This Blog Has Moved

I'd like to thank each and every one of you for following this blog. But it is time for me to move on to bigger and better things.
Please subscribe to my new blog over at Mercantile 519. I have a bunch of fun new stuff in store, and will be posting it there. I hope you enjoy my new project.

A Giveaway!

As I'm sure you know, I am working on launching the new brand, Mercantile 519. I am hosting a giveaway on my Facebook page for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the shop, once it opens. If you are interested, you can check it out here!

Wednesdays Are For Gratitude

I'm still plugging away on the new site, and I am loving the way it's looking. I still have TONS to do, but it's slowly coming together.
Here is a quick list of things I am grateful for this week
Getting my hair done  /  Awesome friends  /  More awesome friends  /  Awesome new friends  /  My mom making a super delicious dinner tonight  /  New supplies that have come in the mail  /  All of you!
Life is pretty sweet right now. If this cruddy back/hip pain would go away, it would be just shy of amazing.

Another Big Change

It's been a week since the last post, and a full week at that. Something super, super, super exciting happened on Thursday, which I will talk about more at the end of this post.
I worked a few days this week, and got some things done. I met up with Rick on Friday for lunch, and to buy his old external hard drive off of him. He loaded it up with all of Doctor Who, some workout videos and a whole bunch of movies. I was so happy for this, because now I have dozens of hours of things to watch while I knit! My blog feed is becoming stagnant again, so I am going to go through and eliminate a bunch, and find some new ones. If you have a blog you think I'd like, please share it!
After meeting up with Rick, I hung out with my friends Norma and Sarah, and their two dachshunds Pickles and Loki. We went to see Kick Ass 2, which was pretty good. I know I saw the first one, but I don't really remember it, so I have nothing to compare this one to. After the movie, we picked up a pizza and some cider and sat in the car by the river and watched the storm. An amazing Friday night, no doubt.
Saturday, I worked in the morning, which wasn't anything too exciting. Afterwards, I went home, tidied up my room and cleaned all the floors. I wasn't planning on going out, but then came across an event on Facebook where a friend, who is moving to the East Coast tomorrow, was playing a show at Phog with his band. I decided to go with my best friend, Cassia, and we had a great time. There was some drunken hilarity happening mostly involving others, that I got sucked into. I danced with many, many folks, and really enjoyed myself. It definitely beat the hell out of sitting around at home. Cassia and I ended up going back to my friends place with most of his band, and some other friends. I ended up crashing there after talking with everyone for what seemed like hours upon hours. Woke up Sunday afternoon, and went to the Tall Ships Festival at the Windsor riverfront. They played a second show there which was also very enjoyable. Went back to their place again afterwards, along with a whole crew of people. We ran to The Beer Store, which I conveniently remembered was open until 6, and made it there with minutes to spare. That was fun in itself. We drank our fill, listened to everyone (but myself) play wonderful music, and had a blast. I was up quite late again, and slept in today until eleven or so. Took an uneventful bus ride home, and that is where I am now.
Now, onto the exciting thing that happened Thursday. I mentioned it last week as something I knew I needed to do, and that would help light the fire under my ass.

I registered my business!!!!

I am no longer going to be known as Knit, Nicole, Knit! and instead will be Mercantile 519. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time. I no longer just knit, and I wanted to change the name to reflect that. This name is something that can grow from being just me selling my handmade goods to selling stuff made by other artists and artisans in the 519 area code. I am happy to be from where I am from, and I knew the name had to reflect something to that effect. 519 is the area code for Southwestern Ontario, I have it tattooed on my left hand, and I just thought adding that would be perfect.

After my brother got home from work Thursday, I had him take a couple pictures of me holding my Master Business Licence. This is the best one. Seriously, every other one, my smile was so huge, I looked certifiably crazy.
I am so incredibly stoked, excited, ecstatic, nervous, happy, and every other emotion possible, about this whole situation. There are so many things I need to do, but they are coming together slowly, but surely. I have the Facebook page made, a Twitter account, an Instagram account that has not yet been updated, and I am working on building the site with Squarespace. Once I get some of that last one up and ready to go, I will have a mailing list so you can all join and find out when the launch will actually be. I will no longer be selling on Etsy for numerous reasons, but that's irrelevant right now.
This is such a huge step in my life, and I am so glad all of you are here cheering me on, sending me positive messages, leaving comments, and just generally being in my corner. These last few months, since I decided I was going to rebrand, up until now have been quite overwhelming and stressful. Getting a nice comment on something online brings me so much joy, and I am endlessly appreciative.
I hope you all continue to follow me throughout this journey. I will wrap up this already verbose post now before I start getting even more emotional.

Times Are A Changin'

I really didn't want to turn into one of those bloggers that posts sporadically because of life events, but I have. As I posted before, Rick and I separated a few months ago, and we're just finishing the relationship now. We tried to work on things, but it just isn't going to happen. At least not in the present. Maybe the future, it could work out well, but neither of us is holding our breath. We are still friends, and we will still talk occasionally, but not see each other regularly, as we have been since I moved out.
I am diving into the deep end of rebranding, and I will be busting my ass to make it awesome. I have a whole bunch of new items made, and supplies ordered for other new stuff. I found a couple great suppliers that I am dealing with, and I'm really looking forward to receiving all of it. And of course, creating with it, then sharing it with all of you.
I haven't been knitting much of anything lately. I finished that pile of new mystery items, which I still need to sew up and put the buttons on. Now I'm a bit apathetic about everything. I think I just need to take another step, and actually register my business, or start building the site, or start photographing items, or SOMETHING to get the fire lit under my ass so I can get busy. I'm a huge procrastinator, and I keep telling myself I have till October, but that's only 35 days away. I don't necessarily want to launch for the beginning of October, but definitely before the 15th.
Anyway, I don't really know where I'm going with this. I guess I just need to let some emotions out, and this is helping. I hope you forgive me for being absent, and absent-minded.

Wednesdays Are For Gratitude: August 21, 2013

It's been quite some time since I've posted a Wendesdays Are For Gratitude post, and a lot has happened lately. Lots of good, some not so good, but I'm here to talk about the former. Nobody likes a bum out blog post, am I right?
Here is what I am grateful for lately:
My brother (whose 20th birthday was yesterday!)  /  My yarn stash  /  New hair (more on this in a minute!)  /  Poutines  /  Old friends  /  New friends  /  Transit Windsor  /  The annual town festival this weekend  /  Finishing up three balls of yarn recently.

