Another Great 4 Day Weekend!

This past weekend was very nice. I spent Friday at home doing some cleaning and knitting. I continued working on the "secret" project that was started the previous weekend and am very pleased with it. I also did some much needed cleaning and organizing. It was lovely to have the time to work at a leisurely pace, often flitting about from one thing then went to the post office to mail it to the intended recipient. The post office is near Joann to another. (This meant that I was going between knitting and actual work! :) ) I finished the project on Saturday morning and Fabrics, so I, of course, had to stop there, too! While there, I found some fabric that I loved on sale for 50% off. I bought enough for a skirt, but I didn't have a good pattern for one when I arrived home. (I still washed the fabric, though and intend to buy a pattern this weekend when they have some on sale for $1.99.)

After lunch, I went to meet a friend for knitting and tea at Village Yarn and Tea. We had a very nice time talking and knitting. This afternoon, I finished my Selbuvotter mittens! U After that was done, I went back to starting a cabled cotton sweater for myself from No Sheep For You. The ribbing (twisted rib on 352 stitches) seemed to take forever, but I finished just before bedtime that night.


After knitting group, I made dinner and then headed off to the movies with my husband and some friends from church. We had all been wanting to see the latest Chronicles of Narnia movie and our friends had a coupon for $6 per person. (Compared to the normal price of $9.50, this was quite a deal!) We thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The plot mostly followed the book, but they did add a little. However, even these additions were done very well and think that CS Lewis would probably approve.

Monday was a wonderfully relaxing day. I awoke only an hour or so later than usual, but stayed in bed reading for a couple hours! When I did finally rise, I worked around the house for a little while putting more stuff away and folding laundry. I was overjoyed to have the bedroom, bathroom and hallway cleaned up. It really looks wonderful.










After breakfast, I returned to sewing. On Friday, I had altered a dress pattern that I was thinking of trying to see if my skirt fabric would be enough. Before I began to pin the pieces on the fabric, I found another fabric in my somewhat small stash that I like better for the pattern. I would sew for a while, then knit for a while. Alternating like this meant that I did not tire and sore and achy, like usual. I even finished the dress! It fits so well. Hopefully, I can post some more details on this project later on this week.

I used Simplicity pattern number 3827 view C (sleeveless, short) dress. I made a few alterations: moved arm holes forward a little and the neckline a little higher. Instead of making my own facings I used single fold bias tape in nude. The fabric is a drapey linen/cotton combination that is very cool, but still has some weight to it, so that it is not see-through and will not be easily blown by a light, summer wind.

Sock Update

I have finished the heel and am over half way through the gusset on the first May Day sock! All is well and this project seems to be the one getting the most attention, lately.

Last night, dh had dinner waiting when I arrived home from work. It was so nice, as I had a not so great day at work...Then, he drove so that I could knit, while we finished a few errands. I had a book to return to the library, and 2 on hold to pick up. I only brought 2 home with me, as the other was not what I expected. I checked out Pursenalities. I took some time in the car to to flip through it. There are a couple ideas that I like and may incorporate any particularly good ones into my design for the International Tote Exchange IV. Last time, I designed my own bag and it was a great hit! After the library, he took me to the driving range. He has been wanting me to take up golf, so this was a natural first step. We each hit a some balls. It was nice to spend some time together, just the two of us without the TV on. I'm sure we'll try it again in a week or two. On the way home, we stopped at the video store. He rented A Night at the Museum, which we watched while eating popcorn that I made at home. It was the perfect end to a not-so-perfect Monday.

Snowmen Finished!

Last night, while watching the movie "Freedom Writers," I worked on Snowmen & Skates. I finished the snowmen! They're looking pretty even, but I still think that they will require a good blocking. I do like knitting in fair isle and will start another project in color work. I'm thinking of trying mosaic color work for my next project. I like Arietta, that just came out from Knitty and this is a technique that I have not, yet, tried.

By the way, the movie was great and based on a true story. It was well acted by all and I think Hilary Swank did a great job as the influential and dedicated teacher. However, this isn't a film that I would buy as it does have gang violence & language (these give it a PG-13 rating, but it was necessary to convey how those kids lived.)

Birthday Celebration Movie Night

After work and dinner, last night, I had the exciting opportunity to go out with several good friends from church. We had a wonderful ladies night out. First, we went to see “The Ultimate Gift,” which I cannot say enough about. It had a great storyline and I thought the acting was done very well. There was no language, sex, or senseless violence in it! Maybe this filmmaker is getting the right idea. It is a real tear-jerker, at times, and having the theatre pretty much to ourselves (remember, a group of women, right?) added to the teary-ness of it. Throughout the movie I kept hearing sniffles from those seated around me. Somehow, there’s less embarrassment at such a thing when no men are present. (Probably because they like to poke fun, huh?)

When the movie ended, we headed over to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream & to present birthday gifts to the guest of honor. (On Sunday, my dh brought home 7 hanks of yarn from said birthday girl, saying that she kindly asks if I could wind them into center-pull balls for her. I did this after work, last night.) My gift consisted of her wound yarn and 2 more skeins that I pulled from my stash. She loves browns and greens, and I just happened to have 2 skeins of brown 100% alpaca left from a project. They will make a great, soft scarf. I knew these 2 would be a hit, as baby alpaca is the yarn that she loves to pet when we go to yarn stores! Anyway, we stayed at the ice cream place until almost a ½ hour after they closed. We had such a great time.