Speaking of Plains...

I didn't read this month's book, so I don't know the setting of the story, but we had a fire on our plains/prairie today. You could read/see it on my blog Artsy Math Teacher.

The Virgin of Small Plains Project

This is the red scrunchie that Rex bought for Sarah and then found on the ground when her body was discovered. It was knit from wool that was died in Cherry Red Kool-Aid from no particular pattern - just a long tube, sewed together with elastic running through it. The kool-aid represents the boiling vat of liquid that I'd like to throw the judge into!

My Maisie Dobbs Project July Reading

Here are a couple of photos of the cloche I had knit and then felted on Saturday at a friend's house. Do you think it needs a flower or somethng? In person you can see the glitz coming from the Eros I knit in with the hat. It is quite close to my head. It took a couple of days to dry as I had it on a styrofoam head. This is from the the book Knit it! Felt it!

I have finished reading the July book and would love to loan it out but I got it from the library. So I am lending it to a friend who is not in this group but lives a few streets away and now wants to read it.

Check out my new blog http://pennypurlsandkittyknits.blogspot.com/. Comments are greatly appreciated especially since it is so new (only three long chatterbox entries).

Bottle Swap and yarn :-)

Last week I recieved my "bottle"-swap from KyleAnn. Thank you so much :-) I have never seen the yarn before, and your patterns are awesome! And the Kool-Aid? Are you seeing my Happy-Dance? Or hearing my screams of joy? I simply love dyeing yarn! Thanks again!

By the way, if anyone wants to buy some dyed yarn, I have some sheins now..... And to those of you who have recieved some, please let me know what you think about it. I appreciate all opinions, I can't get better if I don't get critcs to move me on!!!

And : Has everyone recieved their sheins? I'm not sure, so please let me know! Anita, you'll have to wait! That lot you sent me needs some special treatment :-)

Wonderful Bottle from Linda

Linda in Indianapolis sent me the most wonderful bottle! I have spent most of the week with my daughter, who had surgery in a hospital about 2 hours away from us. I spent the entire time with her. DH called me one day to say that the mail carrier had gotten a little carried away with boxes. He didn't tell me one was a bottle. LOL

Imagine my joy when I got home to find this great bottle from Linda. The yarn is lovely - I'm wondering if you Kool-Aid dyed this? You included 2 packs of Kool-aid for me! :) Included were Skittles and blueberry tea (yum!), some stitch markers and a counter (I can really use these!!!), Sweet Pea body lotion from Bath & Body Works; some post-it arrows, which make great place markers!, and some herb seeds. I was just moaning to DH and DD that my herb garden desperately needs to be updated. Don't know how you knew, Linda!

Linda, this bottle is just perfect. Thank you SO much!!!!!!!

Mary Lynn's Maisie Dobb's Project

These are some of Mary Lynn's WIP's (unfinished projects) representing Maisie's unfinished business. How clever is that!

My Maisie Dobbs Project

After much debate with myself about what I would do as a project for Maisie Dobbs I finally made a choice. I had thought of doing vegetables since Maisie's dad was a costermonger but in the end I chose a felted cloche. It still has to be felted but I do have a photo of the cloche prefelted. It is knit with Plymouth Galaway in a blue I had in my stash. The blue is a bit deeper in color than the photo. The flecks are Plymouth Eros. The pattern called for the glitter Eros but I had the regular Eros in my stash from a shawl I knitted and I felt it would be just as nice. Also some of the blue in the Eros matched the blue of the Galaway.



Thank-you Janice for modeling it prefelted. It is from the book Knit It Felt It. I will upload a photo of the finished hat when I get it felted. That will depend on who I can get to felt it since I use a pay washer in my apt and only get about a 10 minute wash cycle for $1.50 with no water level adjustment so I have to do it with a full load.

Maisie Dobbs Project

My project is a very simple pair of socks, similar to the socks which the women would have knit during their spare time. Alas, the colors aren't from the period, but just as the women back then, I used what was available.

Danielle's Maisie Dobb's Project

Danielle made a red rose for the Red Cross worker. Isn't it beautiful - a perfect project to go with the words to the song mentioned in the book.

I've seen some beautiful flowers
Grow in life's garden fair
I've spent some wonderful hours
Lost in their fragrance rare
But I have found another
Wondrous beyond compare....

There's a rose that grows in no-man's land
And it's wonderful to see
Though its sprayed with tears, it will live for years
In my garden of memory

It's the one red rose the soldier knows
It's the work of the Master's hand
'Neath the War's great curse stands a Red Cross nurse
She's the rose of no-man's land

Out in the heavenly splendour
Down to the trail of woe
God in his mercy has sent her
Fearing the World below
We call her Rose of Heaven
We've longed to love her so....