More about new hair! Yesterday, I went to see my friend Christine, where she worked her magic on my hairs, and I came out looking brand spanking new. I'm not as blonde as I'd like, I prefer it to be closer to a white blonde than a golden colour, but we're getting there! I got awesome feedback from the people I saw afterwards. I love being blonde!
In addition to all this fun hair stuff, I went all over Windsor yesterday, hence the thankfulness to Transit Windsor. I had an amazing breakfast poutine at The Twisted Apron, and a regular dinner poutine at Phog. Not the healthiest, especially when you add in all the beer I consumed. I think I deserved a fun day after all the junk I've been through lately. I ran into a few people I knew, and overall had an awesome day.
I have finished three balls of yarn lately. All on the same secret projects I've been on a bender for. I just have to sew the rest of them up, and I'll be done with them. Then, it's time to figure out a new project. I have a bunch of ideas of stuff to make, just a matter of figuring out which yarns to use. These three balls bring me to +54. I'm starting to get a little more realistic with my goal, and I don't know if I'll actually make it. But I will still keep track of everything.
What is going on in your lives lately? Are you trying to get as much summer fun in as possible, too?

Sometimes, Life Gets in The Way

For the longest time, I was updating three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with the occasional post on the weekend. Lately, I just haven't been able to keep up with that. I have quotas I want to meet for new items for the rebrand, which means I am knitting even more than usual. I've even been knitting on my breaks at work! Last week, I took the bus to go for dinner with a friend, and even got some knitting done on the bus. (more on this later) I'm trying really hard to get my stash eliminated as much as possible. I managed to get three balls of yarn used up this week, if you count the tiny balls I am donating. This brings me to +57. I'm getting there!
I'm starting to go through my yarn and finding more yarns that I thought I really liked, but after more consideration, they're just not what I want. I don't know what to do with them now. Part of me wants to donate to a group that can use it, but the rest of me says "hey, you put a lot of money out for this, don't just give it away." Does that make me a bad person? I hope not. It will still take me some time to decide what I want to do with all this extra yarn.
Now, about dinner! There is a new place in Windsor that opened, called The Nacho Suite that I heard about on Windsorite. I have a friend that loves to try new foods, so we made arrangements on Twitter to meet up there and try some food. Totally delicious, and I can't wait to go back. I'm planning on trying the seafood option next time.
Have you tried any new restaurants lately?

More Stash Down Progress

This past week, I've been busy knitting away. A lot of knitting is happening, but not much can be shared, as it's all stuff for the rebrand. I can share this one sneak peek picture, which gives nothing away.

Those are my Pymatuning Crafts buttons I got a little while back. This is the first project I've used them on, and seriously, I am in love!!! I initially got them for the baby photo props I made, but I had no luck selling those, and kind of gave up.

I've knit eight of these mystery items, and used up FOUR balls of yarn in the process. Well, almost, I guess. The balls left over were too small to do anything with, so I am donating them to LeeLee hats to use to make stripes on their hats. Anyway,  this brings me to +60. This puts me back at 5.5 skeins to be eliminated per week. I'm confident I can make some progress soon! I have quite a few half finished projects on the needles that I am going to get finished soon!

How are your projects going?

Working on the Rebrand

As you may know, in October, I will no longer be creating under the Knit, Nicole, Knit! name. I won't be disappearing, though, so don't worry! I can't share what my new name is, but it is not knitting specific. Here is a sneak peek at what some of the branding will look like.

I am LOVING how everything is turning out. My friend Christine is doing my branding, and is doing an amazing job. I am going to be ordering business cards, earring cards, and tags for the knitwear this week. I am getting so excited.

I've been working on creating new items for the new brand, which is so much fun. I'm trying to have a more consistent line, by using the same yarns in many of my projects. This means that a lot of my stash is no longer suited to what I need. I will not be getting rid of it though! I'll still continue to knit with them, and sell the finished objects at a discount. I've thought about giving the yarn away, and even selling it, but I would never get the money back that I paid for it. Plus, nearly everything I have now is stuff that I really like. The only reason I am not planning on using it for the new business is that it is vintage, or otherwise impossible to find.

Not much longer till the launch. October is coming up fast!

More Stash Down Progress!

It's only been a couple days since my last update, but I've made even more Stash Down progress! I've been knitting like a madwoman, and eliminating yarn left and right. Still working on the dishcloths, and I am enjoying them. I might miss them once all my cotton is gone.
The top two cloths are some of my favourites. I love adding textures and small sections of stripes to the cloths. They make them way more fun. The blue finished off one ball, and the yellow was finished with the green in the second picture. More on the pink later!
The green and yellow cloth is pretty neat, too. It finished off the yellow and green in one swoop. It's actually like 4 garter ridges too short for a full size cloth, so I threw it in the drawer in the kitchen here. I wouldn't feel right selling a too small cloth to someone, even if I discounted it.
The last two pink ones, in addition to the pink one in the first picture, finished off one of the bigger balls of cotton I had. I still have quite a bit of the light pink left, which I'm working with right now.
This is FOUR balls of yarn finished since Monday! Not half bad, if I say so myself! This brings my count to +64. I always check the average I need to eliminate after I count a chunk. I went from 5.5 skeins per week for the rest of the year, to 5.18. If I can get that number down to 4 or less, I am sure I will get to my goal without having to give yarn away!
I'm taking a short break from the cloths, and working on a striped scarf on 8mm needles that I am loving. I hope to get it done in the next couple days, and share it with all of you.

Stash Down 2013: It's Not Over Yet

One of my goals for 2013 was the have a net change to my stash of -50 balls of yarn. If you've been following my Stash Down progress, you'll know that I acquired 150 balls of yarn a little while ago, and I was incredibly discouraged. Well, my knitting mojo is back in full force, and I've been knitting like crazy. Seriously, crazy amounts of knitting have been going on. Mom and I went grocery shopping last week, and I walked around behind her, knitting on a cloth. Between these six cloths, and a couple other partial cloths I have on the go, I've eliminated three balls of cotton. Sure, not a whole lot, but that's three less than I had before! Plus, it's yarn I no longer have a real need for, so I'm opening up a drawer in the storage area for yarn I really love. I've decided to leave dishcloth knitting to others so I can focus on things I truly enjoy making.
I calculated the other day that I need to eliminate 5.5 skeins of yarn a week until the end of the year, and not acquire any, in order to meet my goal. I'm intimidated, but I really believe I can do it. Summer is going to be difficult, but as soon as my hours at work drop down again, I'll be kicking ass and taking names.
What are you knitting on this week?

