Erica’s Blog

Here are the latest numbers on the inventory for the “holiday” boutique:

FELTED BAGS:  9  (I think my last count on this one was wrong.)

SCARVES:  10

HAIR “FLOWERS”:  13

MISCELLANEOUS ACCESSORIES:  8

BARBIE ITEMS:  5

TOYS:  2

 

And, on the needles we have:

“Simple Vertical Stripe” felted Lopi pouch in a dark heathery purple & light heathered grey from The Yarn Fairy (with whom I greatly enjoyed having coffee the other day, even with Thing Two tagging along)

Open Honeycomb stitch rectangular shawl in Paton’s Divine, color Richest Rose (I know, it has acrylic, nylon, AND polyester in it, but it also has wool and mohair, and it’s SO soft & squishy).

  I call this my “Squaw Valley” bag b/c I made it on our trip.

  This is basically the same pattern as the “Squaw Valley” bag, but with different yarn, a longer handle, and buttons.  I call it “Flower Garden”.

Here’s a teaser of the trip pictures.  Click here to see the album and be able to read the comments that go along with the pictures.

I’ll keep you posted on when it will be in.  I don’t know if Poppa will consider this being published for real b/c it’s on the Internet (since any information that comes from the Internet is, by his definition, wrong), but I certainly think it counts, considering how many people read Knitty. 

Couldn’t get back to sleep after I initially woke up, so I went and worked out.  We hung out a bit, make breakfast in the room (love that suite!).  Hubby headed off to Reno to golf, and I had a latte by the fire in the lobby while I worked on my latest bag.

The “traditional” anniversary gift for 10 years is supposed to be tin.  I know this means I should have gotten hubby a round of golf at Pebble Beach or something (golf, tin cups, etc.), but I didn’t.  Apparently, we each indpendently decided that 10 was “the year of the slippers”.  I gave hubby a double-pack of golf balls (made him open them before he left this morning), a Simple Plan CD, an iTunes gift card, and a pair of slippers.  He gave me a pair of satiny lounging pajamas and a pair of slippers.   

TODAY:

• window shopping in the shops here at the hotel
• walk to Olympic Village and back
• window shopping in all the cool, expensive stores (BEST = dog/cat goodie store, make-your-own candle place, bath & body products store)
• gondola ride up to the top of the mountain
• lunch at the top, visiting the Olympic Museum, etc.
• relax briefly in room
• quick trip to Reno for a mediocre meal and for hubby to get in a gambling fix  (complete with car knitting - about half a kid-sized scarf in school uniform colors)
• stop at Safeway to get groceries for breakfast & snacks in-room
• work out in hotel gym

This place is DESERTED b/c of the lack of snow. There are more employees than guests here. We practically have the place to ourselves.

• sleep in
• breakfast in room
• work out
• hubby off to Reno for a round of golf
• three-hour spa spectacular for me (facial, massage, manicure)
• dinner in the hotel restaurant
• probably a nap in there somewhere

Anyhow, we’re lying in the king-sized bed in our SUITE (yes, folks, they upgraded us YIPPEE!!), watching that classic example of fine acting, “Demolition Man”, starring Sylvester Stallone, Sandra Bullock, Wesley Snipes, Dennis Leary, Benjamin Bratt, and Rob Schneider on the flat-screen TV that sits atop our dresser. As we’re watching, here’s where the stupid movie knitting comes in:

More some other time about our SUITE, after I figure out how to upload the pictures. Let me just say this about it:

• two-burner stove
• dishes, pots & pans, glasses
• small fridge
• drawer-sized dishwasher
• toaster
• fireplace
• two flat-screen TV’s
• closets all over the place
• dining table
• desk
• separate glass shower with dual shower heads
• wi-fi
• the typical coffee maker, hairdryer, iron & ironing board

OOH, LA, LA!!

The bags are packed, and Grandma’s on her way over from Mike & Diane’s.  After a little puking, a handful of pills, and a nap, my migraine has subsided.  I’m pounding the Emergen-C. 

The house is a wreck, but hopefully Grandma will understand.  I think I’ll have time to at least put the clean sheets on the bed for her.  If I’ve forgotten anything, it must not be important!

  When this whole FKAL SP thing started, I remember thinking “Wouldn’t it be funny if I got Dani or Dani got me?”  Well, I recently put two and two together and figured out that Dani actually WAS the person sending to me.  At least, I thought so.  Then, of course, I had all those “Well, maybe it’s someone else who’s just letting me think she’s Dani”, etc. thoughts.

Well, turns out I was right.  I just opened my my final SP package a few minutes ago, and Dani was, indeed, my SP.  Check out all this cool stuff!

In case you can’t tell, we have a knitting journal, a needle felting starter kit, some wool for needle felting, a pattern from Two Old Bags, a small pink button with a sheep on it that says “Baaaad Girl”, a tin of Burt’s Bees hand salve, a cute knitting notepad, sticky notes that say “Knitting Rocks!”, and a little magnetic picture frame.

Dani & I had planned to do another yarn trade — a cone of black LP worsted for a cone of my burgundy rayon chenille — and she’d planned to include my yarn in this package, but it didn’t come in time.  I hope it comes in time for me to crank out a couple of black bags for the boutique!

Anyhow, THANKS, DANI!  You ROCK!  I tell ya, I got really lucky on both the sending & receiving ends of this SP thing, and I’m really grateful.