One of my early soapbox issues

This will be a quick post. Please read this article. Email me privately if you want to know the brands of products this company sells.

Memorial Day

It has been a nice quiet weekend around here. But my muscles are screaming like crazy. You see, I did something I NEVER do or at least I haven't done in 16 or 17 years. I did yard work. I weeded my flower beds yesterday. I got up and was outside at 7 AM. (I also don't do the sun or heat very well either lol) So now the muscles in my butt are really sore. The last time I remember being this sore was when I planted azalea bushes many many years ago. The other "casualty" of yesterday's yardwork is my pointer finger on my right hand. There were several stubborn patches of field bermuda in the beds. I didn't realize at the time but I guess I hooked my pointer finger under the soil in an effort to grab under the roots to pull. Yesterday afternoon it was already sore and stiff. Today it is a touch better but it sure does make knitting awkward. lol

I had a lovely Saturday. It started when I went to pick up Terri for Knitty Committee and had to take a stroll through the backyard. Does anyone else remember Hollyhock dolls from their childhood? I am not talking about something you buy in a store but the kind you made from Hollyhock blossoms and toothpicks. This is a very very distant memory but when I was 3 or 4 we had a neighbor lady who lived across the alley from us in Cushing. Her name was Suzanne and she had the most fantastic braid. During the day she'd pin it up in a coronet on the back of her head but if I got over there in the morning hours she'd most often have it dangling down her back over her robe. I digress, we had a bumper crop of Hollyhocks on each side of the alley. And she is the one who taught me how to make Hollyhock dolls. Terri has some beautiful Hollyhocks and every time I see them I talk about Hollyhock dolls.

Terri and I had an early breakfast at Don's and then drove into OKC to Knitty Committee. It was a nice group. I got to visit with Emily and Susan. As you can see Susan had on her Queen of Everything shirt that Bette brought back for her from Vegas. Doesn't she look regal? After Knitty Committee we went to Gourmet Yarn to see if Margaret got the Schaefer yarn in. It wasn't in yet, darn it!! So Terri, Susan and I roamed and sat and visited with David, Liz and Sandy who were untangling a very tangled skein of yarn. Margaret was in Dallas for the weekend and happened to call while we were there. I teased her and let her know we'd emptied her office and rearranged the front of the store while she was gone. (David put me up to that lol) I wished you could have heard her response. I think for a few seconds she believed me. lol

You know how I'm always talking about how you buy some yarn that just ends up being fondling yarn? Well, over a year ago (my first visit) I was in The Woolie Ewe. I found some yarn in the sale corner that I fell in love with. I had eyed this pattern in my How to Knit book by Debbie Bliss that I wanted to knit. It's pillow covers. I found this gorgeous sage green tweed (Classic Elite) yarn. It was in the original bag. Not understanding how their sale corner worked, I noticed there was a red sticker and guessed that was the sale price per skein. So I took the yarn to the counter only to find out the final price was HALF the red sticker price. Hey! That's my kinda sale!! So I bought enough to make two pillow covers. I started knitting on it that very evening. But you've never seen a pillow cover knitted by me, have you? lol It's one of my many WIP's that I haven't touched in awhile. But I love that yarn and when I bought it I didn't have my own swift and ball winder. So I decided I needed to find a way to enjoy it's beauty as it was. And this is where it has been displayed at the old apartment and now in my Norman place.

Well, you see Officer, it was really very simple.....

I've done some amazing things regarding yarn since I've started knitting but I think Monday had to be the funniest. My Yarn Priest aka Margaret asked me when I was in her shop if I would mind taking some yarn back to Norman with me. It was a bag of 20 skeins of some very soft Merino yarn for a customer who lived here in Norman. The customer had already paid for the yarn and said she'd pick it up the next time she was in but Margaret knew a way to get it to her more quickly. So Margaret calls the customer while I'm there and gives her my work number and name and tells her I'll have it and she can reach me on Monday. Monday rolls around and about midmorning the customer calls and asks where I work. I tell her the nearest corner, find out what type of car to look for, find out she's only 10 minutes away and tell her I'll be outside watching for her to just pull into a parking spot. So I'm downstairs standing on the sidewalk along beautiful downtown Norman on Main street with traffic whizzing by. I notice there are no parking spots to be had. (It gets that way sometimes until the Ticket Nazi comes around but that's another story.) Pretty soon I see a dark blue car and notice the driver is looking at me as she comes around the corner. No parking spots still so I'm walking towards the street. The customer/driver has stopped now and is smiling at me and trying to find the right button to roll down the passenger window. Cars are piling up behind her and now blocking the intersection waiting for her to move. I sling the bag of yarn into the car seat and yell "Enjoy!!" as she waves and takes off!! I felt like a drug dealer. Seeing the customer, rushing out to the street, making the drop and her taking off!! lol Ok, maybe I don't have a clue how a drug deal goes down but if you use your imagination......and I sure do hope that was the right lady!

My Yarn Priest

I have a Yarn Priest. You've probably never heard of a yarn priest before but it is the name I've given Margaret who owns Gourmet Yarn. A priest you say? Yes, I ask her for guidance and she gives it. I go to her to confess my yarn sins. She either shows me the way to fix those sins or gives me absolution. She will gladly provide me with all the yarn my bank account will allow. She provides a safe haven to come and knit. She welcomes all those who desire to learn a warm and comfortable environment to learn this addictive pasttime. She doesn't know I've given her this new title. But I hope it makes her smile and beam with pride. (Can you tell she is a
bit camera shy?)

