Weighing in at 8lbs 1oz...

...join us in welcoming to this crazy world....

Miss Shae Rose:

With proud Mummy, Melissa.

Less than 24hrs old and she's already wearing an Army of Knitters hat - she'll be on the best dressed list before she's crawling!


And with Aunty Heather:


Such a beautiful baby - can't wait to see her with her eyes open!

Important stats:
Born Sept 26th 2006, (Libra), at somewhere around 3:45pm, (after only 20mins of pushing - way to go Melissa!)
St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital NYC - she's a native New Yorker!
All fingers and toes intact.
Long limbs - just like her mother - she'll make a fabulous model for my creations, (sorry Annabel - as they say in fashion, "One day you're in, the next you're out!")

Better get the pink yarn out ;o)

Tired

Thanks for all the lovely comments :o)

My work schedule has been crazy lately and the past few days have been somewhat of a blur - quite literally!
My eyes have been troubling me for a number of years but it took the headaches of the past few weeks to finally drive me to get my eyes tested and I ordered my very first pair of glasses yesterday. They make me look like Joe 90 - hands up those of you who can remember the groovey theme tune?
I couldn't for the life of me find a pic of him actually wearing his glasses,


but I'll be posting one of yours-truely-speccy-four-eyes when I receive them!


To illustrate the depth of my business/tiredness combination, I didn't knit a single stitch for a whole 7 days straight!!! (what up?)

Hopefully this week I'll be able to catch a moment to be able to post mistakes found in the book, so that they can be amended for the next printing. If you find any, please let me know!

P.S. Check out Anna's blog for a sneak peek at her featured designs! (She photographs everything so well!)

Oooh and Jeanette's Wildflowers (Such a talented artist :o) )

P.P.S. Just had to steal this photo of new authoress's first public book signing - thanks Jessamyn!


How could I? In my exhausted state I completely forgot to mention the fabulous party that my lovely friend and fellow SnBist threw for my book release!!

Thank you Jill!!! It was such a wonderful jesture! And big wet snogs to all of my lovely friends/knitters/students in attendance :o) your encouragement and friendship are very highly appreciated :o) What a lucky girl I am!

FOs

Another beautiful weekend in NH - Hoorah!
Good to see some familiar faces and meet new ones at Chris and Valda's 5th annual Oktoberfest, a fabulous party they throw for their ever growing family and friends. I managed to get on the bouncy castle early this year, before all the rough 8 year old boys make it a danger zone!
Tonnes of yummy homemade treats, real ale, live music and horse rides - this is no ordinary back yard BBQ!

I got my fella to snap some shots of these two finished objects:

Firstly the solid, hooded and kangeroo pocketed version of Sweet & Seamless - this variation wasn't knitted in time to be featured in the book but it's such a fab pattern that I wanted to show it off.


Then we have this little orange number from last year's spring Rowan. It's the very first thing I have ever knitted in the same yarn and colour as featured in the pattern - but I did change the sleeve a bit by adding cables and minimalising the seaming by knitting in the round.
It has been sitting around for over a year waiting for me to put the buckles on...not like me at all!


Breaking news......I've seen the book!!!
I don't want to be mean but it's my baby so I can't help being picky......
Just one thing - I had nothing what-so-ever to do with the photography/styling/models.
Oh and I did notice some mistakes in the illustrations and some of the swatch photos aren't clear enough which will have to be corrected for the second print run. I'll go through it this weekend, (hopefully) and post anything that needs altering here.
Otherwise it's a fabulous little book! Hoorah again!

Cute!

Just a quickie to show how cute Michelle's rellies look in her versions of the Two Year Tank, (pattern available on sidebar):



Knitted in Suss Spacedye - right Michelle?

Showers

I can't stand the rain......
Yucky weather we're experiencing on the east coast....but enough of those kind of showers....the showers I prefer include celebrating and CAKE!!!!

My beautiful friend Melissa was my roommate not so long ago. She was single and very slim...along came Robb and it was love at first sight, (right?) He was a regular visitor to our apartment and I loved him too! In the blink of an eye they moved in together, were married and their first child will be joining them in the next couple of weeks - it's all very exciting!

