Happy, Happy

May you all enjoy a blessed holiday . . . no matter what holiday you are celebrating!!

May you all enjoy a wonderful New Year, filled with peace, health and joy for you and those you love!!

Read often, knit only those things that bring pleasure to you and may you only have to enjoy good mysteries in your life!

Winter Swap

Don't forget to join the Whoduknit Winter Swap! Please email me srbmays at gmail dot com by Dec. 15 if you want in or more information.

Thanksgiving and Other Fun Stuff

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Mine was filled with time spent with family and while I have lots of family, it wasn't everyone, which was in many ways very nice.  We spent Thursday with my sister and only four of her five kids and only one of her six grandchildren.  On Friday, we cleaned and set up our Christmas tree . . . very early for us, we are usually doing it around the 15th of December.  My daughter and son-in-law and their three girls, my brother-in-law and my niece were over for dinner on Saturday.  On Sundaym we finished decorating.  I am exhausted.  It was good to go back to work today so that I could relax.


While our fearless leader is under the weather, I thought I would pick up the slack a bit.  I've updated the books for October, November and December.  I just finished What the Dead Want.  I so very much enjoyed it.  It took a bit to get into it but once there, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have to say that the ending was really good.   If you are one of those people that read the last chapter first, you'll never figure this one out by doing so!

A new poll will be coming out soon.  Keep an eye out for it. 

If anyone wants to do an exchange, while it is probably a tad late to do it for December, we might want to do something to pick up the douldrum blues of winter.  Let me know what you all think.  And if anyone wants to run it, that would be good too!

TOT SWAP FROM CHRIS

My TOT swap package from Chris arrived earlier this week.  Check out all the goodies I received.  The candy is missing and NOT  b/c I ate it all.  I have lots left.  I am being good now that I am on WW.

AND here is a close up of the yarn Chris spun for me.

Thank you Robbie!

I have to say - more than 1/2 the candy corn is already gone!

I have never seen caramel corn on the cob before - what a great idea!!!!

The scarf is on my list to knit....my fingers were itching to start it last night. But I have to finish a baby blanket in the next two weeks so I need to work on that.....

Warm Feet, Cold Heart

Lt. Hugh Dunnit and his sister, Ms. Dunnit invited several of their friends who did not have families in town for Thanksgiving dinner. Lt. Dunnit was just about to carve the turkey when the telephone rang. After a brief conversation, he excused himself and left with Sgt. Howie Dunnit, leaving Ms. Dunnit to take over the carving.

When the Dunnits arrived at the address they were given, they found Mary Merino rocking back and forth while knitting a pair of socks. Through her sobs she told them that she was knitting them for her husband, Joe Merino, who always had such cold feet. Hugh and Howie found Joe Merino in his study, crumpled over his desk. His head lay in a small puddle of blood. A revolver lay on the desk beside him on the right. An open letter lay to his left. "Looks like suicide," Sgt. Howie Dunnit said. "He had a gambling problem," said Mary. "He owed so much money that I had to start selling my yarn stash just to buy food! He was despondent over a letter he received today. After he read it, he walked into his office and closed the door. A few minutes later I heard a shot and ran in and found him like this!" The letter on his desk was from a gangster that he owed money to, threatening to kill him and his whole family if he didn't pay up. "It looks like murder to me," said Lt. Hugh Dunnit, and promptly arrested Mrs. Merino.

Why did Lt. Dunnit suspect Mary Merino of killing her husband?

E-mail me privately (grammieknits@yahoo.com) by Sunday, Aug. 29 with your answer for a chance to win a prize.

Summer Swap Package

Hi!  I'm back from vacation.  I'm back from the getting ready to go on vacation so that by the time you go on vacation you are exhausted . . . . we had a wonderful time.  Two weeks in Orlando, which, by the way, was cooler than it was in Cleveland at the same time.  The difference is that in Cleveland, we do get more breezes and wind than Orlando.  The upside is that we don't have air conditioning in our home and most of the time we would only need it two or three days each summer.  It appears that we were gone those two or three days this year.

I did get my summer swap package from Chris Love.  It was a great package and if you want to see a pic and read about it . . . you have to go to my blog . . . yes, it is a plot to get people over to my blog.  So, do I have you interested?   Hmmmm.   If so, go here.

