted one, and the rest had to follow. Each one had a different taste, and they were chewy!!! And good. RIP-Jelly Bellies!
Christa remembered, that Milka chocolate is my all time favorite chocolate, and she sent me THREE different kinds. All yummy I'm sure, but I'm holding back.
I don't know how she knew that green is my favorite color (wink-wink), but there they were, two balls of Regia sock yarn, in a lovely shade of green! The camera didn't quite catch the hue, but close enough. Don't know yet, what pattern I'll use, but I know they will be for me!
Oh and lets not forget the lovely card, and the awesome knitting magazine! It's the latest issue of "The Knitter", a special gift edition. And last but not least a bag, of course it will be a project bag for me. It's from Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The pattern is called "Chrysanthemum". Just lovely!

A big THANK YOU, my dear friend Christa!
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And we have Winners!

Thank you all for your lovely birthday wishes! I had a wonderful day, with lots of fibery goodness, and a delicious cake.


My son ordered it from an Austrian Restaurant, next town over. It's a Sacher Torte, and it was delicious. Very moist, and no whip cream needed. I did freeze a large portion of it, so we can celebrate in December, when the whole family comes together.
Now, lets get down to business:

Winner of my handspun "Pie for Everyone" yarn is: Dagny.

Winner of the "Magic Mushroom" fiber is : Zizi

Congratulations to the winners! Please send me an email with your mailing address!
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I've been working on unpacking over the weekend, especially my yarn, and fiber, and I finally could get my hands on my handspun yarn bins. I was looking through them, and picked a few for my shop, which is now updated with new handspun yarn. Enjoy!
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PS Wanna see my new spinning chair? Sure you do: I'm in LOVE, it's so comfy, just need a rug, so the spinning wheel wont slide.

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It's my Birthday!

I feel like celebrating with all my readers, that's why I'm giving away one skein of my early handspun yarns. (I found my two bins full of handspun yarn yesterday, what a delight!)



"Pie for Everyone", Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club, November 2007, 131yds, 9WPI, Falkland.

and for spinners amongst my readers:


"Magic Mushroom", Dyed in the wool Handmade", 100% Blue Faced Leicester, 4oz

To qualify please leave a comment, and specify if you are a knitter or spinner. I'll do the draw some time coming weekend.
***
And now, lets celebrate, and have some cake!
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Moving back in!

Slowly but surely the boxes full of our belongings are making it back into our house. First things first though, which means my fiber and yarn stash is coming home first. :o) I'm reluctant to put everything back as it was before, it was too stuffed, I don't want that again. So some things will stay in storage for a while longer, until really needed.
The kitchen is still waiting to be finished. I refuse to use it, until it's fully done. No word on when that will be. :o( Getting angry does not speed things up.
Look how the shade in the next photo makes the shelves seem gray, but they are creamy white.

So, now that we've been back in our bedrooms for a while now, I'm starting to get the living/craft room together. I'm using the old book shelves to fill them with yarn and fiber, and my knitting/crafts books. I've just started, and what FUN that is!

The yarn has to stay in the shelves in two rows, so you only see the front row in some of the photos. I've filled them up more, since I took this picture. We will still rearrange the shelves on the left side of the room, once I get my new craft table assembled, and I still need to figure out where to put my desk.
We had an exhausting trip to IKEA today. I used to like going there, but not so much anymore. I didn't find everything I needed, but I found these new green plates.

The pups are on their way outside.

We found a work table there, it's actually a conference table, but exactly what I was looking for. No luck with a desk though, and nothing for the hallway, where we want to put the keys and stuff once we come inside. One has to be very careful not to get lost in that store, and buy accessories, which are so neat, but not needed. Oh, and I almost forgot! We did find a kitchen island, which is basically a base cabinet, with a wooden counter top, and four drawers. My son is going to paint it white though, only the counter top will be wood. We were talking that we should have bought a kitchen at IKEA, they had so many beautiful ones in the show rooms. I don't know about the quality though, but I liked several kitchens they had.
There's so much to do right now, I don't have much time to play with my fibers. In the evenings I'm too tired to enjoy knitting, or spinning, although I manage to knit a few rounds on my latest pair of socks every day. I'm also, once again, terrible behind in answering my emails, so please forgive me, I'll get to them asap.

