Erica’s Blog

  OK, gang, I’m asking for suggestions here.  What should I make for ME with my 220 yards of beautiful handspun, clearly hand-dyed yarn from my SP?  It would probably felt up beautifully, but I’m thinking more in terms of a scarf; that’s what it’s telling me it wants to be.

Any suggestions on which pattern would show it off best?  It would be a short, cravat-length scarf.

Perhaps an Edgar?  I love the look of the Flora scarf, but with my short neck & fat face, that would look pretty ridiculous. 

Please send me your comments with links to the pattern(s) you think would be appropriate….

YIPPEE!  My package from my secret pal FINALLY got here (maybe it went to Australia first with her other package!).

 What could it be?  Oh, my goodness!

  A nice, little knitting card…

OK, now I’m hyperventilating….

 WOW!  Check it all out!  Handspun yarn!  WW candies!  Pretty beaded stitch markers!  Knitting notecards!  Wax potpourri tarts!  A purse handle!

Close-up of the stitch markers.  I especially like the angel one….

  When Thing Two saw this, she said, “Mommy, yarn!  You’re going to be in TROUBLE!”  I had to explain to her that it was a gift, I hadn’t bought it, so I wouldn’t be in trouble.  Pretty funny.  Kids = built-in accountability (this is the same kid who, the other day said, “Mommy, you’re yelling at me, and that’s sin!”  YOWCH!).

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU “I’myoursecretpal”!  You are the BOMB!

The package came from somewhere in New York.  Hmmmmmm……….

Yupp, today’s the actual birthday.  I was nervous yesterday that she’d be sick and unable to go to school b/c she was so sniffly all day and even went to go rest a bit in the afternoon b/c she wasn’t feeling good.  She seemed fine this morning, though.  I sent her to school with some dog pencils to share with the class.

We did presents before breakfast, as we waited for the cinnamon rolls to bake.  Here are a few highlights (the rest of the pictures can be found here):

 Dontcha love the faces they make when they open presents?

 From Jenna so that she can wake up and come play.  Jenna “signed” the card by biting off a corner of it.

 This is definitely “the year of the books” for her this year.  We gave her this boxed set, and Cousins gave her the next set of four.  Remember, she also got a set at her birthday party, plus two other batches of books.  Good thing this kid loves to read so much!

  She decided to wear all blue today.  Not what I would have chosen, but hey, it’s not my birthday! 

Tonight, we’re having breakfast for dinner — pancakes, sausages, and scrambled eggs, with strawberry milk for the girls.  After that, we head off to Toons for ice cream.  For those of you who would remember, Toons is what used to be Farrell’s.  They come out with the big drum, run the siren, etc.  The kids love it.  B/c it’s a weeknight, there will be almost no one there, but she won’t care.  We’ll probably get a pig’s trough to share.  It sounds huge, but it’s really only six scoops of ice cream with stuff on it.  Divided among four people, it’s really not that much.

Here’s my mom’s update on my Aunt Ame in Mississippi (near Biloxi):

Just talked with Ame.  She is still in SC waiting to see what’s happening with Hurricane Rita.  If all goes well, she will drive home Sunday or Monday.

She will not have phone service until at least November, so I can use the cell number she gave me….  Her neighbor has done wonderful things for her, including placing her refrig. and freezer on the back porch and cleaning them both out (gross! the stuff in there was moving, not to mention the smell), starting the FEMA process, and putting a tarp on her roof, and cleaning stuff out of the yard (this with help from the church).

She has to get back very soon since her drivers license expired Sept.4 and her annual car license tags expire in Sept.  I don’t know if there is a DMV for her to go to at this point, but didn’t ask.

I suggested she order on line a couple of dehumidifiers to have delivered to her home once she gets back, since she can’t do anything until FEMA gets around to giving her a new roof and attic insulation before  new ducting, wallboard, and carpeting can be done.  She said there are people still waiting for new roofs from the last hurricane which was over a year ago, thanks to FEMA’s inability to perform.

That’s all I learned at this time.

Message from Terry last night:

Hi gang!
Can’t even believe I am sending this email to ask for personal prayers, but we are watching Hurricane Rita which is Looking straight at us! We are trying to decide whether to evacuate Thurs or not. It just seems unreal right now as the schools are closing and evacuation started today. They expect this to be a bad one……so Keep Praying!

Love to you all!
Terry

Message from Terry this afternoon:

We are all in a massive rush to close up our homes, I can’t get water or supplies anywhere, so I don’t think we can wait this one out. I just got a few drips of gas and the machine quit…It is terrifying ..so I don’t know how angelic we are at the moment! I am still trying to convince Jim to go too…..All the men want to stay and protect, but I am not so thrilled with that idea!!

 

Please pray for us…we are trying to take some of the other evacuees with us…who are much more upset than we are right now. I am getting my sister by 3 am Thurs morning and we will go as far as we can-(five mile an hour traffic- UGH)-probably Austin, or secondly Dallas…..no hotels left,,,,so we are hoping for some good hearted friends! A category five hurricane will be nothing short of Catastrophic, so nobody is messin around! Phones etc will be downed so we will email when we get the chance!!!

 

Love you and appreciate your care for us!

Terry

 

 Well, I’ve made a little more progress on Bobcat’s shawl.  I haven’t been knitting too much or spending as much time on the computer b/c I’m having that wrist problem again.  I’m sure it’s a combination of the two that does it to me. 

Next update, I’m hoping I’ll have to drape it on the couch, not my chair.

You probably can’t tell, but from the bottom up, it’s garter stitch, stockinette, garter, stockinette, seed stitch, stockinette, then garter stitch.  I just couldn’t bring myself to do it all in plain garter stitch.  Hope she doesn’t mind! 

  MarkyMark & Bobcat gave Thing One a potholder loom & loops (and extra loops!) for her birthday (to replace the one Nana gave her that has somehow gone missing).  She just finished her first square on this loom with minimal help.  I had to do the last one or two rows (the hardest ones) and had to finish the edges.  She didn’t want it to be a potholder with a loop for hanging, but a square for a Barbie rug, so I had to crochet the edges down.  As you can see, she’s very proud.

Look out when Christmas comes; she’s making plans now for who’s getting a homemade potholder for Christmas!  <BG>

BTW, those are 7-Up cans in the photo above her shoulder, NOT beer cans.  As you can see, in that picture hubby and his brothers (and some mystery friend) are well well below the age that even they started drinking.  (Hubby’s the really cute one on the far left.)