The Last Friday of the Month

This month is almost done, which is totally crazy to me. I know everyone always says how fast time is going, but seriously, where are the brakes?!
I've been pretty busy lately, knitting, hanging out with Rick, working, hanging out with my family and so much more.
Here is a "quick" recap. (I really hope it's quick, I have knitting to get done!)
I spent a few days out at Rick's earlier in the week. We baked and baked and baked together, which was a lot of fun. He has his project going on, which I can't share just yet, but I made some mediocre brownies. I used the recipe off the back of the cocoa powder. The pan made them pretty neat, but they weren't really that good. Nothing special about them. They weren't gooey and fudgey, which is how I like my brownies. Oh well, no big loss, the recipe only made these six brownies. I'll try a different recipe next time. If you have an awesome brownie recipe, let me know!
I went out with a friend to Second Cup after work a couple days ago. Second Cup is Canada's Starbucks, but I actually prefer it most of the time. I got an iced coffee, and he got a frozen hot chocolate. The coffee was a bad idea. I was laying awake in bed until like 3 am. I didn't feel tired at all. I don't think I'll be getting a large coffee at 9:30 at night again, any time soon. Unless the goal is to stay awake forever.
Anyway, my friend is moving to Sweden next weekend, for a two year teaching position. I'm going to miss him. I've known him since high school, and no matter how long we go without talking, we can catch right up whenever we get together.

Today, I was sitting in my room, knitting, and I heard someone knock on the door. My first thought was "Why don't people ring the door bell? It's so much more efficient" and then I finally got up and went to see who it was. The mailman was there, with a small padded envelope in his hand, and he said he was looking for Nicole. As soon as I saw the package, I knew what it was. I am so excited for this! I can't share it yet, because it's for the rebrand, but it's awesome.
I need to get back to my knitting! If I want to be down 50 skeins by the end of the year, I need to eliminate 5.5 skeins a week. That's a lot!
How was your week?

LUV LOCAL Windsor-Essex Creates: A Recap

This past weekend was the LUV LOCAL show at Walkerville Brewery. It was all day Saturday and Sunday, and I did pretty alright.
I was there bright and early Saturday morning, ready to set up. As per my usual, I started setting up, got halfway done, and then socialized for a little while. I got back to my space, and decided at the last minute to set up most of my winter wear, and put a sign up saying it was half price. I sold five items off this rack to a family with three young boys, so I am really happy I made that decision!
Over the course of the first day, I sold a few pairs of earrings, some rings and a couple bracelets. Not a whole lot, but I was happy with what sold.
I got dinner from Kildare House, which was pretty disappointing. They didn't have the lobster mac and cheese I was really looking forward to.
The second day was quite a bit slower, with only about half the number of people that Saturday had. I did sell a few things, but not as many as I was hoping for. I did get a bunch of sign ups for my mailing list, which is awesome. I want to notify as many people as possible when I launch with the new brand, and this will help.
I saw quite a few people that I know throughout the show, nearly all of which I was happy to see.
I got lunch from Salute Espresso Bar which is right next door to the brewery. It was delicious.
Overall, the show was a success. Not everyone did super well, and I was probably middle of the pack with how well I did. Regardless, I had a really good time, in spite of the heat (it was pushing 90 degrees inside for most of the weekend)
How did your weekend go?

My Week In Instagrams: July 19, 2013

This week is almost done, and I can't wait for the weekend! I have a craft show tomorrow and Sunday at Walkerville Brewery, here in Windsor. It's the same venue as my most successful show ever, so I'm really looking forward to it.
Here is a peek at what I've been up to this week.

I spent a few days out at Ricks, and we went and sat in the car, by the water, eating our chilli cheese dogs. It was raining, but it wasn't as oppressively hot as it has been lately. Seriously, Windsor-Essex County is having some strange weather. If it's not 95 F +, it's storming. I love the storms, the heat, I could do without. I can't wait for summer to be over! Bring on the chilly fall and winter weather! I don't know if I prefer winter more because it's cold, or because I can wear jeans, sweaters and scarves.

I picked up a four pack of Jones Soda when I was out at Ricks. I love this stuff. This was the first fortune that was under my cap. I posted it on Facebook and Instagram, asking if anyone would be interested in being a pen pal. I got a couple takers, and I'm looking forward to writing to them. I'm hoping to pick up some decent paper today when I am out and about with my mom. I don't want to be lame and boring and just write on plain lined paper. That's no fun.
If you would like to be my penpal, send me your mailing address to nicoleATknitnicoleknitDOTcom I'm hoping to have like ten pen pals or so, and I'm about halfway there. I'm excited. I had a pen pal in grade school, and it was so much fun writing to her.

And now for the knitting content! I've been working with a lot of thinner yarns lately, and I'm really enjoying it. I haven't posted much on the blog, but there has been knitting happening. I cast on for a Terribly Simple shawl, and it's a lot of fun. Miles of garter stitch, turning into a gentle crescent shape. It's super fun. I'm thinking of modifying the pattern a wee bit, and adding a ruffle at the end. Nothing too crazy, just enough to have a little texture. We'll see how much yarn I have when it comes time. But I'm not opposed to striping in another colour.
This is Knit Picks Shadow Lace Tonal in Summer Blooms. I got it a while back, and caked it up after I got my ball winder and swift, and just haven't found something I want to knit with it. I think this pattern will be just the right fit.
What have all of you been up to?

Monday Knitting Update: July 15, 2013

It's the halfway mark of July, and I can't believe it! I haven't been knitting as much this past week, because I worked quite a bit. I did, however, finish an awesome, super long, seed stitch mustard yellow scarf!
It's made of a vintage, fuzzy acrylic, held double, on size 11 needles. Super long, too! It's going to be great in the winter time. I had it wrapped around my neck four times, and the ends still hung down to mid-torso. I have a whole bunch of this yarn, as well as the same type in an olive green. This scarf used two whole balls. I'll probably do a few more identical scarves, to facilitate selling them online with the rebrand.
Speaking of rebrand, holy stress balls. It's a lot of work. I have a friend working on my graphic stuff, and I'm hoping to have that done soon. I'm still playing around with SquareSpace, and trying to get all of that figured out. I'm also trying to figure out how I'll sell off the rest of my Knit, Nicole, Knit! line of knitted items. So many things to figure out, and October isn't getting any farther away.
What have you all been up to?

Wednesdays are for Gratitude: July 10, 2013

Wednesday is almost over, and I'm just getting around to blogging. I had a busy day today, filled with shopping, and I didn't buy a single thing! Well, unless you count lunch. Anyway, here is what I am grateful for this week.

Spending time with my family  /  Copious amounts of knitting time  /  New jewelry supplies that are on their way to me  /  Nail polish from Julep  /  Finishing my stinky antibiotics  /  Going out for fast food with my Dad, when mom and brother were gone  /  My friends going away party (but not him actually going away)  /  Cards Against Humanity  /  Free beer  /  Chinese food with mom  /  Visits at work from a friend  /  Hanging out with Rick  /  All you can eat sushi  /  Rick getting loads of supplies for his business  /  This blog, and all of you.