My Virtual Texas Vacation

I received my wonderful Texas vacation from Joan today - packed so full I didn't know if I could get it all in one photo. Everything was packed inside a very pretty tote bag with Texas Bluebonnets on it - who can't use one more tote bag to stuff with yarn!
There was Texas candy, including those giant spicy jelly beans (think I'll pass those along to my DH!), pecans, a magnet, bookmark, a handmade dishcloth with the shape of Texas on it, and a bar of handmade Bluebonnet soap that smells wonderful, a book, The Last King of Texas, which looks great, a "Speak Texan" book, some postcards, and some very pretty note cards. And then there is the yarn - hand dyed sock yarn in my favorite shade of green and a pattern for Texas Hold 'Em socks. How perfect is that!
Thanks so much Joan for a wonderful Texas vacation!

Unraveled Lacey Solution

Unraveled Lacey

A Hugh Dunnit Mystery

Lt. Hugh Dunnit felt the cool east wind on the back of his neck as he knocked on the front door of the Boucle's house. In spite of the clear morning sunshine, he felt a chill as he looked at the three splintered bullet holes in the door. Sgt. Howie Dunnit (his brother) let Hugh into the house and Lacey Boucle explained what had happened the night before.
She said she had been afraid lately because she thought someone had been following her. She kept seeing a Burgundy Subaru in her rear view mirror. "I thought my husband was at work. His secretary, Miss Cashmere, called around six to tell me my husband would be working late yesterday. So when I heard someone at the front door, I was frightened. I thought someone was breaking in, so I got my husband's gun and I hid behind the door. When the door opened I saw a shadow fall across the floor. I knew someone had come into my house. I didn't wait to see who it was. I was too frightened. I shot through the door. When I looked around the door I couldn't believe I saw my husband lying dead on the floor. I became completely unraveled."
Lt. Hugh Dunnit looked at Sgt. Howie Dunnit and shook his head. "No, it wasn't an accident, was it Mrs. Boucle?" Lt. Dunnit asked.

Why didn't they believe her story?



Scroll down for the solution:








Solution:

At 6pm, the shadow would be falling to the east not the west since the Boucle front door faces east. Lacey Boucle claimed she saw a shadow fall across the floor as the door opened. At that time of night a shadow would fall behind whoever was opening the door and Lacey would not see it. She needs to cast on a lawyer who can knit together a defense.

Virtual Summer Vacation Swap

(This Swap is for Whoduknit Members Only!)

Yes, it is time for our summer swap! This time you will be taking your secret pal on a virtual vacation of your home state. Here are some suggestions - you certainly don't have to send all or any of these - use your imagination!
Something your state is famous for
Postcards
Yarn from your state
A book written by an author from your state or
A book that takes place in your state
Anything made in your state (and that could be something made by you!)
Get the picture? Want to play? Sign-ups begin now. Pals will be assigned by June 15. Packages should be mailed by July 15. That will give you plenty of time to put together a virtual vacation package for your pal, and your pal will still have some summer left to enjoy it. As usual, stash in good condition and gently used books are always acceptable.
To sign up send me (grammieknits@yahoo.com) your

name
e-mail
mailing address
smoking or non-smoking
US or International
Any additional info you think I should have

Murder Mystery Contest - It's Murder! (Re-run)

If you have been a member of Whoduknit since the beginning - you may remember this one. But do you remember the solution?


A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing. She believed him to be her dream guy so much, that she fell in love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.

Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?

E-mail your answers to me -mailto:-grammieknits@yahoo.com by Sunday, June 6. (Do not send your answer to the Whoduknit Group!) Correct answers will go into a drawing for a prize from the prize locker.

But, beware!
If you answer this correctly, you think like a psychopath. This was a test by a famous American Psychologist used to test if one has the same mentality as a killer. Many arrested serial killers took part in the test and answered the question correctly. If you get it right - I'll know who to stay away from!

May Project

My May project is a Voodoo Doll for Deadly Night.

I haven't decided who to use it on yet!