Last weekend was the baby shower - it's always good to get together with the girls, especially for such a happy occasion.

I'd been knitting for the baby for the last few months and as we don't know if it will be a boy or a girl, I kept away from mostly blues or pinks - here's my version of the Child's Placket-Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, I made a matching hat for it too:


This blanket doubles as a cover for a very pregnant tummy!


Baby Bobbie Bear was a huge hit and received plenty of cuddles that afternoon:


I didn't get photos of everything I had knitted - so I'll have to wait for the baby to model them!

This individual took advantage of a comfy hiding place:


Melissa's Mother-in-law's loft is gorgeous! As well as being about 8 times the size of my tiny hovel, it's decorated with her fabulous paintings which my photos really don't show off well.



As well as teaching painting, she holds classes for decopage and here are some of her pieces.


Melissa you are fabulous, it's an honor to be your friend. I'm looking forward to meeting your baby and of course, knitting for him or her!

Stripey

Been making some baby/kids hats.



Pattern is loosey based on the Umbilical Cord Hat from SnB, only I work it from the top down and make the i-cord into a loop.
Yarn is odd bits of Lion Brand Cotton Ease and Kitchen Cotton. When the babies started coming I needed to find some bright coloured washable yarn and clever old Jessamyn suggested I get myself down to P&S. That was a couple of years ago.
The $40 I spent there bought me 2 bags of yarn that I've since used in tonnes of baby items plus a couple of bags prooving that knitting doesn't have to be an expensive hobby, (craft/addition) - thanks sweetgirl!

Me old mate, Valda has requested some winter hats for my favorite model, Annabel. I'm thinking of adapting this pattern further by adding earflaps. I'll let you know how it goes....

Holida-ay!

Ee-by-gum - did I need to get away from it all or what!?!

I think that if I had stayed in the city any longer I would've spontaneously combusted! Just think of what a nasty mess that would've made - who would clean it up? - Not me!!

Sooooo, things didn't go quite as smoothly as I had hoped....
My lovely boyfriend, who has been working hard in Montreal for most of the past year, was supposed to arrive back here two days before we were due to set off northwards but his work kept him up in mounty-land another day. I was worried about him driving all the way down here, then turning back around to take me to NH the next morning but he assured me that he would be fine.
I was wishing the day away, looking forward to seeing my giant canook.....then I got a phone call... "The gas tank is about to fall off, it will be fixed tomorrow morning. I'll come and get you then we'll go to NH"
Flippin' heck! I was a little miffed.
I thought about it for a second then called him back and told him to just drive directly to NH and I'd get the Greyhound. He thought about it for a while then agreed that that would work.
Very early on Friday moring I packed as much into my duffle bag that I could carry, grumbling to myself that I wouldn't be able to take the car-load of yarn I would need for a week of relaxing!
Limiting myself to one project, I cast on the hooded version of Ruthie Nussbaum's Sweet and Seamless in the queue for the bus, (pattern from a certain little book that'll be hitting the shops in 4 weeks - yipee!) The rib was finished before we left Manhattan. Knitting all the way to Boston got me quite far into this project so I put it away whilst taking the T from South to North Station and flopped down for an hours ride on commuter rail to Newburyport. Picked up the knitting again whlie I waited for Chris to pick me up - quite concerned about the lack of heat up there - I had been used to 90+ temps, so the low 70's up there felt positively chilly!
It was so good to see my country cousins - I LOVE LOVE LOVE 'em!!!
Here's how much I knit since the early morning wait at Port Aurthority standing alongside the other carless misfits:

It doesn't look like much in this photo but that's a medium sized sweater up to the waist - how much prettier it looks in the country setting.

More red?
I know.

The tall one arrived at 10pm all pleased with himself at how much easier the drive had been.
I kept my mouth shut.

Chris and Valda's family had grown since my last visit - two more four legged friends to play with - meet Mel and Dee:

Mr Freakishly Tall standing there makes them look like ponies - don't be fooled folks - those are two big horses!
It was fun getting to know them.

Poopy D used to get all the attention, and was often found looking like this, hoping for someone to throw the frisby for her - arrh.


