A few more to rip apart...

Today was the "orange tag sale" at my nearby thrift store. I picked up three more lovelies to rip apart for yarn.

The top sweater is an American Eagle Outfitters wool with an occasional stripe of a metallic green. Since it looks and feels new, I'm guessing it was a Christmas gift that didn't go over very well. Their loss is my gain...it will make great hats and/or bags.

The middle layer is a yummy angora/wool blend. I'm thinking baby hats or ...?

The dark sweater on the bottom is a cotton Talbot's turtleneck. It is also near-new. It's bound for glory as "vegan" hats for sale at Tina's gallery.

I also started ripping on a sweater I thrifted some time ago. I was not able to get a decent shot of it because Ashes insisted on "helping." She was not about to be moved out of the one sunny spot in the house. As soon as I picked her up and placed the sweater on the floor to photograph, she was right back over there! I called, I coaxed, I hissed, I cajoled, and as you can see... she ignored! So this is the best shot of a Gap wool tweed I could get. Thanks, Ashes. At least you're comfortable!

Yay! A new toy!

Don't you love new toys? I do! Today I received my new swift. I was so excited when I arrived home and it was waiting for me. As soon as I set it up, we both got to work. Now, I have mixed reviews.

While it really is just fine... turns well, no rough edges, is the right size, etc..., I'm now realizing I should have ordered a different style.

My old swift had a hand crank, my new one does not. The handle breaking off my old swift is what prompted the ordering of a new swift. Now it seems that finding one with a handle would have been my top priority. But dork that I am sometimes, I didn't even look for that. So, I am just going to have to build up my arm/shoulder muscles and spin it myself!

The light blue yarn on the swift is being recovered from a wool/silk thrifted sweater. More about that later.

More Recycling...

I recently thrifted this sweater. It's a soft denim blue 50% wool / 50% silk long-sleeved tunic. While I liked the sweater and all its cables, it's just too long and ill-fitting.

Here, you see the left sleeve has already been frogged into a nice sized ball. The yarn is a great three - ply that measures 12 wraps per inch.

As I played with the recovered yarn, it "told" me it wants to be a cozy shawl in its next life. So I've been experimenting with different stitches. As of right now, it looks like a "V-stitch" is working out really well. Next will be the search for the right edging.

More new goodies...I just added these to my library. I easily drool over any of Nicky Epstein's books, and I've been coveting the Mason Dixon book for a long time. They just had to come home with me. Yippee!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

May your day be touched
by a bit of Irish luck,
brightened by a song in your heart,
and warmed by the smiles
of the people you love.

If God sends you down a stony path,
may he give you strong shoes.

Sisters Hat

Here's today's design. And it's available FREE here.

It's made from my "dyeing mistake." Thanks to the encouragement of others, the yarn has been resurrected into yet another hat. Thanks, all!

Uh-Oh

We came home from dinner to this...
She says she's very sorry.

I wish I had a hidden video... I'm sure she had great fun.



It used to look like this... now... hmmmm.

Score!

Lookie what I found today for half-price at Goodwill!

The top layer is 2-1/2 yards of cotton fabric in green and oatmeal. I have been looking for the right green to use as a lining for another recycled sweater bag I'm working on. Perfect! Plus there is plenty for another project.

Second is an Old Navy Collection mohair blend sweater in a natural white. I am imagining it is destined to greatness as a scarf/shawl in its next life.

And last in this stack is a wool Gap sweater in a pale green. It's very nice as is, but I decided it will be happier in another form...maybe hats? An added bonus is the cute little button on its back.

I also snapped up a bag with four balls of unlabeled yarn in a natural oatmeal color. I'm never sure about these sealed bags, but since it was only $1.99, I decided it was worth the risk. At home it passed the burn test for wool and weighed out at over 16 ounces! Lots of options for this one. Yipppeee! I love good thrifting days!

smile

It's class picture day!

Happy Birthday, Grandma

Today is my Grandma Gallagher's 102nd birthday. She has been gone a long time now, but I still think about her often. I have bittersweet memories of her. She was not very active in my life growing up, but she did have an impact. And of all of my relatives, I physically resemble her the most.

Last night as I was reflecting on her life, I was remembering back to when she tried to teach me to tat. I never did get the hang of it. She used to make lots of doilies and edgings. I still have a few of her creations, including a pillow case I embroidered and she tatted an edging onto. I also inherited her shuttles. I may yet try again.

So, I thought I would Google her name and just see what I could find. Up popped a photo of her headstone! Now this probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was to me. It seems that a genealogy group has taken photos of all of the gravestones in many of the cemeteries in Texas and posted the photos online. I had no idea. So instead of finding any photos or articles of her life, I found the marker of her passing.

Grandma raised her family (including my dad) in Texas and New Mexico, then moved up here to the Northwest to be near us after my grandfather died in 1964. In 1969 she married again (to Wilson Heasley) and continued to live in Vancouver until she died in 1985. Her body was transported back to the small town in Texas to be buried next to my grandfather. Since I have never been to Texas, I haven't seen their grave sites.

At first, it bothered me a little to unwittingly stumble across her headstone in such a public forum. But as I really considered it, I'm pleased to see it. I'm glad to know where it is and that someone is watching after it. And this surprise has helped me to really honor her memory today.

Happy Birthday, Grandma...love you and miss you!

any excuse....

Those who know me, also know that it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to go yarn shopping. So, yesterday, when a real excuse came up, who was I to argue?!

My little dog, Latte was overdue for a "do." Because it would be about three hours until pick-up time at the groomer's, and I hate wasted trips, I decided I would check out a few of the LYSs in Portland. Several new ones have sprung up since I lived in Portland, so I narrowed it down to three that I had not yet visited. I had a few different projects in mind. So, in order to keep my budget under control, I vowed I would only buy for those projects on this trip.

My first stop was The Naked Sheep. The shop was comfortable, well-lit, clean and full of a great selection of colors and types of yarns. Cheri was friendly and knowledgeable. She didn't carry the exact yarn I was looking for today, but I will definitely be back.

Next on the itinerary was Close Knit. As I walked in, I spied Leigh Radford teaching a class. I wished I had brought my One Skein book to get autographed! This shop has goodies stashed in every nook and cranny. In fact, it was so full, it was hard to navigate without running into someone or something. I found myself becoming overwhelmed with all the input. I did find the silk I was hunting for project number one! Yippee. And, yes, I will be back here, too!

Last stop was Mabel's Cafe. This shop offers a wide array of coffee, tea, edibles and yarn. There was a sprinkling of individuals and small groups at the tables near the front who were visiting, noshing and knitting. There was also a raucous class going on. They were having great fun, but they were so loud, that the other folks in the shop were having to shout over them. Since I was already on sensory overload, I had to make this visit fairly short. I found two skeins that will work for projects two and three, and then skedaddled out. I will be back to Mable's when I have time to sit and knit and no headache to start.

So, arriving back home with yarn, photos and a "poodly" poodle, I determined my afternoon was well spent...and no excuses necessary.