Fun with Knitting (and Quilting)

OH yes FIBER is good for you!

So I just got back from the Great Lakes Fiber Festivalin Wooster Ohio. And can I say...SOO much fun? This is my first Fiber fest event and man was I excited!  A bunch of us Cleveland Knits West gals met up there and shopped and knit a little, and spent lots of money on lots of yarn, ate some fries, and had an all around fabulous time! We had such a good time shopping and encouraging each other!

So here's a full picture of my haul!

I got 2 skeins at Creatively Dyed yarns. The colors are so unique and pretty.

I also got 2 skeins of sock yarn and then 5 skeins of worsted weight yarn at KnittingKnotions. I could have bought so much more their her colors were beautiful.

I snatched this skein of sock yarn at Black Locust Farms (and am so glad I know where their shop is now!)

I may have ODed on sock yarn!

I also go these 3 skeins of wool and hemp for $2.50 a piece for a market bag.

Then I got 6 skeins of Lamb's Pride bulky in Avocado. Can you see the subtle variation in it? It's ands so got a great deal on it! (I wanted to get more in other colors but I exercised a WEE bit of self control! LOL Then I also got 6 skeins of I believe it's top of the lamb sport weight (which I will most likely double strand for something) for $4 a skein! Couldn't pass that up.

And there was some Eucalan purchased too, to wash all my new fibery goodness, and a couple cute stitch markers and some yummy smelling hand cream!

I can hardly wait till next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lest I forget hat my parents got me this  for Miley for my b-day (along with some of the cash that funded my day!) That is now wound and ready to be cast on!

Back from Vacay!

Well we've made it back from our seemingly whirlwind 9 day vacation! We had a great time with family and friends!

We started off out of Cleveland on Friday and flew into Orlando. From there we stayed at a place called Rosin Shingle Creek. It's a new hotel/resort and was really nice. I especially like the adult only swimming pool, as we were usually the only 2 swimming! Ken liked the golf course! The bathroom there was probably bigger than our entire room on the cruise ship! LOL! We bummed around an area on International Drive Friday evening and ate and wandered around an outlet mall.  Sat. we decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom since neither of us had been there since we were kids. It was fun, but we probably should have done one of the Universal parks as I think we would have had more fun. Oh well! Then Ken's cousin and his girlfriend came and picked us up and we went to Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island. We ate at House of Blues and just wandered around for awhile. Sunday more of Ken's relatives came down and the guys all golfed and us gals took a trip to Ikea and then hung out in the pool. After they were done golfing we all ate dinner together.

Monday morning we headed out for our cruise. We went with another couple from home who were also in Florida visiting family. We went on Royal Caribbeans Sovereign of the Seas, out of Port Canaveral. It's their oldest ship but it was still very nice. We had a great time, it was a 4 day cruise so not very long but a ton of fun just the same! Our ports were Coco Cay, which is Royal Caribbeans own island. It was nice but not very exciting so we went back to the ship and enjoyed the pool without a lot of people around.  We also went to Nassau Bahamas for a day and that was a blast! We first just wandered around a bit, then met a taxi driver named Dee-Dee who was a riot! She took us around the Island and showed us the sites , we met some locals, and had the best fresh fruit smoothies EVER! She dropped us off at Atlantis and we wandered around there a bit before heading back to the ship for dinner. After dinner we went back to the island and stopped at Senor Frogs for a few drinks and fun before heading back to the ship for the night. Thursday was an at sea day so we just hung out by the pool and enjoyed the sun.

Friday we left the ship and headed out. Our friends dropped us off at the Sanford Airport and Ken's cousin then came and picked us up in his plane! He has a Saratoga 7 seater plane! It was awesome (I've flown with him before a couple times) he flew us over Disney , and Winter Haven-where he lives. We saw the field where the Indians used to do spring training and over Cypress Gardens. (When I first moved into my old house there was a HUGE mural on the wall in the kitchen of the gardens in Cypress Gardens!)  Saturday we hopped in the plane again and headed up to Leesburg to pick up another cousin, and then on up to St. Augustine. We rented a car and all headed to town to wander around. I could have definitely spent a couple days there rather than a few hours. We visited the fort , and the old jail . After that we went back to Leesburg for dinner at Ken's Uncle's house and met up with some more family (OK so I took mostly pictures of the puppies instead of the people..but comehow darn cute are they?!) before heading back to Winter Haven. Sunday it was time to pack up and head back home!  No wonder I was Exhausted on Monday!  We really did have a great time though!

OH yeah knitting..at lot less done that I tought I'd get too, isn't that always the case? I finished a sock and started the Lacey Bolero-but only got the ribbing done and like 3 rows of lace.

I can't believe I have to go back to work on Friday! bummer! Where did this summer go!?!?!

What happens in Vegas...

