Random stuff

I am moving right along with my fall gloves:

The pattern is a mutant hybrid combining of parts of two other glove patterns with the slip stitches on the back of the hand my own addition. It's going better since I decided to take the one apart that I had started on size two needles when it was nearly this far. I'm now using size ones.

This is the suri alpaca lace weight yarn I bought at the alpaca farm on Sunday:

Here are my fall socks, all finished!

Jeffy wanted to say hello!

A visit to the alpaca farm (and leftovers)

First, the leftovers.

Here's a picture of Gail who just finished her first sock from our knitting group last week Wednesday:

Doesn't she look proud?

Paulette and I went to Apple Orchard Alpacas farm on Sunday, that Patti from our knitting group runs with her husband.

Here are pictures:

Isn't the baby cute?

They also have some llamas. Below is J Lo the llama.

All the cool kids are doing it...

Apparently there is something in the air that makes one replace windows in one's home. In today's Yarn Harlot post she is all excited about replacing a window in her home. I can relate. On Thursday last week I helped my brother in law replace the window in my bathroom. It opens--it closes! Woo hoo!

He also fixed the bathroom walls in the shower area so that Paulette and I could replace the tub surround. I put new pretty molding around the window. Here's what it looks like now( click pictures to make bigger):

The window is OPEN!!

Isn't it beautiful?

Unfortunately, now the rest of the bathroom needs help. We are planning on putting wainscoting on the rest of the bathroom walls yet this year and repainting the bathroom. And maybe putting in a new medicine cabinet (we saw a nice one at Lowe's yesterday that wasn't too pricey). The last things I want to do in there is change the light fixture above the medicine cabinet and perhaps put another light in there as well.

I finished my socks, which I need to take a picture of. Been kind of busy with the remodeling. I started my gloves that I am making up the pattern for (well, not totally making it up by myself--I'm combining a couple of patterns and adding some other stuff).

Birthday shopping

Paulette's birthday was yesterday! She chose shopping as her activity du jour. We went to Iris Fine Yarns. I bought yarn that I didn't need, but have been wanting to buy:

The above is Ozark Handspun Opulent. I liked the silver sparkles in it.

This is Rowan Cocoon.

I am going to make both into mittens, with the Ozark Handspun being the cuff of the mitten and the Cocoon as the body.

I also have a picture of Diane with her first sock from last week's Knit Night:

Doesn't she look proud?

Sock it to me

Here's the progress on my socks:








It's Knit Night tonight! Unfortunately, I have a democratic party meeting which I have to attend first. Darn it! I won't get to knit until at least 9PM. :(

Report from the Sheep and Wool Festival

Paulette and I had a glorious time at the Sheep and Wool Festival. We went there to go to the Country Marketplace. There were two buildings of fiber and yarn, knitting, crocheting and spinning wheels.

I bought:

This is a wool batting for needle felting. I was attracted to not only the colors, but the blue sparkles in it.

Here is the scary looking tool you use on it:

I also bought a kit from one of our Knit Night knitters, Patty, who has an alpaca farm, Apple Orchard Alpacas (she had a booth at the Festival). The funny thing is the pattern in the kit for a pair of gloves was designed by Vicki, another Knit Night knitter! Her website is: Heartland Knits.

I also found patterns for beaded cable mittens and a hat that I have been wanting for a while now.

My yarn for my Penny Straker sweater came in at Yarns By Design. Here's a picture:

I also cast on a new project on my break at work Friday morning. They are the River Rapids socks which I am making out of Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Goldrush colorway. They are very fall-y.

I saved the best for last.

Here are pictures of my finished shawl:

It gots lots of love at the Sheep and Wool Festival. I had it on and off so much that I was really glad I had not attached it with my shawl pin. When we were getting into the car to leave, an older woman practically ordered me across the lot to look at my shawl. It was kind of funny.

Lots of stuff...

My shawl has about 1/8 of the border left. Here's Jeffy laying on the "fancy blanket" he thinks Mom is making for him:

I can't wait until it's done! It's knit night tonight, so the knitting may be finished tonight. I bought some foam interlocking floor mats to use to block it on at Target.

Paulette and I went to a meeting in Madison on Friday. After we were done, we took a little trip to Verona to The Sow's Ear yarn shop. Of course, we both bought yarn we really don't need:

This is Misti Alpaca handpaint fingering weight. It is destined to become gloves for me.

This is Misti Alpaca handpaint laceweight, to be used for another shawl.

Paulette and I worked all day on Labor Day at the Winnebago County Labor Council's annual picnic. It was nutso busy. We had to keep going to the store to get more food. My feet still hurt. Here are some pictures from the picnic:

On the left is our friend Jessica King, who's running for Wisconsin State Senate in the 18th District, who helped us serve food for a fair part of the day. On the right is AFSCME Local 579's Vice President, Karen Reiter. (Paulette is President of AFSCME Local 579 and I am secretary).

This is our friend, Gordon Hintz, who is the Wisconsin 54th Assembly District Representative talking to the picnic attendees.

Two of the "Chefs of the day" were Larry Lautenschlager and Tom Manske of AFSCME Local 48.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may remember that Larry was the subject of "Weinergate" in the Paulette and Sara household. See my post from September 3, 2007. And get your mind out of the gutter.

Yesterday I received the Outstanding Performance Award at work in front of the beginning of the school year faculty/staff assembly. Hmm, now I just have to figure out where to spend the $500 that comes with the plaque. Can you say, yarn store?