Fall is beautiful this year. We've enjoyed sunny days, around 10C highs during the day. I'm happy to be back on normal time.
***
Denny never liked to be picked up, but it's necessary for him to tolerate it, for future Vet visits etc. So my son lifts him up every day, and if Denny does not growl, he gets a treat from me. In the photo you see him waiting for it eagerly. He's pretty good with it now, and rarely growls under his breath anymore.

He's 8 1/2 month now, and it feels like we've been living with him for 8 years! He's a pup with lots of personality. You can't leave him alone for even a second. Generally though it's become easier, although I doubt that he'll ever stop liking anything fabric. Anyway, I better get my knitting out. I'm done for today, so I can put up my feet now, and knit a little.
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Handspun Friday - Rancheros

This Friday I have some worsted weight yarn to show. It's not often, that I manage to spin thicker then my usual yarn, which is anything between lace weight and ww yarn. This was lovely to spin, being super wash merino, so soft. It tents to get thick/thin, when I spin this, but this time I just let it go.



I've got 2 skeins from 8oz of sw merino dyed by FatCatKnits (could only get the Etsy link to work right now). Both skeins have a total of ~ 254yds, 2-ply yarn. You can get it in my shop. Keep in mind that this is 8oz, and I believe it should be sold together.
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I was going to ply my second half of Ghosts & Gremlins yesterday, but the urge to see what the first finished skein would look like knit up was too strong, so I've cast on a sock.


Since I don't want to waste any of my handspun yarn, I decided to knit the sock toe-up. I used Judy's magic cast on, which for me is the only toe-up cast on I'll ever do. I used to read her blog, and was lucky to read about her magic cast on when she came up with it. I've used it ever since.
Well, that was easily done, but I was not so sure about the toe-up heel. I've never been quite satisfyed with the ones I've used so far. They don't fit my foot very well. I was going through my bookmarked links column, to delete old sites, when I stumbled upon Fleegle's blog post about toe-up No-Flap, No-Hassle sock pattern, which I've marked for just that moment, it seems. I read through the instructions, but could not quite understand what the heel would look like, but I decided to follow her instructions blindly. I could rip it out if it didn't fit any time, but I didn't' have to. It's genius, and it fits well. I could have knit a couple of more rounds before the gusset, but the sock still fits great.


sorry about the bad photo, it's snow/raining today, and it doesn't look like it's getting any lighter any time soon

The patterning on the sock surprised me. Stripes??? I can't remember how I prepared the fiber for spinning, and that's why the second sock will probably look very different - I think. We'll see. The yarn itself is a true 3-ply yarn. I spun one ply undyed white merino, and two plies Ghosts & Gremlins, Falkland. I quite like the look this gives me. The first skein was ~ 192yds. I have size 11 feet, and it looks like there's plenty to finish the sock.
***
And because you like them, here are some more pictures of the hounds.

Usually Denny snuggles up to Happy, wherever he is, but this time Denny was there first, and Happy had to find a comfortable position.

Not the best spot in the house, but it didn't seem to bother him. (I'm saying that because Denny has been quite gassy lately).
Denny made sure, that if HE's taking a break, so will I, and positioned his chew bone on my treadle. :o) Good thing I had other things to do, or I might have crossed his plans.
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Future WIP's

I realized today, that once again, I've become overwhelmed by projects on my to-do list (which really is only in my head, and it changes constantly). This happens once or twice a year.
Let's see what we've got here:


Yarn for two pairs of colorwork mittens, two pairs of socks, and two scarves. Well the one lonly ball of yarn in the left upper corner is just one of several I need for that scarf. Plus I see, that I forgot to get the yarn for a pair of colorwork socks in the picture as well. Anyway, I've still got Elphaba mittens on my needles. Older WIP's are the Giant Granny square blanket, close to be finished, the knitted blanket, maybe 1/3 done, and somewhere in the dark bowels of my WIP bin, is a mohair scarf I started, and had conveniently forgotten about. Well, some WIP's have to be just that for a little while longer.