Not only is my fella a handsome beast, he's an amazingly good cook too. We enjoyed many a delish meal prepared by his giant hands from the fresh local ingredients - this particular evening the beverage of choice was the black n tan:




Tuesday arrived bringing rain with it.
We opted to spend the day in Boston. A lovely little city with lots of history.
I dragged my fella along the Freedom Trail, teaching him about the comings and goings of Paul Revere, Sam Adams, (not just a tasty brew), the Boston Tea Party, Massacure etc.... It was fun to play tour guide, (the bits I didn't know I just made up - heehee!)
The burial grounds were cool - loved the carvings on the little dark gravestones - is that slate?


Hunger prevented us from getting any futher than Faniel Hall but nothing tempted us at Quincy Market, so we jumped on the T to Newbury Street and found a lovely little Italian place that didn't dissapoint.

We found some long legged jeans and funky t-shirts at Lucky Brand which made the other half happy - he doesn't buy clothes very often as normal shops don't usually have his size.

We need to go back to finish the Freedom Trail next time....

The weather was gorgeous for the rest of the week. We rented a Harley to see the coast in style.

Here's some shots of my favorite beach on Plum Island. We couldn't go to very end beacause of the Piping Plovers, (it's a nature reserve and very popular with twitchers):



I love to swim in the Ocean, even though it was nippy!




and frolic around in the soft sand...



Back at the Love House, Chris had the tall one busy with yard work, (feeding and cleaning horses - they do an awful lot of pooing!!) Chris is a massage therapist and his strong hands work on both humans and horses. He also makes and restores sadles - if you need his assistance drop him a line horsekneads@hotmail.com
check out this beauty I spied in his workroom:


With his new beard he thinks he looks like George Clooney - I'll leave that up to you...


While the men were busy getting their hands dirty, I was on babysitting duty. Annabel can be quite a handful but she is hilariously funny and has an amazingly large and well developed vocabulary for a two year old - it's a shame her little English accent will dissapear when she starts going to school.
She spent most of our stay there running around in the buff, so it was quite a challange to get her to pose in the pinafore I crocheted for her birthday:

She's a star!


The plan was to just stay with our friends for the weekend, then go off and find a little cabin in Maine to shack up in for the week but they convinced us to stay with them the entire time and what a fabulous idea it was - great friends - delicious home cooked food - fresh country air and lots of laughs - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
We did spend an afternoon in Portland, wondering around, so I can tick Maine off the list of American states visited, I think I'm up to 13 now.

It was hard to leave but Valda packed us up a delicious bag of road snacks, including a batch of her melt-in-the-mouth oatmeal-chocolate-peanut-butter cookies - mmmmmmmmm!! Who has better friends than me??

So now I'm back in my shoebox.
Back at work.
Boyfriend has returned to Montreal.
But I did get to enjoy a bit of culcha.... Johanna rounded up Sam, Jacob, Suzsi, Nick and I to see the Metropolitan Oprea perform La Traviata in my front garden yesterday evening. Check out the pretty evening sky:


Too far away to see anything but it sounded lovely.


The hoodie knitting continued but did have to put it away when I dropped a stitch whilst attempting a three needle bind off in the dark!





I did have to sneak out early though - I can't miss Rockstar!!!

Red

I like red, it's like orange but without so much yellow........

Finished red objects x 2 this month are:

1. Razor Cami. Knitted in sock yarn from Knit Picks. Finished a while ago but lack of available photographer and general procrastination held up the posting somewhat.

Suck in that tummy, Heather! Can you suck in those love-handles too? Come on, it's good practice for the beach next week!

2. Doctored Hourglass Sweater. Using Misti Pima Cotton/Silk - I still keep finding little red blobs on everything after working with this shedtastic yarn!


It's not quite cool enough to wear these in the city so I might take them to Maine with me for their debut. Maine's next to Canada, so it's cold there, right?

One of Three

Click on image to read.

There was also a piece about the Point, it is too big to post here - but I could try if you really want me too :o)

P.S. The Canadian and I are heading up to Maine for a week of R&R this w/e - I haven't had a break since Christmas, so I'm really looking forward to resting my head.
Any places we shouldn't miss? (I doubt I'll be yarn shopping!)