Stays in Vegas?  (Like your money?!?!Is that what they mean?) Anyway we had a great time. It was good to get away and not think about job (or lack there of) stuff!! Didn't make it to any of the Vegas Yarn shops though.  I did get my knitting needles through security at the airport with no problems.  I was a bit worried with the security level being elevated to orange.  I didn't knit much though.  Some on the plane, but we left at 11PM and the guy next to me kept mumbling about my having the light on! So I turned it off and knit a few more rounds but that was a bit of a pain so I gave up and tried to nap. The only other time I worked on it was while I was waiting on hubby to get ready to go out. That's OK though.  I was half brain-dead yesterday..we left Vegas at 11:30 (2:30 Cleveland time) and arrived at 6:30AM Cleveland time.  I hate the red eye!  I'm still tired today!

What am I working on you may ask..It's the Mega Bag from Designs by Shelly(very bottom right pattern) Out of Manos de Uruguay yarn I've had for awhile. I hope to finish it by today or Wed.(Then it's back to Rusted Root.) I'm still on a felting kick! I also started Fiber Trends Maggie's Tote with yarn I got at the LYS that is moving and had everything 40% off.....

Today I went to JoAnn's...I was bored and bought a couple of skirt patterns, and some fabric for 2 skirts.   I was going to grab another one that was navy and white, but a little old lady snatched it out of my hand!!! And then bought all but a half yard of it!!!! Oh well...I also bought this for the Airy Lace Wrap from Fitted Knits for the KAL it was on clearance for $1.97 so I thought what the heck! I think it will work. and it's a really pretty yarn in an nice lilac shade.

Before we left I stopped at another LYS River Colors.  It was my first time there and they were having a sale! 30% off! So I bought Blue Sky cotton for Tomato.   I also bought some Euroflax linen ...supposed to be for Eileen also from No Sheep for You but I bought the wrong weight, 4 skeins So I may go exchange it. Or find something to make with it...Any ideas?

Sorry I've been quiet

But I've been quite busy.  This time of year gets crazy-Birthday's, graduations, repairing our yard, visiting my sweet baby neice, etc. Tons of end of the year school stuff, and we've have all kinds of crap going on every weekend since we got back from the cruise.  More this weekend and the one after.  I can hardly wait for school to be out!  I'm feeling done and so is my class.  They are beginning to get on each other's nerves (and mine too!)  getting a new student tomorrow, with 20 days left...why oh why would you do that to your kid?!?! Oh did I mention that this kid had NEVER been in school before!!!! AHHHHH

But  have been knitting.  I have just the neckline to do on Sahara for the SKC. I'm really happy with it so far! I also started The boat-neck bluebell from Fitted Knits for that KAL. My car knitting, it's easy no brainer stuff. No picts just yet.  I hope to get a few by later this week.  I want to finish Sahara by the weekend or so... I really want to start Rusted Root, but I won't let myself until I finish one of these up.  I also need to try to make the beginning of a summer finish it up time.  I have a lot of unfinished projects, it's gotten to be too many.  It used to be just a few and now I have a bunch some are close to being done! Perhaps I'll make a list....

Also I'm starting a table runner for my mom for mother's day she mentioned that she wanted one for Christmas..like on Dec. 23rd...so Mother's Day is the next holiday.  It is a reversible, Blues & Yellows on one side(to match her Kitchen), and Christmas on the other. I've got it all cut out and It should be done fast. 

I promise pictures soon!

Cruising back to winter?! Or could it actually be spring?

Well our vacation was fabulous! That's the ship we were on. Huge, we were on the 14th floor! It was a really fun and relaxing trip. And even better we missed the really crappy weather here in Cleveland while we were gone!  The food was great.  It was so nice to be spoiled!  It makes coming back to the real world kind of a bummer.(I got puked on by a student today-good times)  But hey I guess you have to work to be able to afford to go on these sorts of trips. We went to Ocho Rios..I climbed Dunn's River  Falls. That was an adventure! Then we went to Grand Cayman, NICE, I held a turtle if you pet them under the chin, they relax and quit squirming.  After That was Cozumel, we spent the day at a beach place, fun and relaxing and nice! Then there was the day at Princess Cays (Princess Cruise lines has their own island) which was beautiful but then the staff guy had to kill a scorpion (With MY flip flop!) in our little cabana so then I was done with that!!!!!! We also saw some really beautiful sunsets I think this may become my background on my computer at work!

Lest you think I got no knitting done, ha I did some knitting on room balcony, generally when hubby was napping and snoring his head off.  And also on the deck by the pool, and of course on the plane & in the airport. I was working on my Sahara sweater for the Sexy Knitters Club KAL.  I got more done than I thought I would actually!  I'm almost ready to join the front!

Once we got home, to snow....I spent Sunday doing laundry! I did manage to get to the LYS to get my quilting block of the month and say Hi to the ladies there!  BTW My Einstien jacket is done except for the buttons! It fits just how I want!  I need to get those buttons on (Maybe tonight during idol).  I seamed up the arms last night and that took all my energy! So pictures and more on that to come later this week!