Cheap Thrills

It's really sad when your highlight of the day is the thrill of buying a new electric toothbrush head and you are more tickled because of the "stitch markers".

Made some headway with the clapotis. Finished a piece one of the secret project.

Guild tomorrow. 3-5 at Belle Isle Library. I will be there but it may be in body only. Allergies/sinuses are getting the best of me.

Soap Box Time

Someone has found a new hidey hole.












Ok, here is my soapbox issue. If you've listened to any of the local news stations in the past couple of days you've surely heard about Bobcat's Disease. This is a deadly disease for which there is no cure or vaccination. It is transmitted by ticks. If your cat is allowed to go outdoors it is in danger of getting a tick that carries this disease. The vet interviewed on KOCO this morning recommended Frontline. I believe it can be purchased at your vet's office. The best way to protect your feline baby is to keep him/her indoors.


Not much to report on the WIP's. I've been working on a secret project so I can't show the item. Let's just say that when trying to meet certain specifications, it slows this gal down. :-)

OKC Guild is this Sunday, Belle Isle Library, downstairs, north entrance, 3-5, bring your current project or show-n-tell.

Sunday Sunday

Ok, Susan F., you've given me "permission" to post pictures of my new shoes. And no, I don't have any funny story to go along with them. No banned shoes at work, no collection to add them to. Just cute shoes I thought would go with many things in my closet this summer. Now if I can get my toes used to the thong between them, I'll be ok. lol






This is the fabric I purchased at Helen Enox a month ago or so. It will eventually become a skirt. I had it spread out on the table, pattern pieces trimmed and ready to lay out. Then had some unexpected company coming and had to put everything away. It hasn't come out since except to take this picture.








I'm a little irritated with myself for forgetting my camera yesterday. Emily, Pam and myself went to the Fiber Rendevous in Arcadia. Emily remembered her camera and hopefully will post some pictures of the event. I did get to see three darling alpacas. They are so soft and these three were freshly sheered. Later on I was sitting on a bench in the shade and I heard this child whining. It sounded like the child was pretty worn out and the whine was real low like he/she had been whining long enough he/she was worn out. I kept looking around trying to figure out where the child was. It wasn't a child. It was the alpacas. That is the sound they make. Cool, huh? There was also a baby lamb with a red bandana around it's neck. I'm not into spinning or dying so the animals were the highlight of the trip for me.

There was one sight we observed that made us laugh. We were sitting on the same bench in the shade and noticed the three alpacas were standing nose to tail, nose to tail and nose to tail. Pretty soon one lifted it's tail and did his business. The next one "observed" this bodily function very closely and then lifted it's tail and did his business. The third "observed" this same bodily function and then lifted it's tail and did the same. We started laughing about how it was such a "group event". Then we remembered when we stopped earlier in OKC for Pam to use the restroom that all three of us trooped in to do the same. Have you noticed women do that a lot? We must not be too far from the alpaca chain. lol

And to end this post, for your viewing pleasure Pretty Little Miss Lexi.

Stitch Markers and Lantern Moon

Its been a great knitting weekend. Shelly and I trekked north Friday evening and met Rosemary for an evening of good food, good knitting and good company. I had been lusting over this bag for several months:









Doesn't it have a summery look to it? It's lined and that was a big draw for me. It also has pockets! One side is a slim pocket sewn at an angle for straight knitting needles and the other side has different compartments for whatever your little heart desires. I think the tie at the top just appeals to us girly-girls who love a sash to tie. This bag is made by Lantern Moon.






Saturday night Shelly and I once again traveled north only this time we headed to my favorite knitting event, Gourmet Yarn's monthly Knit In!!! Margaret chose a Cinco De Mayo theme and asked those who desired to bring their favorite Mexican dish to share. I don't think I've ever seen a spread that big before. We had chicken enchiladas, Mexican wedding cookies (my fave), sopapilla cheesecake, 7 layer dip, chile verde, queso, guacamole and many others. Margaret gave out prizes for the best three and I apologize but I only remember the chicken enchiladas and the Mexican wedding cookies as winners. I know there was a third but I don't recall what dish won that prize. Here are a few pictures from last night for those of you who could not join us.















































Notice how Margaret slips her hand up to block her face from the camera? But if you'll notice in the picture with Karen, I managed to get Margaret there. lol Kristy is diligently working on her sock. From what I saw, she was doing an excellent job. Emily was working on her cowl from the Knitty site. It looks wonderful and she is almost finished. And the lady in hot pink is Jan. She was winding some yarn she'd bought to make a Pool Reflections afghan. There were several new faces of people whose names I don't know, hopefully I eventually will! I apologize for the blurry pictures, I guess I shake when I take them.


Emily suggested I post this. I have some favorite stitch markers. If you'll notice the pink and blue stitchmarkers, they are narrow bands. The reason I love them is they are flat rings. They don't "stand" above the stitches on the needle. If you'll notice the green and purple stitch markers, they have some "stand". It's my little quirk but they bother me when I can feel them standing on the needle. So what are these flat stitch markers? They are the color coded bands you get when you buy a new electric toothbrush head. lol Lexi doesn't need a color coded brush nor do I, so I use these for stitch markers. I love them so much I emailed Gillette to ask if they'd let me buy some. Would you believe they didn't even respond to me? Hmmm!! If they only knew.........

Terri and Susan, we missed you!!

Thank Rebecca for this! :-)

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