I've received my pre-ordered IK Holiday 2010 issue today. I've been waiting for it, because one pattern of the two pairs of mittens I'm planning to knit is in it. While I was looking through the magazine it hit me! I found myself pushing my nose close up to the picture of the shawl, that one beside the lacey dish towel. Who on earth would feel combelled to knit this shawl, when you can't even SEE it right? There are more photos of it a few pages later, equally dark and useless. It looks like they had a theme going on here, because for a magazine I think a lot of the photos are crappy. The shawl, by the way, was designed by Sarah Fama and is called Winged shawl. It's a simple, and easy shawl to knit, but it has that edge, which seems to be dearly loved by designers all over, and which I don't like. Still, this Holiday issue has several patterns in it, I'd like to knit, compared to the issues of the past two years.


The boys don't care about all that one bit. They just wait until I get my big Azz out of the chair and do something FUN!
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Hodge-podge

I've some hodge-podge to show you. I've got so many lovely things waiting for me to take them into my hands, and turn ithem into something beautiful, and as it often is, right now, I don't have enough time to do it all.
My dear parents sent me an early birthday present.

It's the second of three magazines, published by Verena magazine, and it's choke full of sock patterns. I liked the first one from last year better, or I should say, there were more sock patterns in it, I would knit. This issue has lovely sock patterns too, but I'm not so keen on sewing stuff onto socks. Anyway, I'm quite happy to have it. Thanks!


Then the third installment (of four) of "Year of Lace September 2010" has arrived, a little late, but whatever. I love the yarn, and the pattern is nice enough. I think the main body of the shawl is lovely, but I don't like the edge that much. So, if and when I actually knit this shawl, I'm going to do a different edging, but most likely I'm going to use the yarn for something else.


I've cast on for Elphapa fingerless mittens (free pattern) designed by Valerie Johnson. The yarn is Wandering Cat Yarns Barn Cat SS "Sleepy Hollow", self striping yarn I was lucky to get one skein. I was going to make two pairs, one for me, and one pair for Hannah, but soon I realized, that the stitch pattern was very annoying to me. I love how it looks, but knitting it not so much. Soooooo, what to do? I didn't want to rip what I had already knit, and no way was I going to do two pairs. I've decided to leave the cuff, and knit stockinette from there on. I'm past the thumb hole, way up almost ready to start decreasing for the tip. Yes, I'm going to make a full pair of mittens, since I'm more likely to use them. Sorry Hanni, not this time. ;o) And orange/black is not really HER thing anyway.

I've also got the first of three club installments of Pigeonroof Studio Regular Fiber Club fibers. I know already, that I will not renew this club. I wanted to give it a try, because I DO love most of her colorways, but I've got four other fiber clubs, which I love to be part of, and that's enough. This is 4oz sw merino, colorway "storm cloud". Lovely.


This is SAG fiber club October 2010, 4oz Falkland colorway "Ghosts & Gremlins". I love this colorway, and it's currently on my wheel. I'm going to spin it as a real 3-ply sock yarn, with one ply natural white merino.
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And not to forget the pups. Before we have snow (we had snow fall yesterday, but it didn't stick) staying on the ground, I wanted to show you these photos all summer, and never got to them. It shows Happy who was first on the dog bed with a bone, and Denny squeezing himself onto it, trying to get the bone, which in the end he does. The last three photos make me smile, because they saw something, a bird, or a plane, and followed it turning their heads.




That was it for today. I'm tired, but we still have to walk the dogs, and I want to get a little knitting done tonight. I haven't cleaned so much as I did over the weekend in a long time, and there's still more to do. I didn't know that hardwood floors are not easy to clean, and need cleaning more often then carpet flooring did. How gross was that, and I didn't know it!
At the moment I have NO idea when the kitchen will really be done. I refuse to start using it, before all the pieces are into place, like actual shelves in ALL the cupboards, even though it's getting really hard not to cook.
We have to get the tiler in again, because there are some things he has to fix already. And there will be somebody coming in tomorrow to have a look at the freezer handle. It's got a scratch, and a little dent on the door, which was revealed once we took the protection cover off. Sigh.
I WANT MY KITCHEN BACK!
But, I do sleep like a colicky free baby in my bed, in my bedroom, and am quite happy about that!
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