June 2008

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Shoppe Update and European Style Bread Basket

Hi There - how was your thanksgiving??  Mine was very nice, I got to spend the day with hubby's family and we had quite a smörgåsbord of treats and food.  Yummy!  Among other things, I was responsible for bringing the bread and of course you know I couldn't just stick it on a plain old tray, it had to be handmade.

I took my inspiration from the bread baskets I saw on my travels in Europe this summer (speaking of which, I don't think I ever finished talking about that - oopsie! =))  In Austria particularly they had these wonderful quilted breadbaskets that served to keep the bread warm and had a nice presentation as well.  They do breakfast a bit differently over there than they do in the states.  Bread is a big staple, and not usually slices of bread, but big rolls or biscuits.  They are usually covered in either meat and cheese or fresh preserves and butter slathered on thick.  Mmmm - I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Anyhow - so I had a few thanksgiving themed panels from the local quilt shop - slapped those together with heavy-duty interfacing, batting, etc and quilted the sides.  It was so easy I had it done in only an hour.  The hardest part was putting on the binding, I didn't have a lot of colors around so I had to make do with what I had. 

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The piece is sewn flat and then tied up in the corners, easy - peasy and done!  What a wonderful way to present bread!  I know this is kind of a slap-dash approach, anyone interested in making your own?  I could do a tutorial.  It's reversible too - so you can change which side shows. 

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In other news, I received a lovely special swap package from Kim - this poor little package has really been around the block so to speak, we thought it had gone missing, and my faith in the US postal service may have been renewed when it showed up on my doorstep.  There was lovely wine (!she really knows how to swap! =)), biscotti, beautiful hand-dyed merino lace yarn and a lovely notebook, all wonderful things that fit me to a t!  I have such a thing for little notebooks and yummy yarn! =)  I had a hard time taking a picture, I've already eaten the biscotti and put my feet up and had a glass of wine so I had to run around the house putting it all back together to photo it!  That is the most wonderful type of swap, thanks so much Kim! =)

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And in other news I just did a shop update!  There are new peri-twinkle battlets as well as a new color, bluebells in both BFL (a wonderful fiber for both beginners and experts alike) and Cormo wool top.  The Cormo is very special to me, I got to meet the sheep that produced this wonderful fiber.  The farm itself has won many awards for it's fleece and it was an absolute treat to work with.  There's also a few project/sock bags as well.  I'm so happy that people really like their sock/project bags, they are wonderful to carry around with you, you can hang them from your wrist and walk and knit at the same time and they also stand upright when you're ready to sit and knit for a bit.  These also have the built in pockets and holders for your needles to keep you organized.

OK - enough talk about that, happy friday all! =) 

Ene is the name of the game

So I was MIA last week because I was traveling for work.  I have to laugh at myself, every time I pack for a trip I always take too much.  I call it kitchen sink-itis and watch out, it's catching!  I know at least a few weeks in advance when I'm going so I try to plan ahead, wash clothes, clean the house and start packing.  Inevitably however I end up waiting til the last minute, throwing stuff into the biggest rollie suitcase I have, willy-nilly and taking way to much.  I was working on some small project bag/sock bags before I left and I hadn't quite finished them and I was quite seriously considering taking my sewing machine with me, ha!  And then I was thinking well I really wanted to do some spinning so I better take my wheel too!  Before I knew it I had my entire car full and barely any room to put my dogs in back so I could drop them at the kennel.  It's a serious disease let me tell ya!

Anyhow so I did manage to finish the sock bags without taking my machine with me in case you were wondering, two of them are off to new homes but I made one extra and listed it in etsy for fun.  This is my first time posting anything there and I am new to it so please be gentle, I haven't spent that much time on it yet! =)  I can see where it would be a total time-suck getting everything customized.  Anyhow hopefully they are liked, I've had a lot of great feedback from people I've made them for in the past so I thought it would be fun to put it out there!

While I was away I had lots of hotel room knitting time and I finished ene.  My shoulder is still hurting unfortunately.  I really appreciate those of you who asked about it.  Right now I'm just trying to power through it.  I learned that letting it rest wasn't making it any better and infact I felt almost weaker than just trying to let it be.  So there you go - never underestimate the will of someone when they want to knit!

Of course you know how it is with a finished lace project- you have to block it right away!  Unfortunately I did not plan ahead far enough and bring blocking pins with the rest of my sink.  However I have a coworker who knits and she generously brought me her blocking wires to work so I could block it on my hotel bed.  See - never underestimate the power of someone who wants to block too!

So here we go - here's a shot of Ene blocking, I'll get a proper FO post up here soon.

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Happy Monday!

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