Press Update

The article should be in WWD tomorrow - if it's any good I'll try to scan it and post it.

Fingers crossed!!!!

I DID IT!!!

I finally managed to figure out how to link patterns to my blog!!

Thank you so very much to the multi-talented Tina for being so patient, (and providing homemade chocolate chip cookies), whislt teaching me how to do this - HOORAH!!! (I'll send you a little something for your trouble.)

Take a peek at the two free patterns, designed by yours truely, linked from the sidebar - these patterns have not been tested, nor read through very thoroughly yet so they may contain mistakes but they're FREE!!!
All I ask in return is that if you knit them, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send me photos of your finished objects. If you find any mistakes please let me know so that I can fix them.

I hope you like them.

2 minutes of fame

Finally, a post with some knitting content!

I'm working on a version of the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. This is the first pattern I'm attempting from this book and I'm making a few changes:
1. Love the hem idea, I've put a little picot in mine.
2. Added a touch of lace with a simple yarn over stitch.
3. Adapted the increases and decreases so that they are easier to work.
Yarn is Misti Pima Cotton Silk in an orangey shade of red. Feels lovely but sheds like a bugger! I'm covered in red fuzz!

Completed the body up to the armholes and half the first sleeve, as shown here:


In other news....If you get Womenswear Daily, look thoroughly through it next Tuesday as there'll be a piece about knitting in it. I was just interviewed for the article, so hopefully I won't come across as a complete idiot!!

Happy August!!!

FYI

My taller half found a fabulous website tool to help keep track of calories etc.
He lost 6lbs in a week, (and he's not fat!)
They offer meal plans, but you can also just enter the food you eat per day and it totals it all up for you - very clever.
I was skeptical initially, but it doesn't seem to have any catches and it's totally FREE!!

I am in no way affiliated with this site, I just want to pass on a good thing when I see it.

If you're interested go and check out www.sparkpeople.com and tell them gigipeaches sent you.

Knitting updates will follow - promise!

Gardening Tank

Work's been getting in the way of my blogging of lately - don't you hate that?

Here's a couple of pics of Annabel in the tank top I whipped up for her birthday:



Thanks to her Mummy, Valda, for forwarding the lovely photos - glad to see it got a wearing before the weather turned steamy!

Hopefully, I'll be able to post this ridiculously simple pattern soon.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY VALDA!!!!!!!!!!!

The Great Grey Bridge and the Little Red Lighthouse

Ever since a trip on the Circle Line way back in '93, (when I first saw Manhattan's only surviving lighthouse), I have wanted to give it a closer look.
So what better a thing to do on a blistering hot Sunday than to walk the 6 1/2-plus miles from my apartment, along the banks of the Hudson River, all the way to the foot of the George Washington Bridge, where it makes it's home?
Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Every time I return to Manhattan via the Henry Hudson Parkway, (as a passanger that is -I wouldn't do this if I was driving!), I crane my neck to see if i can get a glimpse of the red paintwork. I have succeeded only twice.

The tall fella agreed to join me on this adventure so we pulled on our big shorts and off we went.
On reaching the Westside Highway at 96th street, I pointed out our destination to my beloved. "That's a long way." He said.
Did I mention that it was hot? We were already sweat-soaked before we reached the river!
But on we plodded, the polluted water to the left and the noisey traffic to the right.
"I want to see the lighthouse". I said, more than once.

Here's the view after a few blocks with the bridge joining New York to New Jersey in the distance:


Thank goodness for Fairway! By the time we hit my favourie NYC supermarket we were quite dehydrated, so this well needed pitstop was indeed a sight for sore eyes!
During our walk we passed and were passed by a few cyclists, joggers and rollerbladers,but hardly any other people just walking.

After 135th street the side of the river turned into on giant barbaque - couples, families and groups of friends were hanging out, cooking, listening to music and playing volleyball - quite a difference from reletive quiet further downtown.

A bit further along - now you can see the bridge:


Even futher along the paved path ended. We continued through the trees having to step across carefully placed planks to reach a pinic area overshadowed by the Great Grey Bridge.
We made it!!


