since I last saw you

March sock kit has been sent out to subscribers

 and there are no individual ones available right now.

Things have been knitted.

The cat still likes to help me knit. Especially important since I am trying to knit up 12,000 yards between 2/15 and 3/31.
(I was in the middle of updating my project pages on ravelry, but -- see note at end of post. I am barely able to publish this entry.)

Spring is here way too early.

Tall Son was home to help us celebrate Dear Husband's 50th birthday and Crafty Girl's 15th birthday!! While we were at it, we also celebrated him finding a job last month for after college. Hooray!

Looking to tomorrow, I'm going in for a little bit of a procedure on my delicate female parts. I'll be in the hospital for a day and then in recuperation mode through the end of the month. I dyed the yarn ahead of time through June for the sock club, so no worries there. Local yarn shops have been stocked. :)
However I am unable to fulfill any extra orders for a few weeks. Once I am able to move about, I'll put what I have on hand on etsy (my shop there is in vacation mode for now) and in the Periwinkle Sheep online shop. So far I seem to have an audience for both shops so I am keeping them.

I am only a tad afraid of tomorrow's procedure, but alas it must be done. Meanwhile leave me and the other readers something to laugh about, a joke, a link to a cartoon, a funny video...I'd love for all of us to share some smiles.

(I would love to give proper credit to this artist. Who?)

A final note: this here little laptop has been acting up, it's over 5 years old and it might be time for a new one...I'll be putting it to sleep for now, and I'll see you in a few days.

new tricks, part 1

One of my LYSs and a shop that carries my yarns,Trumpet Hill, had a couple of very special guests this past Friday:

 Anne Hanson of knitspot fame and cookie a. There was a Meet and Greet and booksigning on Friday night.

I decided to surprise them both with a sampler pack of my yarns.

They were like little kids on Chirstmas Day!

I had selected specific colors for cookie and Anne that I thought they might like. I think they were pretty happy. :)

No pressure to design anything with them, just go play!

Here's one of many knitters who had made cookie's famous monkey socks.

When I joined the big knitting circle, I caught Robena, the shop's owner, dancing a little jig in the middle.

Noshes, yummy yarn, famous designers, lovely company, what could be better?

Stay tuned!

a gift of love

A week ago, right after the latest snowstorm, I received a most wonderful gift in the mail.

It was comprised of many different colorful squares,

see the cat hair? guess who took a nap on the blanket?

surrounded by black crochet for a stained glass effect.

And then surrounded again by miles of I-cord.

It is my new, beautiful, warm, comforting, Stash Knit Down Group Cares! afghan.

By way of offering you a bit of background, I need to tell you that I am the founder and one of the moderators of the Stash Knit Down group on ravelry, which has over 3550 members. Over the last 3 years, a wonderful community has formed. It all began with the desire to knit down the stash. We have lots of monthly and yearly challenges to help us knit up the yarn we already have. We talk about the pitfalls of yarny temptation, growing pattern libraries, Cold Sheeping, even Fabric and Fiber Stashes. Eventually, we got to talking about life and things that life throws at us. Out of that grew yet another thread, called "Stash Knit Down Cares!" where volunteers donate blanket squares for a blanket that goes to someone who is having a tough time.

Last year was not a stellar year for me and a lot of people I love, which was something I shared with the group as events kept unfolding. Last August, a group of members of Stash Knit Down decided that I need to have my own blanket.

They worked very hard on it, and last week it came in the mail, along with cards and yummy treats.

I was simply blown away by so much generosity, beauty, warmth, and love. I love my blanket, and what I love about it other than the fact that I can wrap myself in it and take naps :) is the fact that now I know what it's like to receive a gift like this. It inspires me to keep knitting for others, because I know it will make them happy.

obsession, or addiction?

Last week, I made Citron shawl.

I started it on Tuesday, and finished on Friday night.


It took exactly the same amount of yarn as a pair of socks.


I am not sure I have ever made fingering weight socks in 4 days, but this pattern was so addictive, that I simply could not stop.

I'm glad I didn't make it in lace weight, since I'm not sure it would have been a usable size for me. My dummy is a size 8, I'm a size 4 or 6 depending on the day. Just laid plain across the shoulders,

it doesn't cover much of the front.

But I do love the view from the back:

Then there's the option of draping it across like so

and I may just have to look for a little shawl pin next week at the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. :)

Project is raveled HERE.

Pattern: Citron (knitty.com, Winter 2009)

Yarn: Noro Kureyon sock, color# S236, one skein.

Needle: size 6/4 mm, 32 in addi lace

I should note here that I did not have enough yarn to do the ruffle at the end. I opted for 4 garter stitch rows after the last (Section 5) increase, and then bound off. I rather like the clean edging, and am not sad that I didn't get a ruffle.

Oh yeah -- and the obsession part? It has to do with color....

small stuff, big steps

The surgeon called this morning to check up on me and let me know that all pathology reports came back negative. I never really had any doubt, but it's good to know for sure!



Right after surgery, my calcium levels were so low that they gave me calcium intravenously and orally. After I got home, I had to take 3000 mg a day, plus magnesium, Vitamin D and C to help absorb and digest the calcium. Since I cannot have dairy, my husband got me a stack of soy yogurts and coconut milk custards (yum! chocolate! And I was eating that for my health!) which I ate in addition to the calcium tablets.
There are 4 tiny parathyroid glands behind the thyroid, which got a bit jostled and stunned during the removal of the thyroid and the golfball sized nodule I had. They regulate the calcium levels in your body.




All week, I was supposed to watch myself for signs of low calcium, and today was able to report that I had none. So as of today, I no longer need to take vast amounts of calcium.



Meanwhile, I was grateful I could knit even the tiniest bit every day! I had made the back of this little sweater before I went in the hospital. I cast on for the front last Wednesday.

I finished it this evening - it's going to one of my husband's colleagues, who just had a little boy not too long ago.

Pattern: Mock Cable and Basketweave Cardigan and Sweater by Melinda Goodfellow/Yankee Knitter Design

Size made: 6-12 months

Yarn: 2 skeins Berroco Comfort DK

Needles: size 4 and 5.