Gus Has Arrived!!

Really, all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands, and a slightly below average intelligence. Of course, superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage.
Elizabeth Zimmermann

Gus is here!. That is the fat happy cat above was designed just for me. I had trouble getting a great picture, believe me, he is special! Lauren over at Lauren's Lovelies made him for me, THANK YOU Lauren!
You've seen his front....now his back:
He is my new traveling binding kit. The tin is the perfect size for all my little bits and pieces. I just cut a piece of felted wool to fit the inside. When it isn't a binding kit, it will be holding stitch markers and holders, measuring tape, and tip protectors for my knitting needles.

I had a lot of fun playing with my wool today, thanks to Woolly Mammoth Woolens . I decided this beautiful tin needs a dust cover. This is going to be fun.
Meet the original Gus....except his name is Dexter:

He was adopted from the Cedar Rapids flood in Iowa last year.

My wallet would not close today. I am not lucky enough that the bulk of my paper money was the cause. No, it was all the cards I have in there. You know the kind. The ones from your favorite stores that offer $25 off if you have 20 stamps, and business cards. You can't get rid of them and if they are not in your wallet close at hand, you will forget to use them. I think I really need to order another tin for all of those. It will fit conveniently in my purse so I will have them when I need them and my wallet will close again.......just an idea.

Come Monday

"Once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: "No good in a bed, but fine up against a wall."

Eleanor Roosevelt

World Wide Knit in Public day....and I did, twice. I had a great day with three dear friends that live in a small town north of me. The drive was beautiful and the weather cooperated. I got to spend time in a peace garden, it was everything it's name implied. One the way home, I stopped at a favorite thrift shop and look what I found:

I was reading Rag-A-Muffin's blog about threads for penny rugs and I could not pass all this crochet cotton up....not at this price! I might even find a crochet or knitting project to use some of it up. I think it would make a beautiful shawl.
This was one of my more recent purchases. I was in Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago and this just jumped into my arms and begged to go home with me, honestly, could you have refused? This is what I was knitting in public:
This is my first sock out of the box of cards. This is a great way to market the patterns. They are the perfect size to take along with you.
This truly fabulous yarn is called Fall, from Qutecowgirl.....of course. She has a really beautiful "African Violet" colorway that will be coming home to me soon, if one of you don't snap it up first.

Saturday Beauties

Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together.

PETRARCH

Not too long ago, I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful young woman named Lauren and she has a shop on Etsy. I purchased one of her necklaces made from a domino. Her work is very unique and very beautiful. Her tin boxes are oh so cute! I have spoken to her and she is making a special one for me with a fat cat, I can't wait to show you when it gets here. I will be using mine as a mini binding kit. I will put a piece of felted wool inside for pins and needles, as well as a tiny pair of scissors and a few binding clips. For those of you who work with felted wool applique, this would make a great "tool" kit for on the road. I will be buying several from her for Christmas gifts for my quilting friends, they will hold scratch lottery tickets beautifully and fit my handmade challenge pledge. Check her out, she is on my artisan list on the right side of the blog. Tell her I said hi! Ask her about her banners, too.

Sunday Moments

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."

—A.A. Milne

I just finished a pair of socks for my daughter. She is a huge fan of Halloween and this yarn is called "Wicked". The socks were a continual challenge, I had to rip one out that I had already finished the gusset on. I guess my brain just wasn't into them. I started them the same time as the Marigold socks. They both had a different number of stitches. One set I knit at home, the other set while I was at appointments. The moral of my story is that I will only knit on one pair at a time from now on....