When Good Needles Go Bad...

Get the picture?

I think this beading needle has outlived its usefulness. Time to go to that great needle graveyard in the sky...

(Otherwise known as the circular file)



So what am I up to this morning?

After blocking yesterday, I am adding ladybugs to the edge of Zinnia, the August installment of the Garden Variety Collection, which is due for release sometime next week.

Now usually I am a process knitter, rather than a progress one (although I have learned to apply a judicious amount of discipline - yeah right - in order to meet self-imposed deadlines.)

But I am applying ladybugs with a fervor not often seen out here on the sunflower farm.

Why?

Because I am determined to wear Zinnia to Stitches Midwest.

Tomorrow...

This will be the first time I have visited this annual bacchanalia event as a vendor, rather than a consumer. No, I don't have a booth (something to aspire to in the future.)

But I DID ( with some help from my DH) create a nifty one page flier featuring my currently available patterns...

Which I will be handing out along with my card to various retail outlets.

Hey, A girl's gotta eat pay her baby boy's college tuition.

So, if you see a fat statuesque, old mature redhead wearing a yellow dress and a Zinnia scarf with red ladybugs hanging off of it,

(And how many of those can there be?)

Stop me and say, "Hi."

Trust me. It'll make my day!

Now, if I just didn't have all these ends to weave in...


Sigh...

ALL PATTERN ORDERS PLACED FRIDAY, AUGUST 22ND WILL BE EMAILED OUT ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 23RD.

Sorry Bout That!

OK fight fans. I have reloaded the pictures of the cherry country shawl. Don't know what the problem was, but I think she is fully functional now. Drool all you want. I'll make more...

Missing You...

Every time I think of you, I always catch my breath
And I'm still standing here, and you're miles away
And I'm wonderin' why you left
And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight

I ain't missing you at all since you've been gone away
I ain't missing you, no matter what I might say

Well. life has certainly been busy at Chez Pandorf. Yep, yep, yep!

And noisy. Yep, yep, yep!
The carpenters have been carpentering BANG! BANG! BANG!

The painters have been painting SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! (Okay, so they haven't started painting yet. They're merely power washing the house, which is WAY louder than painting it, trust me!)



The cleaners have been cleaning VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!

So I did what any self-respecting idiot would do. (And if anyone respects my right to be an idiot, it's me!)

I ran away from home.

After meeting up with beauteous Chris of Briar Rose fame, the lovely and talented Ms. Bonne Marie of Chic Knits, and my everlovin' Cabeza Grande at the Michigan Fiber Festival, I headed back up to the lake for another brief visit with my Dad. Might as well. I was already half way there. Figured I could finish formatting the workbook and get in some serious time on Cherry with NO INTERRUPTIONS!!!!

So here is a lovely picture of Bonne Marie, myself, and Karen (also known as La Cabeza Grande.)









And here is a lovely sheep

B-A-A-A!









And here is said sheep getting naked (with a little help from the man with shears)




Goodness! Sheep porn! What's next?





Thank you everyone for your concern over my unannounced absence. It was spur of the moment and I intended on posting from Leland, with my newly acquired wireless technology.

But I got sick

Again

For the second time this month.

Bugger!

What I thought was seasonal allergies, turned into a raging sinus infection.

So I spent two days trying to format the workbook pages the way I wanted, only to have the pages take on a malevolent life of their own. Every time I fixed something, another part went out of whack. I called my hubbie for help. He advised sagely. I took notes. I tried it his way. The workbook pages mocked me with an evil laugh (perhaps my fevered brain made that part up) and continued to warp out of shape, switching fonts, spacing, ledding, and any other body part possible.

I caved. The pages won. I put the answers after each chapter like a good little girl, instead of along the side in a separate column like I envisioned. It just wasn't worth the effort...

But all was not lost. I made real progress on Cherry (almost half done now) as well as some serious canoodling with other patterns and yarns for future original patterns.






Will share all in another post later this week, but here is a teaser



















To reward your patience.

I also read three books, spent some time with the extended family, and slept.

A lot.

So I'm back, I'm fine (or as fine as I'm going to get at this point in my life) and I'm raring to go (well, perhaps raring is too strident a word.)

How about this? I'm meandering along my life path again...

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Show and Tell

Can I see by a raise of hands, how many of you want to see the damage?

Uh - huh. I thought so. Y'all love a good train wreck, as long as it happened to MY pocketbook and not yours!

When I left in the wee small hours of the morning Saturday, Scott pleaded his case from under the nice warm covers, "Don't spend any money."

"Don't spend ANY money?" My life was passing in front of my eyes. I mean, does he go to the hardware store if he isn't going to buy SOMETHING?

He peered at me with intensity born out of futility, "You know what I mean."

So I promised him I wouldn't bring home any yarn that I could adopt order later. This confined my purchases to handpaints, because they are one of a kind, or small purveyors that do not sell via the internet.

And I kept my word.

I just didn't realize how big that word was.

**********************************

(Please bear in mind that many of these are destined for Christmas and birthday gifts)




Blue Moon Twister in Metamorphic









Just Our Yarn Caravan











Brooks Farm Acero









Kit for Woven Kimono (see yesterday's post for pic








Interlacements Ric Rac









Blue Moon Seduction in Lunasea and Carbon Dating








Blue Moon laceweight in Lunasea











Blue Moon Socks that Rock in Rooster Rock and Spacedust










Aussi Sock in Faded Valentine and Spanish Fiesta










Shawl pin by Gita Marie




What can I say? I'm weak.

Excuse me while I take back the groceries and get a refund...

************************************

Standard Disclaimer: No growing boys (or husbands) were denied provisions during the writing of this post. Deprivation was simulated by our special effects person.

High Ho

C'mon...Sing along...You know the tune...


High Ho, High Ho!
To Stitches we will go
With Socks in Hand
A merry band
High Ho, High Ho, High Ho!



Now that's what I call a bus-load of knitters!

At crack of dawn
We put our glad rags on
We climbed aboard
And headed toward
Chicago -O, High Ho!




Interlacements' booth


High Ho, High Ho!
We took a wrong turn. D'OH!
Our driver tried
To park our ride
High Ho, High Ho, High Ho!





Just Our Yarn's booth


The show was grand
We reached the promised land
We left the din
And entered in
To shop, and drop, High Ho!





Woven Style Kimono Jacket at Elegant Ewe


Oh weary us!
We staggered to the bus
With bags of fiber
All to die "fer"
Yo! High Ho, High Ho





ROCKIN" tee shirt from Gene Ann's

So home we head
To dream upon our beds
Of cashmere fine
and silk divine
High Ho, High Ho, High Ho!

This could go on
And on until you're gone
But I think I'll cease
And knit my fleece
High Ho, High Ho, High Ho...