This past week has been a good one. I work the next two days, and then have Sunday off. I'm hoping for Monday off as well, but we'll see what happens.

How are things with all of you?

Monday Knitting Update: July 8, 2013

FINALLY! My mojo has returned! I've been knitting like crazy these last few days! I know it's partly due to StashDash2013, but I'll take what I can get! Here is a little peek at what I've made lately.

I've been working on a bunch of little yarn flowers. These have been turned into brooches for my summer shows. The grey in this picture is one of the tiny left over balls I had of the sparkly yarn I used for some head bands and what not a little while back. I'm so happy I got a ball finished, no matter how small it was! I have 20 or so flowers made now, which I think is a good number. I'll still try to get more done, though. I think they're super cute. I have one pinned to my purse and it just makes me happy looking at it.

This is a Wool Ease Thick and Quick scarf. Just a simple seed stitch, which is my favourite stitch for this yarn. most of the stuff I've made out of it, is in seed stitch. This also eliminated a ball of yarn. And being that its a large, bulky yarn, it's a pretty big ball that was used up. If I can get one of my large storage bins emptied, I will be more than happy. I have five bins in my storage unit, so I could bring one home if that's the case. Slowly but surely, I'm eliminating the stash that isn't ideal, and I will replace it with yarns that I love.

Here is the third ball I eliminated this week. This was an even larger ball. Not as bulky as the Wool ease, but definitely a bigger ball. I think it was almost 250 yards! It's a random wool blend I acquired at some point in my knitting career, and I think it looks awesome done diagonally like this. I think I'll be doing more scarves like this in the future. I have one more on the needles, and I'll probably start another one soon. It's still miles of garter stitch, but somehow seems more interesting. This is ball number three that's been used up this week. I'm on a roll!

Now ball number four. Another bulky, wool blend yarn. Patons Echoes Shetland Tweed, a discontinued yarn. It's a light, warm grey with flecks of red, yellow, blue and green. Really neat looking! It's a simple garter stitch scarf. I was going to do seed stitch, but I knit two rows plain before I thought about it. Oh well, I think it looks awesome anyway.

This is all I've knit since the last time I checked in. Not bad progress, I think. You can check my StashDash2013 progress on my post, here. Overall, this is four balls gone, bringing my total to +73.

My Week In Instagrams: July 5, 2013

Still trying to get back into the swing of things, and one of these Instagram Friday posts is definitely going to help. This week hasn't been too exciting, but I've gotten a lot of knitting done. This is a little peek at my week.

Rick came to pick me up last weekend and brought me to his place so I could go to work. It was super stormy off and on, and this was taken during a break in the down pour.

I won't be spending any more weekends in the county, at least not for a while. I finally got transferred to the store close to my parents, and I'm working a whole bunch. There is a second store a couple kilometres up the road that I have also picked up some shifts at. I was initially scheduled 16 hours next week, and with shifts from the second store, I am up to 32 hours. I'll gladly take that!

I've been earring factory-ing a little bit this week. I have a whole bunch of thingamajigs to make into earrings. These ones were made on Canada day, and I was feeling patriotic.

I am going to hold off on releasing most of my new earrings until I rebrand. Some of them will be ready for the Luv Local show in a couple weeks, but not all of them. I really need to get some yarny things ready for that show. Having loads of earrings is great, but I want something that will fill my space a little more. We'll see what I come up with.

My dad and brother were gone out of town for work this week, so it was just mom and I at home. This meant we got to have a little fun with dinner. We went for Chinese at my mom's favourite place. Chicken Soo Guy, shrimp with mixed vegetables, chicken fried rice, egg rolls, shrimp rolls (which were delicious), won ton soup, and of course, fortune cookies. It was nice getting to hang out with just her for a bit.

They're going away again next week to finish the job, so we'll probably be getting Chinese again! I can't wait.

Here is the completed Mosaic scarf! I am so happy with it. You might remember it from a couple days ago. I finished the skein off, and ended with a pretty nice looking scarf, if I say so myself. It's all in the yarn and the pattern I used. I just did knit stitch after knit stitch and let the fabric do the talking. I love it! This means I knocked another skein off for my Stash Down, and 209 yards towards StashDash2013 with TheKnitGirllls. I am going to start the second ball of this yarn soon! I'm working on a couple other projects right now, but I'll be getting my butt in gear for that. It's super easy, and so pretty!

I also finished a blanket I started a couple months back. I also finished a WET&Q scarf that finished up a skein. I'll have photos of that later on. Three balls of Wool Ease Thick and Quick gone makes for a pretty big dent in the space my stash takes. I have a drawer in my storage area that is now almost empty.

That's 4 balls down, for a total of +77. I'm making it, slowly but surely. I just need to start working with the smaller partial balls, and I'll definitely get there! Having two stash elimination goals going at the same time is really motivating me to knit more. I'm trying to end this blog post soon, just so I can get back to knitting!

I've mentioned it before, but I'm in the process of rebranding. I won't be Knit, Nicole, Knit! anymore. This has been a great journey, but I'm ready for something else. I'm using SquareSpace to build my new site, and it's a lot of fun. It has everything that I need. I can't wait to share the finished product with all of you. It's coming along quite nicely. It is a paid service, so I am using a temporary free account, which means I'll have to redo everything I've done so far, but that is alright with me. More practice means I'll be more likely to have it perfect. I can't wait to share it with all of you! I'm shooting for October to be fully functional, or maybe even late September. We'll see!
What are all of you up to these days?

Joining StashDash2013

Happy Fourth to all my American followers!
If you are a fan of TheKnitGirllls, I'm sure you've heard of StashDash2013. They set a goal of using 4000 yards of yarn in a period from 5/24 to 8/5. I got a late start, but I'm joining in to see how far I can get. I need to use an average of 125 yards from now till the end of StashDash to reach the goal. I think this is doable.
Check out my post for my progress HERE.
This will also help me make progress on my stash down project.
I'm excited. Are you participating in StashDash2013?

Math Isn't Always My Friend

As many of you know, I set myself a goal last year of having a net change in my yarn stash of minus 50. I've recently added a whole crap ton of yarn to my stash, bringing me to plus 81 total. I just did the math, and I have to eliminate an average of 5 balls of yarn A WEEK for the rest of the year. I have a feeling I'll be knitting my fingers to the bone. I have quite a few projects on the go that are almost done, so that will help my cause, but that might not be enough. I might have to give away some yarn.

Do you think I can do it?

