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....

May Marigolds

Each flower is a soul opening out to nature.
~ Gerald De Nerval

I believe these are my coolest socks this year. My favorite yarn designer, Qutecowgirl, has done it again. I think she hit the colors dead on perfect. These socks were fun to knit. I found the pattern, Bricker, over at Knitspot, designed by Anne Hanson.
This is an interesting....press. I got it at a garage sale for $1. It is copywritten 1987. I have never seen anything like it. Won't it be cute to make raviloi with at Valentne's Day? Or filled cookies for a loved one?

Sunday Moments

As I get older, I prefer to knit.

Tracey Ullman

I received Christmas in the mail. Qutecowgirl has been dyeing more fingering yarn and this time it was difficult to chose. I left a few if you are interested, but move quickly as I am reconsidering. These yarns are merino/silk blends. I have never knitted with silk before so this will be a brand new experience. Sunflower is on the right, Drama is on the left. They are really quite lovely. These are merino/nylon blends that will make them washable. Her yarns knit up wonderfully, slide well on the needles and don't split. The one on the right, Fall, is my all time favorite of all the yarns I have bought from her. The other, Night Sky, almost has a storm brewing kind of look.

Sunday Moments

Your first job is to prepare the soil. The best tool for this is your neighbor's garden tiller. If your neighbor does not own a garden tiller, suggest that he buy one.

Dave Barry

My neighbor does not own one, but he doesn't garden either. I had a tremendous day yesterday. My friend Penny and I went to the greenhouse in the town where she lives. Boy, did I find a haul. I thanked the owner and told the man how lucky I felt that he had Perpetuo Basil again.....He had it last year and hoping, hoping hoping, that is why I made the trip again this year. He told me he only sold a few plants last year (to me) and considered not growing any this year (I will need to buy more!). I came away with Perpetuo, Opal and Cinnmon Basils, as well as thymes and a pelargonium, chocolate and lemon mints and various sages. The ornamental grass that used to be in this front yard has found a new home in Penny's yard.

From there, we picked up her brother and lunched in Sioux City with her family. I have a little secret....I love to play poker. We stopped at a casino on the way home. As a rule, I do not gamble, my money comes too hard and there are always other more important things....like wonderful wools, to spend my money on. Well, I came away as the big winner. I played for a half hour and walked away a quarter richer!! Penny gifted me with the Space Needle charm she found at an estate sale we went to on Friday. I am originally from Washington State. She and I turned it into a row marker.

The leaf I harvested from my Mother's plant is now blooming, does anyone recognize it? I would sure love to know the name. Is it a Primrose?

Have a blessed week and thanks for stopping by.