SP11 arrives!

Woo Hoo - a package from my SP11 arrived last Friday!

I actually gasped when I pulled out the needle point protectors first. I've never seen these before - they are perfect! (I've already got a note in to my LYS to start carrying these - what a wonderful accessory.) The notebook has already been put to good use - she must have ESP to know this is exactly what I needed. The soap has made it's way to the dish (and make the bathroom smell chocolatey good) and speaking of chocolate... what chocolate? (The package may have already been empty in the photo.) If you go in for a close-up, you can see how I feel today:
And then there's the yarn. Oh, the yarn! I can surely see what all the fuss is about with this Mama E's C*eye*ber Fiber. The yarn base reminds me of Lorna's, but feels softer. I'm swooning! Thank-You, Thank-You, secret pal!

Last weekend we headed of to Spokane for yet another wedding (four down, two more to go this year...) I was scrambling around for a project to take along on the car ride and decided to pick back up my Arianne sweater. I love this pattern, love the yarn. However due to a very traumatic event involving someone's pest - I mean pet - I had to frog the ENTIRE body portion (which was completed up to the armholes thankyouverymuch.) It was a sad day, one I don't care to rehash. Anywhoski, the yarn has been re-skeined and washed - just waiting for me like an old friend for some time. So, off Arianne and I go to "Spo-tucky". I'd show you a new picture, but it looks just about the same as it did about this time last year, so here's the old one again.

I decided to go up a size, but threw all caution to the wind in terms of gauge. (Ok, I forgot my tape measure and had a 9 hour round trip) On my last rendezvous with Arianne I was spot on gauge, not a care in the world. However, now I'm a little concerned as it looks like I'm knitting a wee bit looser. I can't even bear to check now as I completed most of the body again on the trip. If I have to rip again, I'm afraid my Arianne will never get made - and since the sleeves were salvageable from before and it's nearly done, if it's big, it's big. I have nothing against roomy cardigans!

In other knitting news, there's been lots of this:


Test skeins! Some of these little guys will make the cut, some will go back to the lab for tweaking and at least one will go to yarn heaven. Despite what the camera flash reads, the orange skein is not nearly that electric. In fact, it's quite nice. More news on that front on a separate post...

And finally, in non-related knitting news, here's some pictures from the wedding.
I seem to be obsessed with wedding cakes lately:

Here are some Coastie boys I know, some Coastie boys I just met and Noelle and Davielle - who will be married next weekend (the 5th wedding we attend this summer!)

Oddly enough, I didn't get any pictures of the bride and groom. In fact, we barely saw them. The think the Coastie boys make the bride a little nervous - perhaps with good reason. The one time he ventured over to visit, the boys started handing him shots. Here's one pic of the groom with our pals Rebecca and Jeff. What a little cutie! And all married up now.


And last, but not least in the subject of love, our pals Dave and Lynda got engaged this weekend! We are thrilled!

One FO + a bunch of friendly pics

Since I've been away from my blog for ANOTHER week I'll get right to a finished project. Here's the long ago started Mrs. Beetons.

I'm so digging these little cufflets. I started them, oh, say a year and a half ago and then spirited the needles out of them for another project. The Kidsilk Haze became so incredibly tangled I had to start over. So I re-cast on last Monday and finished them up while getting a pedi on Saturday. For the most part they were knit while listening to a free download of "The House of Seven Gables", courtesy of the Seattle Public Library. I'm about half way through the audio book and I need to finish it soon as the certificate for the download runs out in another week. Sure, I know how the book goes as it was required reading my senior year of high school, however I appreciate it so much more now. I'm looking forward to listening to more of these classics.

Here's the stats:
pattern: Mrs. Beetons (Knitty)
Yarn: Kidsilk Haze, Vino, Rowan Cashsoft DK, Opulence
Needles: Crystal Palace DPs #6 and #7
Embellishments: red seed beads, size 11, clear seed beads size 8
Modifications: I used the cable cast-on method for the picots and did them fewer times.

This weekend Flynno and I read a poem at a wedding for our dear friends Chris and Rachel.

Take a lump of clay,
Wet it, pat it
And make an image of you
And an image of me.
Then smash them, crash them
And with a little water
Knead them together.

And out of the clay we'll remake
An image of you and an image of me.
Thus in my clay, there's a little of you
And in your clay, there's a little of me.
And nothing will ever set us apart.

Living we'll be forever in each other's hearts
And dead we'll be buried together.

- Madam Kuan

Here's the bride and groom.


Here's Rach with her adorable best-friendish brother.


Here's their reception.


And their cake.


Oh, and what do we have here? Nay Nay getting fresh with Jess?


Flynno and some gal-pals


Maybe these two will be next?

Oh, I hope so - they are sooo fun together!

And of course, the girls... (sans the bride... Rach, where are you?!)


Shortly after the camera battery died. Just as things were getting really good - nice to know us 30-somethings can still totally kick it on the dance floor!

Greetings from Mt. Si

Technically we hiked Little Si. It's so wonderful to drive just 45 minutes from the city and get views like this.

But then you turn around and remember civilization is not too far away...
(overlooking North Bend, WA)

Where were you last night?

We were.... HERE!

Awwwwww Yeeeaaahhh! A perfect way to kick off Labor Day weekend! Wish I had pics, but we were too chicken to try and sneak in the camera. Apparently we are not the "walk-the-line" rule breakers we *think* we are. Of course, the second we were inside the gates we immediately regretted not trying to bring the contraband over. The band played super tight (I don't think the drummer stopped smiling the whole concert - of course, we only knew that through the giant video screens) - the weather was perfect. And to think - we almost gave these tickets up. Pshaw.

On the way there I did a little work on a resurrected UFO - my goal is to finish up them up today (we have another car ride) and get them ready to be gifted.

The original intended receiver for these is just about walking (yeah, it's an old UFO) but fortunately babies are abundant these days so it will be easy to find a new little bambino to give these to.

This morning I reorganized my stash (in a frenzied search for missing circular needles.) I pulled out all of my UFOs to catalog for Ravelry (I'm at knittlesticks, yo). There aren't as many as I thought (yay) however, there are two projects that I am considering UFO's even though they have been frogged down to the yarn balls. I still want to make these projects so I hope if I count them in my tally some progress might be made. I'll be airing out my dirty laundry (so to speak) this weekend. If I get bold enough I may even post it here. Whoa. Cyber-accountability. Gotta think about this a bit more. BTW - I never did find my circs. And I know they are not on projects. It's as if they just vanished into thin air. Currently I'm looking for my #5 x 24" turbos and #7 x 24 turbos. Seen 'em? Damn! Me neither!

This would be a good lead in to a little project I've been thinking about for a while. A couple of months ago Wende and I were lamenting about our messy beyond messy craft spaces.

Right about the same time Storables was launching their on-line store (I have a not-so-secret love affair with Storables!) and so I approached them about running a contest / organizing make-over for crafters. They are interested in teaming up. The project will most likely be some sort of coupon for certain craft specific projects, a photo contest, tips and ideas from the Storables pros and a grand prize for the best make-over with some smaller prizes in between. This would be the perfect time to get spaces ready for the chilly days of winter crafting ahead! I'm sorting out some details and ideas and would love any ideas you have.

Finally, the cutest cuppa noodles ever...

The pigs were cute, but not bacon flavored.