May Project - Linda H in MD

My project for Deadly Night by Heather Graham is a bookmark knitted with Hempathy yarn. This is my first time knitting with this yarn and I like it. The bookmark is my own design. I casted on 16 stitches and knitted/purled whatever came to me. I wanted more of a cafe au lait color to remind me of a character in the book but had to settle for a darker shade of brown. I added the framed cameo to remind me of a painting on a wall. The single rose was a gift of some sort. The names Fiona, Flynn, and Henry were added to remind me of characters in the book.

I received my April Fool's package from Lilli. It's really nice. It contained 2 books, flower shaped lollipops, Werther's candies - which I really like, 2 skeins of yarn (and I just bought the new Knitscene Easy magazine today - in hopes of actually finishing something ;) ), an aquarium where the fish "grow" when you add water - so does the towel, plus a really nice notepad. Thanks Lilli.


Gail

Belated Thank-You to Jennifer

I wish to make amends for being so slow in replying and thanking Jennifer for her wonderful Whodunkit April's Fool's Day Swap package.  I received it April 8 but have been so busy with STUFF and LIFE.  I can now say I am just about caught up with life including completing and sending in my income tax.  Here in Canada we have until the end of April to get them in and the Avon part takes forever.  One year and I hope it will be this year I will work on them as I complete each campaign but I am already nine behind!!!! Now I can get on with other things.

                          This is what I saw when I opened by box.

Jennifer sent me some lovely red sock yarn that I adore

Here is my April Fool's Day gift.  It looks like a compact and on the lid it says Magic Mirror.

BUT when you open it up looks what happens.

A spider pops up.  UGH!!!!  Good one Jennifer.

I also received some of my faved Jelly Bellys and the tin is more than half gone already  and a new mystery to read.  The book looks like a good one.

                                    Here is the entire package.

Thank-you again Jennifer for such a fun and lovely package which brightened my day when I received it.

From the annuals of better late than never!

Here is the great swap package Maureen sent me! My April Fools joke is a funky green ball of Fun Fur in a tub, my goodies include a skein of pink Banana Silk yarn, 3 skein od Pink Fun Fur, Dark Chocolate, the book Woman in Red and some little Easter goodies! Thanks Maureen!

April Project - Linda H in MD

For my WhoDuKnit projects, I plan to make bookmarks. The pattern I chose for this months project is Backbone Bookmark by Kiersten Brandt. Here's a link to the pattern:

http://knitoneblogtwo.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/backbone-bookmark/

There are clues in my bookmark. The orange and the red are important. The purple is one of my favorite shades of lipsticks. The yellow reminds me of days I spent playing in the sun. The backbone design reminds me of the song Dry Bones. "The head bone connected to the neck bone, the neck bone connected to the back bone, etc. I love that song. The beads were added to give a childlike feel to the bookmark. The shape of the bookmark kinda reminds me of a glass container a scientist may have in their lab.

I enjoyed reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and knitting and decorating my bookmark.

Bonnie's April Project

This is Bonnie's project for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Isn't it great! If you have the book, the project needs no explaination! Nice job Bonnie.

Look at the wonderful package I received from my April Fool Swap pal, Claire. That beautiful yarn is hand dyed merino wool in my favorite colors - and so soft. I wish you could feel it!

In the box are Godiva Chocolate truffles (I checked - I was afraid that might be the April Fool joke and it would be empty - but it's for real!) The tea is an English blend, and the books, While My Pretty One Knits, and Knit, Pearl, Die by Anne Canadeo look very interesting. I love knitting mysteries! Thank you so much Claire for a wonderful package!

March Project

Um, let's see, this is inspired by which book....????? Um, um.... Okay, for ooh and ahh rights: a felted and very useful yarn bowl. In other words, protection for your wool from the kitty cats and dust bunnies! I made up the idea (but not the base bowl pattern) and am using and loving it.

Project for March

Here's my project for Aunt Dimity's Death--a blanket, in honor of the blankets Lori's friend made. I wish the author had told us more about these "works of art." This one goes to my 7 year old grandaughter--she wanted a new "knitted blanket" to replace the worn-out baby afgan I knit for her.
Joan in West Texas

March Project- Katie'sstuffed sheldon

In keeping with the stuffed knitted animals of the Aunt Dimity series here is Katie's Sheldon"

Feb. Project: Laced With Magic Druid Hood

My library finally got Laced with Magic and I've just finished it. I think this hood I completed for the Ravelympics might easily be worn by a citizen of Sugar Maple.