There's a rose that grows in no-man's land
And it's wonderful to see
Though its sprayed with tears, it will live for years
In my garden of memory
It's the one red rose the soldier knows
It's the work of the Master's hand
'Neath the War's great curse stands a Red Cross nurse
She's the rose of no-man's land

Thank You - But Whodunit???

I received a package in the mail from Stephanie today. Way back when she received the box of stash in the purloined stash swap, she found a small package addressed to me in the box. Since she was shipping the box 'across the pond' she was worried that the box might be opened by customs, so she took it out and kept it until the box returned home, and then mailed it to me. I still don't know who put it in the box, but whoever you are - thank you so much! That was so sweet of you. Aren't the stitch markers beautiful?
Here is a closer look.

Whoduknit Bloggiversary Contest

Whoduknit Bloggiversary Contest*

1. Who made the first post on the Whoduknit Blog and on what date?
2. What were the 8 Blog titles nominated for the group?
3. Who nominated the name "Whoduknit"
4. What was the title and author of the first book read on Whoduknit?
5. Who won the "Who's Who on Whoduknit" contest?
6. Who makes all of the great buttons for our Blog?
7. Who moderates our book discussions?
8. What is a "Mystery Ball"?
9. What is Deb Brown's favorite Christmas decoration?
10. How many miles did the "Purloined Stash" travel?
11. What have many of our members been 'dyeing' with?
12. How many contributors are registered on the blog.
13. What have many Whoduknit members been doing to bring a smile to our postal workers?

E-mail your answers to grammieknits@yahoo.com by midnight on Saturday, July 14. A winner will be drawn from all of the correct answers. The prize? Why that's a mystery of course!

*You will have to go into the posts on the whoduknit blog to find the answers. If you are not registered on the whoduknit blog - send me an e-mail (grammieknits@yahoo.com) and I will send you an invitation.

Wonderful Bottle from Cathy in Ohio arrived!

What fun to discover Cathy in Ohio's bottle arrived today! It was quite hectic at work, so this made for a very bright spot in my day! I was amazed at how much Cathy was able to stuff in this bottle. You can tell she is a "seasoned" bottle swapper!

Bubbles

Calculator

Dishcloth Pattern in Waffle Stitch

Hand cream

Highlighter

Peaches 'n Cream yarn

Peach scented candle

Post It Notes

Regia yarn

Sock Shaped Point Protectors

Tootsie Rolls

I know I will enjoy using every item she so carefully placed in my bottle.

Cathy, thanks for the fun in a bottle!

and another bottle

I received another bottle today from Danielle.


filled with wonderful goodies . . .



to go with the goodies I received yesterday . . .



there is:

two skeins of Panda Wool (Crystal Palace Yarns) and a matching pattern for Circus Chevron socks by KyleAnn! And, the needles to work the socks. A dishcloth pattern book (did you take the pattern of the dishcloth sent yesterday from here?).

a set of word charms (peace, hope, dream, believe, love), book jewelry (my books never had it so good!), page markers post-it notes (look, like, love), a U.S. map/flag key ring (perfect timing)

and, another mini book, this one entitled "Nancy Drew's Guide to Life."

Thank you, Danielle, very much for the effort you put into this swap!

Maisie Dobbs Project

I made a cloche, which didn't turn into a bowl this time, for Maisie. I used a pattern from the 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day Calendar. It reminded me of the picture on the cover of the book - but it was so plain that I decided to add the flower that I made for last month's book, Died in the Wool. The flower was made with yarn that I dyed with Kool-aid.

Bottle Swap

First I got a card . . . .


The card is kind of hard to read. It says:
Do you think this yarn
will be too scratchy?
I was going to make you some
Sunday-go-to meetin' gloves . . .

and the inside says

. . . but pasties go so much faster,
and are much more festive.

and this is the bottle I received:

Return of the Purloined Stash

The purloined stash has finally returned! And just look at all this lovely stash! It traveled from Maine, to Georgia, to Florida, to Ohio, to Texas, to Montana, to Oregon, to Ireland, to the UK, and back to Maine. It traveled a total of 14,405 miles and took 6 months to complete it's journey. 45 skeins of yarn were swapped - and, oh the adventures it had to tell when it arrived home! If you would like to read about these adventures (and see what writing talent we have in this group) click on the Purloined Stash label below and it will take you to all of the previous posts. They will be in reverse order - so start from the bottom and work up.