In related news, here is the scarf I am working on currently. It's made out of Bernat Mosaic in the Ambrosia colourway. It looks kind of like a Noro yarn, but it is 100% acrylic. It feels softer than acrylic normally feels, but it still has a little bit of the plasticky "squeak" some have. It's about three times as long as this picture shows, and I'm into the pinks and purples, and almost back to the cool icy blue. I have one more skein of this yarn, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it knits up. It's a different colourway. I'll probably do a biased scarf just like this.

How are your knitting projects going?

Starting Over

Lately, I've been feeling pretty apathetic in regards to just about everything in my life. I'm using today, July first to start over. I'm going to start counting calories and working out, blogging regularly, updating my YarnYarnYarnYarn tumblr, taking regular Instagram photos for a 365 type project, and knitting more frequently.
I haven't been feeling myself lately, and I think adding all these things back into my life will help me get back to what is "normal" for me.
I'm slowly but surely working on my rebrand. I have a friend who is working on the graphic stuff, and I'm working on getting familiar with the new site I will be using to host my shop. No more Etsy for me!
Here is a little peek at what I've been up to lately.

I've been trying to find fun, new, summer friendly projects for my warm weather shows. These tiny flowers are one of them. I'm going to turn them into brooches. I've made a dozen or so, and I want to double that number before my next show. They hardly use any yarn, are quick and easy, and I think they're pretty darn cute, to boot. I still have to put all the pins on them, but that shouldn't take too long. I'm also thinking about turning some into hair pins, so we'll see about that! I've also been looking around on Ravelry for some summer knits, and I've found a few more things I might add to my arsenal.

These tiny pink pearl earrings are going to be gifts with purchases of $15/$20 or more (not sure of the actual minimum just yet). I like having a bonus for my customers, and I think these are going to go over really well. I've already gotten some good feedback about them. Up until now, I was just having people pick a pair of earrings for their free gift, but I've had some complain that they can't get a three pack, or one of the more expensive pairs. I try to calmly explain to them that it's a free gift, and I am doing this as a bonus to them. I don't want to lose money at the end of the day by giving out free gifts.

I always get this genius idea of growing my hair long, and I usually end up hating it. This most recent time, I was considering getting a perm because my hair is naturally so straight. A couple weeks ago, I decided to chop my hair off. I am loving it! I style it a bit differently than this photo shows, but regardless, it's so nice to have all the hair gone. I am probably going to dye it in the near future, but that is all pending on how I feel, and whether or not I have the spare cash. I'm in a cycle of perpetual broke-ness, and I'm trying hard to get out.

Now for the not fun thing that has happened lately. I got new work shoes a little bit ago, and I loved them dearly. Needed to wear steel toe shoes means I get stuck with ugly footwear most of the time. These were actually pretty nice. Sadly, they hated me. I got a blister on my achilles. It got all icky, and the ickiness spread to the rest of my foot/ankle. I couldn't put any weight on it, and used crutches for a couple days. I went to the clinic, and the doctor put me on some crazy antibiotics four times a day, that stink to high heaven. The pain started going away after a few days. It's still slightly swollen and a little tender, but hugely improved from what it was. I'm returning the shoes this week. Which sucks, because I really did like them.

What have you all been up to?

Wednesdays Are For Gratitude: June 26, 2013

As of a couple days ago, Rick and I have been apart for a month. It's been really difficult, to say the least. We have been spending some time together when I've had to work. It's easier for me to stay with him when I work a few consecutive days. This past weekend, I wore some new shoes, which caused me to get a pretty awful blister on my Achilles tendon. This blister got all icky and infected, and the infection spread to the rest of my ankle. I went to the clinic and got some pretty stellar antibiotics (they stink something awful, so I'm assuming they're good) which are already working their magic. I was told by a couple people that it looks like cellulitis. I don't knot much of anything about that, so I'll just say that's probably what it is. I won't put the image in the post in case some of you are sensitive to stuff like that, but you can see it here. It's not gruesome or anything, but it's not the prettiest of things to look at. I'm hoping it's mostly better by Friday so I can get back to work.
Here is a short list of what I am grateful for this week:
-having free time to knit, make earrings, watch podcasts and read.
-free healthcare in Ontario. I had to pay for my antibiotics ($40 for 40 pills), but I didn't have to pay for the clinic visit.
-my mom having crutches. I was told to stay off my foot as much as possible.
-Richard helping me oodles with rebranding stuff.
-friends entertaining me via crazy youtube videos while I am stuck in bed
What are you grateful for this week?

Another Entry On This Now Sporadic Blog

I've honestly been meaning to post more regularly, but I just haven't had much to post about. Rick and I went up to London earlier this week to bring my computer in for repairs, so that's been another obstacle. Yes, I have the iPad (where I am updating from now) but its just not the same.
Since my last post, I've acquired five skeins of yarn. All but one were prizes in giveaways.
I still haven't been knitting much. No real reason, I just haven't been.
I'm still planning on doing a whole rebrand, so that's another reason for my blogging apathy, I'm sure.
I have been making earrings though! I got my findings a little while ago, and I've been cranking stuff out. As soon as I'm done this mediocre post, I'll be getting back to those.
I hope you're all doing well.

Wednesdays are for Gratitude: June 5, 2013

Still trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm hoping that forcing routine back on myself will help all the other stuff fall into place. This is a short list of what I'm grateful for this week.
My parents  /  My brother  /  My job  /  Having my own space at my parents  /  Visiting with family friends  /  Volunteering at the food bank  /  My friends  /  My iPad  /  eBooks  /  Richard and Winston
What are you grateful for this week?

Sorry For the Radio Silence

It's been a while since my last post. Life has gotten in the way, and some things just needed to take a break, this blog being one of them.
My boyfriend of nearly four years and I have decided to take some time apart from each other, and I've moved back into my parents. It's been very difficult, but I have a pretty good support system. I'm in the process of sorting my belongings and deciding what to put into storage, and what to keep in my parents already full house. I'm also attempting to get a transfer to a Beer Store closer to home. I'm about 45 minutes away from my current store, which is a bit of a trek. In addition to this, I'm trying to find a second job to help get me out of debt faster. Crossing my fingers for that.
Thank you for your kind words on Facebook, twitter and the comments on here. They mean a lot. I hope to be back with some actual knitting content very soon.

Wednesdays Are For Gratitude: May 22, 2013

Sorry for the lack of post on Monday. I haven't been knitting much lately, so I didn't really have anything to post about. I'm so distracted with all sorts of other things going on, that I just haven't been getting crafty.