Here I am by the cutest little lighthouse:


A bit of background:


And the old friends standing strong together:


We took the subway back home - it really was hot out!

Out With The Old.....

So, I'm on the phone with my Mum and she asks, "Do you have any bits of bright coloured wool you can send me". (She knits up hundreds of lovely teddy bears for children who have found themselves in trouble and are in need of a little bit of comforting - bless her).
Mummy dearest, how long have you known me for?
So this morning, while the tall one was still asleep, (I really wish I could sleep as much as he does - but then, when would I get anything done?), I went through almost all of my stash, (which is no small feat), and dug out some stuff that I could possibly live without and sorted it into piles.

Here's the pile that will be winging it's way to Mumbly-Wumbly-Trimbly-Wimbly in jolly old England:

That lot should keep you off the streets for a while!

This next pile is going to Karola at her new house in Arizona.
Karola is a fabulous woman and sock-knitter-extrodiaire! She came to my rescue by giving me the yarn I need to finish my Razor Cami, (see a few posts ago). I thought the two part skeins I had would be enough, but was WRONG!!
I put a shout out on the Stitch n Bitch mailer thingy and dear Karola was there to the rescue - Hoorah!

As she is moving to warmer climes, woollen socks won't be high on the knitting agenda for her anymore, so I searched for some finer weight cottons, some cashmere blend stuff, (which goes dreamily soft when washed), and threw in a ball magic stripe sock yarn - just for old times sake! I hope you like it Karola and I hope the move isn't too stressful! If I'm ever down in your new neck of the woods, I'll come over to visit and play in your new craft room!

The third, (and largest), pile, which I didn't take a photo of, will be my contribution to the next yarn swap. I'm looking forward to it, as it's a fun time with my fibre obscessed friends, but I will have my hands tied behind my back so that I don't take any "new" yarn home with me!

Now, what shall I do with all the space created by clearing out some stash???
(For clues, read on...)

....And In With The New!

I love a bargin, me.

Last Tuesday evening at our regular meeting place, a few of our friends entered the establishment carrying bags full of fabulous yarn aquired at super-duper low-low prices.
Where was the party and why wasn't I invited??
Turns out that Suss's NY shop, (which is a really beautiful space), was closing down and all yarn was 50-70% off - it took all I could muster to keep my bottom on my seat and not run all the way over there to bag me some goodies too, but it would've been closed so I had to remain calm and wait until my lunch break the following day!

Here's what I bagged for ME!


Lots of soft 'n' snuggley, orangey goodness and some slubby turq cotton.
I added a couple of bag handles to my basket, just in case and the smailey-faced tape measure with the muppet-like "hair" reminded me of the old days when I used to dress a little more wildly than my middle-aged more conservative self.

I also bought a few pressies - but can't show them here - they are going to be hard to part with!!

Sooooo, what shall I knit next?

Things to do....

A bit of mindless stuff for humid, Saturday afternoon....
Stole this from bronxie knits
who stole it from the knitting doctor
who got it from somewhere else that I can't be bothered to link to - sorry...

Life's to do list - I've bolded those that I've done and put a * by the ones that I REALLY want to do, (I added that bit):

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins*
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid*
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights*
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon*
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Got drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse*
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan*
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day*
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China*
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Got married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Got divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Got a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand*
90. Bought a house*
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently*
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol*
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours*
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states*
124. Visited all 7 continents*
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

So put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Still can't figure out the button-linking thing - am I really that dim?

Assistance?

Thank you for all the lovely comments!

My blogging is coming along slowly....

I want to add links and offer some FREE patterns in the form of PDF files, but after searching around and trying to figure it out I still don't have a clue!
Also, I still have to get my button links working....

Can anyone offer help/guidance/link to a tutorial????

Thanks very much!
snogs,
Heather xxxx

Inspired!

I'm really rather enjoying this whole blogging lark - not only do I get to show off and talk about ME, but I also get me meet other people who are just as nutty about knitting as I am and be inspired by them.
This weekend I was inspired by two of my favorite Brit bloggers....