JANUARY 2010 PROJECT

I am posting this photo for January even if it doesn't count for the prize.  It is a snake I made for Nate's birthday last year.  Nate LOVES snakes!!!!  LOL  It is a door draft stopper.

Now I need to finish the book. I am so behind in my readings.

January Poject

My January project about all I have had time for this month:)

January Project Contest Prize

The prize for the January Project Contest is this "7 foot long Snake Scarf" plus your choice of one of the books in the prize locker. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing of all the entries. Post your project before February 1st for a chance to win. Remember it can be a project for any book that we have read on Whoduknit.

WHODUKNIT CHRISTMAS SWAP

I am sorry I am posting my package from Heather so late. Please forgive me. It was a lovely package. Here it is in all it glory.

I received three different yarns in my package.

Here is first of the yarns I received. This is bamboo from Southwest Trading Company. The color is more lilac than it shows in the photo.

Here is the second yarn I receeived.  It was dyed for me.  It will make some nice socks.

This is another skein of yarn without a label but with a stand of beads around it.

I received this very neat little bag which contained the makings of smore's inside.  YUM YUM!!!

I also received American Hershey Bars with Almonds but, alas, they are no more.

I recieved a lovely knitted PINK hat,

and this book which I haven't read yet.



This is the cover of the Christmas card I received with my swap package.



Again a big thank-you to Heather for her lovely packge.

Boy this sure was difficult to post on today.

Baby Booties

If you want to see what I made while I was laid up, please go check out my blog!  I frogged these so many times, at one point I threw out some of the yarn.  Then in trying to get the pattern to repeat sort of evenly, I rewound and rewound the yarn, and almost got it, but not quite.

January Blankie

This is the blanket that occupied me during my husband's surgery. Thank goodness I didn't try anything more complicated because I dropped a strategic stitch during the day I was most worried about DH and re-knit a large chunk of the blanket today. The kitty in the picture has been trying to steal the blanket even on the needles.

No snakes for me--but this blanket could have been knit for new baby David Anthony in Murder Carries a Torch. (By the way, that book also sustained me at the hospital.)

December book projects

Here are my projects for the December book--hats! Modeled by grandsons Thomas and Ethan.

Belated Ornament

My favorite ornament wasn't in the ornament boxes we opened this in December and I was mostly too busy to worry about selecting another for the contest (congratulations, Patt!). But my husband ran across my fav as we were organizing and culling the Christmas decorations today. I just had to post it (I think you see why.) My oldest daughter was about 3-1/2 at the time, as I recall. Somewhere I hope we still have the accompanying wise man and camel (you would be surprised how much a camel resembles a wise man). What you see is an angel, as carefully explained by my daughter Bethany many years ago. It is about 4 inches long and frequently still hangs on our Christmas tree.

Christmas Package from Penny

Below are pictures from my wonderfully fabulous package from Penny. She really spoiled me and the shortbread was TO DIE FOR.....

Highlights from Nate's Swap Package

These are my favorite highlights of Nate's surprise package to me. The famous bag (already mentioned and coveted by my daughters) is shown with how much it can hold. The yarn in front was Nate's added gift to me. The Santa is a make-your-own ornament that I just loved. The package also contained an ornament I did not have to make, filled with Life Savers, a cheery snow globe, and a snowflake mug that I used all December. Many thanks, Nate!

Sharon C.

December Knitting

I made this project for myself, but this scarf could very well be featured in Fleece Navidad's craft fair. Sharon C.

Favorite Ornament Contest

It's time for our "Favorite Holiday Ornament/Decoration Contest. Post a photo of your favorite holiday ornament or decoration by January 1, 2010, and tell us why it is your favorite, for a chance to win a prize in the drawing.

My grandchildren gave me this decoration for my birthday this year. They know that I collect snowmen and when Tori saw this she recognized the three of them right away! The message is especially meaningful to me this year. Joy, Love, and Hope to all of my Whoduknit friends!