This is what I am grateful for this week

Richard being awesome  /  Parking lot beer  /  My customers at work who helped me collect about $100 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society  /  My twitter friends being helpful  /  Going on drives with Richard and Winston  /  Having a light enough car that I can push it out of the sand when we get stuck  /  The Bates Motel season finale  /  Masterchef starting tonight  /  Biking to work  /  Going out for drinks with my buddy Nick  /  New earring supplies  /  Comfortable shoes

What are you grateful for this week?

I'm going to use my new supplies and start making some new styles of earrings that I haven't done before. I'm so excited!

I Love My iPad Case: A Review of The Snugg

Normally, when I am approached for reviews/guest posts to be done on my blog, I am very hesitant. I blog about a very specific topic (knitting, in case the name didn't give it away) and I don't want to flood my blog with what I see as crap. I don't like it when the blogs I follow start doing all kinds of reviews about stuff that has nothing to do with the subject of their blog, and I don't want to do that to all of you.
I made an exception recently.
I was contacted by The Snugg to see if I wanted to review some of their products on my blog. I looked around the site, and thought about it for a while, before I finally said yes. I got a pink iPad Mini cover, which I am absolutely in love with. There was some confusion at the post office before I received them. We have a PO box which is too small to receive most packages, so we have to go to the desk and pick them up. My name wasn't on the package, so there was a bit of hassle to actually get it from them. The ladies that work at our post office, while great when it comes to shipping stuff out, are ridiculous when it's time to pick stuff up. Photo ID this, and sign that, and "a health card doesn't count as ID" blah blah blah, it's annoying to say the least.
Anyway, as soon as I got it, I ripped the packaging open in the car, to check it out. It looked even better than the pictures! You can see to the right here that the back of the case has black bits on it. That's elastic for the carrying handle thing. On mine, it's the same colour pink as the case! It's minor, but I like when everything matches.
I've been using this case for a couple weeks now, and it's awesome. It's a lot more substantial than the case I had before, which I like. The screen is 100% accessible, the buttons are easy to press, and I can plug it in without any screwing around.
Overall, I am loving this case! It comes in a whole bunch of colours, and is available for most (maybe all?) the iPad generations. The Snugg also does cases for a bunch of smart phones, other tablets, Kindles and some iPods. The prices are really reasonable so you could get a matching set for your phone and tablet!
If you are interested in purchasing one of the cases, or are looking for more information, you can check out their website, or find the cases on Amazon.

I was sent this case for review free of charge. The opinions expressed in this post are mine, and I am not being compensated in any way for writing a positive review. Seriously, this case is awesome.

The Giveaway Winner, and My Week In Instagrams

I've been away from the computer quite a bit this past week, what with our drives, and movie watching and what not. I nearly forgot about the giveaway with Pymatuning Crafts! But, I just picked a winner!
Congratulations Sierra J!

I contacted the winner, and I will be sending her information to Pymatuning Crafts. Thank you everyone who entered. I wish I could give you all a pack of these buttons! They're awesome!
In other news, this week has been a fun one. Here is a little bit of what I've been up to.
Next weekend, The Beer Store is having Returns for Leukemia. What this is, is a fundraiser for blood cancer research, where the money raised is collected from the money a customer would normally receive from bottle returns. I have never participated in this event, I didn't get hired until June last year, and this event is held at the end of May, but from what I've heard, it can be a lot of fun. I have my red teeshirt at the ready, and sunblock, too, as we spend the majority of the day in the parking lot. I'm really looking forward to it.
Rick, Winston and I went for a nice drive a couple days ago. Normally, we stay to the south of the 401, but decided to head north of it this time around. We saw quite a few new places. And some old ones too: we stumbled across a bake shop we had been to in 2010, and picked up some goodies. We made a couple other stops, which I wrote about in my last post, and had a fantastic time. Winston is getting better about being in the back of the Smart Car. There isn't much room for him in the back, but he manages to make the most of it. Since it's been warm out, we put a dish with water back there for him. He's never been one to eat or drink in the car, but on this trip he did drink some water. We were really happy with this. When we took him out to do his business, he wasn't as scared as he usually is, which made us even happier.

There is one downside to having a convertible. That is being out in the sun all day. I was really good and put sun screen on my face, neck and arms. I was wearing shorts and patterned tights. I didn't even think about putting anything on my legs. That was a big mistake. I felt my legs burning after about 2 or 3 hours in the sun. I knew they'd be red. I didn't expect the pattern of the tights to show up so clearly on my legs. This is my leg thigh. Rick says it looks like a piece of salmon. Don't feel bad for laughing at my misfortune, I laugh every time I look at my legs. Just take my advice and put sun screen on everywhere. Even if you think you won't need it.
Overall, this week was a fun one. I wasn't at the computer as much as I normally am, which was a nice change.
How was your week?

Wednesdays are for Gratitude: May 15, 2013

It's a little later than usual for my daily post, but I think I have a good reason. Rick and I went for a nice drive, and enjoyed each others company. And also got gnarly sunburns. That bit wasn't so great. Anyway, this is a short list of what I am grateful for this week.
Spending time with Rick  /  Winston (even when he finds a way to gross us out. Ask me how, if you really want to know what he did)  /  Sun block, even though I still got a sun burn  /  Visiting Heaven is Handmade in Sarnia  /  My pretty skein of Malabrigo  /  New yarn acquisitions as a whole  /  Upcoming craft shows  /  Astronaut Chris Hadfield  /  All the lovely people who've entered the giveaway  /  My new iPad case (a review coming soon!)  /  and so much more!
What are you thankful for this week?
On our mini trip today, we went to Sarnia. I did a quick internet search on my phone for local yarn stores, and found Heaven is Handmade. I walked in, and immediately felt super happy. It's bright, nicely organized, and the owner is very passionate about what she does. I ended up with a skein of Malabrigo Worsted in the Whales Road colourway. My very first Malabrigo. I can't wait to knit with it! Though I might just end up staring at it and petting it for a while.
I love having the SmartCar. It's allowing us to go exploring places we wouldn't be able to see. Plus, spending time with Rick and Winston is always a bonus.

Monday Knitting Update: May 13, 2013

This past week has been a doozy when it comes to the stash down. It was definitely a stash up, any way you look at it.

First of all, I got rid of 75 balls of yarn! They were the ones I was attempting to sell on Kijiji. I donated them to LeeLee hats. Some will be used for tying the tags onto the hats, which is pretty much the only thing they're good for. They're not soft in any way, and definitely won't provide much warmth.
In exchange for this, I got 150 balls of yarn. Now before you go crazy, thinking I'm taking yarn from a charity group, everything I took is wool or mohair blends, which LeeLee Hats can't use. They use all synthetics for the donated hats, for ease of care, and to avoid potential allergy issues. I will be donating money to LeeLee Hats for every item I make and sell from the yarn I got from them.
I used up two balls of yarn on various baby knits this week. This brings my total to +80. I have a LOT of work ahead of me.