Inspirator #1. Rain.
Witty, funny, clever old Rain inspired me to line and finish two of the three bags I've had kicking around for a bit.
Bag #1 was my attempt to make a summer stand-in for my Candy Stripe felted bag that has been my constant companion for over two years now. So much of a feature of my life, that if I were a little more hirsute, it may have fused right onto my body!

Yes, it's high time I carried a new bag around, so here's to the birth of "Michigan", so named because Claudine said that Yellow and Blue were the colours of her home state's university, (or am I getting it completely wrong again?)


Bag #2. I had already made bag #1. I'm not a bag person - they don't thrill me. I don't own many bags....I didn't need another bag.... Then a couple of weeks ago I went here and I saw this:

It's yarn with Easter Chicks and all kinds of other brightly coloured stuff spun into it! Brilliant!
I couldn't resist it - it HAD to be mine!! When you spot such creative insanity it has to be rewarded!! After a little research I found the creator of such maddness - here she is.
I couldn't wait to knit up the crazy yarn, but had to work with it slowly as it wasn't cheap, (Ha! cheap - chicks - geddit?)
So here's another pic of it all wound up an ready to be stitched:

They do look a bit strangled all wound up like that, so I didn't let them sit on the ledge for too long.
As there was only 61yds to play with, a whole bag in this wouldn't have been much use to me - I'm one of those women who needs to carry all sorts of crap around every time I leave the house, so I just made this yarn the front flap and knitted the rest of the bag with two strands of my trusty favorite bulky, as I have a tonne of the stuff!
Here's the finished Hot Chick for a Hot Chick:


and a sneak peak at the inside - ooh orange lining - what a shocker!


Bag #3 is another Lamb's Pride stripey shoulder bag - just waiting to be felted.....


Inspirator #2. Anna.
Colourful, creative, big shoe-wearing, Annarella inspired me to put down my knitting, get off my fat bottom and go running. (There will be no photographic evidence of this feat!)
For three days on the trot, (haha, I'm full of puns tonight!), I have dragged my sorry, flabby body on the bridal path around the resovoir in my front garden, (Central Park). Not so much of a run as a rather slow and floppy jog, it's a start - I don't think I've ever exercised so vigourously for 3 consecutive days since I completed the Boston to New York AIDS ride way back in '98!
My legs were killing me yesterday, so chances are I won't be able to walk tomorrow!
It was good to be out there though with all those healthy looking people and hopefully I'll keep it up.
So THANK YOU to Rain and Anna!!!
And thank you to bloggers everywhere - you never know who will benefit from your ramblings!

There's more...I can't stop myself tonight.....
Yesterday was a holiday - how I do love a holiday. I really enjoy not having to go to work!
And how did I spend my holiday?
Well, it was a Tuesday and a Tuesday's not a Tuesday without a bit of Stitch and Bitch, so I hung out with a few of the NYC crew at a place near Union Square called Tisserie. Yummy looking french-type offerings were on display but I managed to be good and just have a lemonade.
I was joined by Lynette, Jill R, Jill A, Claudine and Jenn. Very pleasant.
After stitching and bitching it up for a while, Claudine, Jenn and I all followed Jill A to her conveniently situated and cool apartment. We ate snacks, (see, I can't be good for long!), and stitched and bitched some more.
Jenn was making trouble for herself, (as usual!), by getting her yarn in a right royal tangle:

She wouldn't listen to my suggestion of cutting the yarn and starting again, so I had to tackle her to the ground, put her in a full nelson and cut the yarn myself. (None of which is true, but I did finally get her to do as I suggested and she was able to finish knitting her flowered dress - which I hope to see her modelling with some go-go boots - without a horrible tangle to undo every row!)

I was knitting yet another baby blanket - this time in the round and using Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton:

It looks a bit like a mashed-up fried egg in my lap in this shot, but it's not bad in real life. The pattern is dead easy and can be found here, if anyone's interested.

Jill got herself glammed up ready to go to some fancy-smanshy rooftop party, so we were kicked out onto the street. The remaining three of us went over to 30-somethingth street and some eastern avenue to watch the fireworks.
They were fab! Thank goodness the Americans got their independence - I mean, Guy Fawke's Night is good and everything, but no one shows off the love for their country quite like the good old Septic Tanks - hehehee!