earthquake day

Well the east had an earthquake today. The first that I've ever experienced. I was at school sorting band music, putting the mess in order that my predecessor left. I was wondering what the custodians were doing that would shake the building... turns out it was an earthquake. Whodathunk??

I made Betz White's cashmere bunny for two baby gifts. Paired it with a copy of the Velveteen Rabbit. One couple are both colleagues from work. The other mom was a student of mine for my first years of teaching.


DD needed a few more things tonight for school and I noticed a sale at Staples. We got a boatload of stuff: 6 one subject notebooks, 5 retractable bic pens, 12 dixon ticonderoga pencils, a package of 6 mechanical pencils, 2 reams of copy paper, an 8MB thumb drive, a clear 18" ruler (for me), 20 pencil top erasers, 2 sharpie markers, 100 sheets of notebook paper... between the $5 off coupon, and our staples rewards and the sale. I spent $1.53 and we put in for $11 in rebates... ROCK on thrifiness :-)

My Phillies won tonight and the Little League team from PA won too!

Peanut butter cookies surrounding Reese's peanut butter cups baked after dinner.

Great day!

doing the congo line

These are the cicada shells we found at the kids' school on Tuesday... kind of puts them in a cute light, no?

Yesterday I popped to the thrift store. It wasn't a very fibery day but I was lucky enough to find myself some nice pants on the cheap. $10 for 3 pairs of lined pants... linen Ralph Lauren, recycled wool Eddie Bauer and wool the Limited.... oh happy day
Also I got a banana republic wool/silk/cotton/cashmere blend sweater for me and a couple of sweaters to frog.

Today was a hit though. to frog: 3 100% cashmere, 1 cashmere blend and 1 100% wool
To wear for me Sebastian Cooper cotton/cashmere blend v neck, Express silk/cashmere blend crew neck, Talbots 100% merino turtleneck, JCrew lambswool funky sweater
for DH: Old Navy linen/cotton vest
for DD: banana republic turtleneck silk.nylon/viscose/cotton/wool/cashmere/lycra blend

All of this $40....

and here they are

Women's S Hugo Bescati butter yellow 100% cashmere wrap lace…4.99









Women's L Heidi tan 35 silk/25 nylon/20 ramie/12 angora rabbit/3 acrylic/5 wool short sleeve sweater DK… $3








Men's XL Old Navy rust lambswool worsted…. $6 *










Women's M The Limited blue-periwinkle tweed wool/viscose/nylon/silk/cashmere/cotton blend sockweight …$6
(i have another in this colorway in my stash already and one in another color… it’s so soft)






Women's L Express beige merino aran knit … $4











Men's Belmondi brown/black/white tweed 55 merino/20 rayon/10 cashmere/10 nylon/5 angora rabbit crew neck sockweight or heavier…. $4






Women's L SO orange/red tweed 40 silk/30 nylon/15 ramie/11 wool/4 other turtleneck light worsted ….$6








Women's M Gap mustard yellow cardigan 100% worsted cotton (hope the button band is picked up stitches) $2








Women's M Express blue white tweed merino turtleneck heavy worsted/aran… $3







* from the pricey thrift store in town

Sorry about the sideways shots... I forgot to turn them before uploading

And these to felt and make bags, mittens etc


I picked up a few sweaters at Old Navy as well.. 3 cashmere ones for me and a cotton cardigan for mom in a beautiful blue to match her eyes!

thrift motherlode

first:
NEW 100% cashmere sweaters (short sleeve) at old navy for $10.... that's right
NEW 100% cashmere sweater (long sleeve) at old navy for $24

and at the thrift stores... oh my!


Pictures and details to come in the morning after I get it all sorted, just let me say it was a GOOD day!

where did the week go?

I started DH's vest. I have almost half of the back finished and am into my second skein. Holding it up to him, it seens it will fit. Miraculous if you ask me. I couldn't quite get gauge with my handspun. Sorry no pics yet.

DD and her third grade class ate lunch with the mayor on Friday. There is a HUGE tree downtown by the city center/public library. I'm talking like 30 or 40 feet tall. Her class (as well as classes at other schools in the area) made 'ornaments' to decorate the tree. I didn't get to go because it was during the school day. They ate lunch with the mayor. DH went and I think he took some pictures; I haven't checked the camera yet though.

I frogged that denim sweater. It yielded 1000 yards plus enough to swatch some. It's really nice yarn. Right now I'm working on the candy cane cotton,silk, lambswool blend. I've opted to keep the cashmere for me. Unless I wind up not using it, then to the frog pond it will go!

I was thrifting looking for a winter coat for DS2. He's growing incredibly fast. I can't believe it. No luck there, but I did find another chocolate cashmere sweater for me and some more green to make wreaths with as well as a linen/cotton blend that will become something in it's new life. It's in the deconstructed state right now.

I've almost finished another block of the lizard ridge as well.

And early early this morning, I took the pieces of felted sweaters that I cut out last weekend and during the week and did the sewing job on them. They're wearable in this state, but I'd like to finish the product by adding a lining. Even DH was impressed this morning before he left for work. I may give one a test run this week and I still have to find the right size for the boys. Sorry to be so cryptic, but it will be the gift of the year this year, which will cut down on my knitting considerably! Although my brothers may need something other than this gift. I have an idea for the middle child but not my oldest brother.

There's grocery shopping to do as well as coat shopping for the bookend kids. DS1 isn't happy with his coat but it's functional.. guess if he refuses to wear it it doesn't do much good though. I agreed to go to Burlington to look for coats since the chances of finding something there are really pretty good. I just hate paying retail.......

I'm cooking Thursday but only for 10. Niece and her DH are in France, my SIL is someplace outside of the US. She's hard to keep up with. Hopefully, I'll post again with pictures of progress on the vest before feast day. If not be thankful with someone you love!

and this is what there is

This lovely orchid was from the parent's of one of DH's students. The student was giving a recital and his high school music teacher brought corsages for the important women in his life. (Her husband grows them... incredible I know) At any rate I was supposed to go, but DS2 came down with a fever, so I stayed home but was still gifted with this gorgeous flower.

We had our department meeting yesterday. I'm still waiting to see what comes of it. Lots of time and work over the weekend to get ready for it. I think it went OK, but we'll see if the little man keeps his job or if that wasn't the purpose. I like the new super though. My impression of her felt good!

On the home front...tonight we finished the wreath we started on Sunday. That included dyeing three sweaters to make it. It's the bottom one.

Combined with the other two it almost is reminiscent of Mickey Mouse.





It all started out like this. Quite the mess I know, but I think the result is really cool. I'm envisioning a bunch of these as teacher gifts!















Now the pictures are pretty heavy. Just so you have an idea of how much I've been deconstructing.


60% lambswool, 20% angora rabbit and 20% nylon


100% cashmere


100% cashmere


85% silk and 15% cashmere


85% silk and 15% cashmere


70% lambswool, 20% angora rabbit and 10% nylon


48% wool, 22% viscose, 16% nylon, 9% angora rabbit, 5% cashmere


75% merino and 25% angora rabbit


All of these with the exception of one were long sleeved women's sweaters so they've yielded quite a bit of yardage :-) Guess I better get busy knitting now!