I decided that my first project out of this yarn would be something for me. I'm using Nordlys superwash in colour 970 to make a triangle shawl for myself. I thought about adding texture to it, but I think I'm going to let the pretty striping/gradient do all the work. It's looking great so far. I'm using my US 5 Knitpicks Sunstruck interchangeables, and two stitch markers from Evermore Studios. I'm not really in any kind of rush to finish this, but I would like it done before the end of summer. The same with my Hitchhiker. I haven't been working on the latter very much, but I am still loving it.
What are all of you fine folks up to?

My Week In Instagrams: May 10, 2013

This past week has been a busy one, where I feel like I accomplished quite a bit. I have the giveaway going on, which you can enter to win some gorgeous wooden buttons, I entered to win funding for my small business, and bought yarn. Yeah, I bought yarn...
On Tuesday, Rick and I went to see The Place Beyond The Pines. I enjoyed it. It wasn't great, but I hadn't watched the trailer or anything before seeing it. We also went to Starbucks and Indigo, which are right next door to the theatre. I had an iced tea, and Rick had an iced coffee. They were pretty tasty.
Winston has been pretty good lately, so we've been letting him sleep on the bed some nights. The other morning, I woke up, and this is the face I saw. His face looks just like when we first got him, when he was a baby. After I woke up, he and Rick sawed logs for another hour or two. I was surprised at how early I got up. Normally I sleep in till 10 or so.
I took him on a nice walk down the nature trail near our house. When we got to the big rocks, I patted it once and said Up, and he jumped right up. He's got some smarts, despite his hard headedness. I'm hoping to continue bringing him for walks. He is happy as can be, I am too, and it beats the heck out of working out indoors. I'm still working on losing weight, and it's going slowly but surely. Last night, Rick told me he could see the results so far, which made me feel really good. I know I have a ways to go, but it's a start!
I had a bit of a break down yesterday at Value Village. I brought a resume in, and decided to go look at the yarn area. I'm really glad I did. I bought 4 or 5 bags of various yarns, totally 23 whole and partial balls. These are mostly for the one project I have on the go right now, which is a photography prop. I don't want to reveal too much, but I'mr really excited about it. I also got 6 skeins of dish cloth cotton. My stash on that is running a bit low, so I wanted to boost it up a bit. I think I'm going to knit a bunch of cloths in the next little while, so I have stock for some upcoming shows I might participate in. I said I was going to get away from them, because there isn't any money to be made, but I enjoy making them. Soothing garter stitch is always a nice thing. This brings my count to +7. Going backwards again, but I promised Rick the majority of this yarn will be used within a month. Which I am pretty confident I will be able to do.
Lastly, we have today's breakfast, cooked by Rick. Omelette, toast, and sautéed whole tomatoes and baby bell peppers. Delicious. I really appreciate and enjoy the food he makes for us. I'm so lucky to have him, and not just for his cooking abilities.
How has your week been? I go back to work tomorrow after being off for a while. I don't know if I'm looking forward to it, or not.

Wooden Button Giveaway with Pymatuning Crafts

Last week, I posted about the buttons I got from PymatuningCrafts. I got cherry, apple and yew. All super pretty. I had a really hard time deciding on just the three packs to get. They were packaged nicely, and labeled so I would know what they were. Not to mention, SUPER fast shipping! Especially considering there was an international border! I haven't actually used any yet, but I can't stop going through the bags and playing with them constantly. They feel amazing! So soft and smooth. I have lots of plans for them, starting with some of the baby hats I've been working on lately. I can't wait to share those projects with all of you!

I talked with Leigh about the buttons, told her how much I loved them, and asked if she wanted to do a giveaway on my blog. She happily said yes! So here it is! There are lots of entry options, some of which you can repeat daily, so make sure you read all the details. The entry will close May 17, at 12:00am, and is open to residents of USA and Canada. Good luck!
If you can't wait to win them, and you'd rather purchase, you can use the code SPRING10 to save 10% on your entire purchase (excluding shipping)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesdays are for Gratitude: May 8, 2013

I just got back form a nice walk with Winston, and I'm feeling super refreshed. We were gone for almost an hour, walking one way on the trail, and then back tracking, and heading to the mail box. This is a little of what I'm grateful for this week.
Going to the movies with Richard (We saw The Place Beyond the Pines)  /  Movie popcorn  /  Walks with Winston  /  Peanut butter and banana smoothies  /  Some special Facebook friends who have been helping me out with stuff  /  Goofy iPad games  /  Frozen yogurt  /  Red Bull  /  Tacos from the local Mexican restaurant  /  Etsy
What are you grateful for this week?
Also, keep an eye on this space tomorrow, because I am doing a giveaway for some buttons from Pymatuning Crafts!

Knitting Monday: May 6, 2013

The weekend is over, and to be honest, I couldn't be happier. It hasn't been a fun one, at all.
Friday afternoon, I went to Kingsville High School to set up for the craft show this weekend. I was the first one there, and picked an excellent spot near the entrance. I set just about everything up, and was very happy with how it was laid out. I came back Saturday morning, and I wasn't the closest to the door anymore. A woman set up next to me, and had her stuff squished up against my racks of scarves. It ticked me off, but I tried to let it roll off my back.

That wasn't even the crappiest part about the show. I try not to complain about shows too much, but this needs to be said.
If someone signs up for a show, and commits to doing it, and then doesn't show up without as much as a phone call or email, it is a terrible, horrible thing to do. Especially when all the money raised from the table fees goes to helping students with special needs.
There were supposed to be roughly 50 vendors, and only 25 showed up. I wish I had the list of them with me so I could call each of them out individually. I couldn't believe it Saturday morning when the gym was still only half filled. It was upsetting to say the least.
On top of that, traffic was low, so I only sold two things. Overall, just a cruddy weekend.
A couple things made it a bit better though. I won a giveaway done by Babydoo Dolls, and Jennie, the creator of Babydoo won a giveaway I did on my Facebook page! I laughed when I saw her number come up on the random number generator.
Also, I'll be doing another giveaway for some wooden buttons right here, on the blog, tomorrow! Keep an eye out!
Over the weekend, I managed to eliminate one skein of yarn from the stash. I knit quite a bit, but no finished skeins. This brings me to -16. I might be acquiring some yarn next weekend, so make sure you check back in next Monday to see where I stand.
How was your weekend?

My Week In Instagrams: May 3, 2013

Happy Friday! Today is already shaping up to be a fun one. I took Winston for a walk to the post office to pick up a parcel (more on that later) and it's set up day for this weekend's craft show! I'm so excited.
This is a peek at what I've been up to this past week.
I started reading UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn on my iPad this week. Finished that up in sort order, and bought the second book in the series, Fairest, and ploughed through that as well. Simply amazing. If you have an iPad or e-reader, you need to get them! The first one is free, and the second is just $3.99. She's working on the third book now.
I took Winston for a nice walk down the trail that runs along the back of where we live. There are big rocks marking the end of the actual trail and I had Winston jump up on them so I could get a picture of him. I was hoping to get one of him looking at the camera, but he was too busy looking around and smelling all the things. He's been really good the past few days, I'm sure partially due to the walks and extra exercise he's been getting.
We've been taking him into the front yard for him to run around in the longer grass and see different sights. He loves long grass, especially being able to roll in it. I have a video of him rolling around in the grass that I find absolutely hilarious. When we first got him, almost 3 years ago, he would roll in the grass a little bit, but then his face would swell up, so we stopped that, assuming he had a grass allergy. He seems to have grown out of that, which is good. We have to bring him to the vet on Monday though, unrelated to all this grass rolling. He has a lump in his neck that we're a little nervous about. It could be anything, and we're hoping it's nothing severe. It seems to have shrunk a little, which we're assuming is a good thing.
Wednesday, we went for a nice drive up to St Thomas for something to do. With the new car, we made it there and back on a tank, which costs us between $20 and $25 to fill. Pretty darn good I'd say!
It's a convertible, so we made sure to slather on the sunblock before heading out. I'm half Irish, and I burn faster than toast. Rick is pretty fair skinned as well, so he was pretty well covered.
Generally, when we head out for drives, we like to go along lake Erie for as long as possible. This takes us to Blenheim, where Delhaven Orchards is. We stopped here a couple years ago and got some of the tastiest apples I've ever eaten. And I'm not a big apple eater, so that's saying something. We stopped again this time, and got a small mixed bag of Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and a couple others which are slipping my mind at the moment. We picked up a little paring knife to cut them up and eat them in the car. So delicious! I had two of them with some brie last night, which was absolutely wonderful. We also got some sweet potatoes that are gigantic. Not sure what's going to be made out of them yet, but they're sure to be delicious as well.
We decided to stop in St Thomas and have a look around. There is a brewery there that makes a beer I really enjoy, so we went on a quest to find it. Railway City Brewing makes Dead Elephant IPA. I love IPAs (India Pale Ale for those who don't drink) and this is definitely a good one. I initially got it because of the the name, but kept getting it because it's that good. The brewery was closed, but now that we know where it is, next time we go, we can make a stop. Rick unfortunately isn't a beer drinker, so I'm not sure he'd like to go on the tour.
Yesterday, we went up to Windsor for the afternoon. We had some things that needed to get done, like doctors appointments and returning some things to Costco. We went for all you can eat sushi at TenkO, which is our favourite place. The food was excellent as usual, but the service was pretty much nonexistent. I couldn't get my fried banana for dessert which kind of bummed me out. Oh well, next time I'll just have to get two! And next time probably won't happen for a while. My restaurant spending has been crazily over budget the past little while, and I need to reel that spending in.
This brings us to today. The weather has been a little up and down lately, but today has been absolutely amazing. I took Winston for a walk to the post office, hoping our PO box would be stuffed with some Etsy goodies I ordered a few days ago. I was right! I practically jogged home, I was so excited. In the package were three packs of tree branch buttons from Pymatuning Crafts, on Etsy. Clockwise from the top are No Bark, No Bite Apple Wood, Cherry Wood and Yew. All prettier than the last. I am so excited to use these on my baby props! I have a few things in mind that I want to whip up, and these will get sewn on there as soon as the knitting is finished.
If you like these buttons, keep an eye out next week, because I'm going to be doing a giveaway!
Tonight is the set up for the KDHS craft show I'm taking part in. If you're in the area, you need to check it out! 9-5 on Saturday, and 9-4 on Sunday.
Check out my Facebook page for an earring giveaway!
How has your week been?

Wednesdays Are For Gratitude: May 1, 2013

Every Wednesday, I write up a little post listing various things I am grateful for that week. It could be simple things, or it could be something extravagant. Scientific studies have shown that people who show gratitude live happier, more fulfilling lives. I don't like to argue with science.
This post isn't meant to point out the things I have that others might not, in fact, it's a way to keep me humble.
So, here goes! This week I am grateful for
Richard  /  Our new (to us) car  /  TheKnitGirllls  /  DramaticKnits  /  Etsy  /  Facebook  /  Winston being happy despite some more health issues  /  Long walks  /  Casino buffet  /  Junk food  /  Ebooks  /  Winning a giveaway  /  My yarn stash
What are you grateful for this week?

In other news, I finished off another skein of yarn! I used it to make a baby hat for one of tomorrows RTS sales. I've been cranking these things out like crazy lately. I'm really happy with the way they look. I'll be taking pictures of some other hat styles next week when I finish the second one of the pair.
This brings my tally to -15 for the year! I'm so happy. I have another few skeins which are close to being finished as well.
I hope you all are having a wonderful first day of May!

Monday Knitting Update: April 29. 2013

This month has flown by! I can't believe May starts in just a couple days! This whole year is just zipping by, to tell you the truth.
I've been knitting this week, but neglected to take pictures of most of it. I made a few things for the RTS sales I will be taking part in, which I will be photographing tomorrow or Wednesday, depending on the weather.

I had quite a bit of yarn leftover after the grey and pink blanket, so I decided to do a stocking cap. I couldn't find a pattern that I liked, so I just winged it. It's done on US 10.5 (6.5mm) and I magic looped. I think it's absolutely adorable, and I'm making one in blue and grey as well. I hope to get that one done tonight so I can photograph the two of them together. I have a lot of ideas for the RTS items, it's just a matter of getting them knit. I still need to share all the RTS items I've already photographed on here for all of you to see! I'll be doing that soon!

The second project has been a striped Wool Ease Thick and Quick blanket. This one will be going to Trinkets and Treasures. I want to get a few more made and brought there. Mel has a few pastel blankets, and wants so variety. I think greys are a nice change from that. Once I get a few of them sold, I'll be picking up some more yarn so I can make more. I don't want to invest too much into this before I know if anything will actually sell!
This week, I finished off three skeins of yarn. Not a huge amount of progress, considering they were all pretty small to begin with, but I'll take what I can get. This brings me to -14. I'm starting to make progress again!
Now, it's time for me to get reading my book. I downloaded a bunch of books on my iPad and I'm loving reading on there.
I hope you all have a wonderful day!