The Felted Bag is about 90% finished

Here is a photo of my bag after drying overnight. It is not quite dry but pretty close.

This was a really good pattern! I have knit some where I am just a little too surprised with the lack of instruction and the assumption that you know how to knit really well.

I didn't have to guess where the straps went after I bound off because there is one row in which you knit some purls at specific intervals and to show you where to attach the handles. Also, the handles are knit onto the bag so there is very little finishing required when you are done knitting.

Here is the bag standing, all by itself on the counter. Nice thing...some of my felted bags fall over and I don't like having to fish my stuff off the floor. I just have to figure out what kind of ribbon or rick rack I want to put through the eyelets. I may even line this bag.
And finally, here is a photo of Simon that Hannah took with my camera. Not bad for a 6 year old. She asked me to post it on my blog.

Felted Bag Update

I got pretty far on the bag last night....as you can see. I am at the top of the bag doing an i-cord bind off, which is really cool. I have never used that bind off before!

The "crinkle" about 3 inches from the top is intended!!! It is the eyelet row where you add the ribbon or something after it is felted.

Not much else going on at Chez HB. We watched a lot of telly last night....Nip/Tuck and Amazing Race, which is why I didn't go to SnB! Sorry Ladies...next week, I promise.

For My Dad.....

This is for my Dad who called (just now) to let me know that I had not updated my blog since LAST THURSDAY!

We out last Thursday to Marcello's Italian Restaurant for a really nice dinner.

I finished the Feather & Fan scarf and promptly gave it to Jen because it gets cold in England and she would get good use out of it. Doesn't it look nice with the tank top?
Jen & Steve bought the kids a gift from Las Vegas. The are Tinkerbell & Superman "dolls" that are mounted on the ceiling and then fly around the room in a 12 foot arc. Um.....we have tried to find a place in the house, their rooms or otherwise, that has a 12 foot arc without getting tangled in the ceiling fans and have found none. Another interesting thing about the flying dolls is they run on batteries and the on/off button is on the leg of the flying doll.....which apparently means I have to catch the damn thing to shut it off. Um, NOT! So, they will be just pretend flying playthings. Great idea but not too practical in our house.
Jen on her way to the airport via the Hard Rock Cafe where she bought a t-shirt.

We enjoyed having Jen & Steve visit. Hopefully they will be back in a few years. Now they are back home in cold & rainy England.

And finally, some knitting. I started the "Rick Rack" felted bag yesterday. It will probably be done later in the week. (Famous last words)

Ipod LOVE

Can I tell you how much I LOVE my new ipod?

I have been listening to music I haven’t heard in years! I even downloaded Howard Jones from the 1980’s.

I loved Ho Jo in the 1980’s but never did upgrade my cassettes to cd’s…….but, you can download just the songs you LOVE on itunes. (Man, is that a total license to make money????)

Ok…off to listen to some new Ho Jo and John Mayer.

This is going to be worse than buying yarn for awhile. I suspect I will be spending far more on music than I have on yarn as of late.

Hmm…might have to ask my Mom is she still has that video of a Ho Jo concert with Jed the mime. Come on, you 1980’s music lovers gotta remember Ho Jo and Jed!!!!

Nice to see you Alison!

Ok...My kids eat almost anything including avocados. I did not have an avocado until I was 18 but both of them will arm wrestle you for an avocado. (We'll see how long that lasts!)

A small group met up at Coffee Rush (Pita Jungle for some grub) to see Alison during her short visit back to Arizona.

Here is Illanna trying to look coy! Don't you just love the new short hair????
Alison & Lily. Lucy was hiding out of the photo!

Dad, Steve, with his swatch knitting.
Pam & Melanie were there too but no photos of the nice gals!

Another felted bag........

I bought this bag pattern yesterday morning from the knitting zone. You gotta love patterns that you can download. I have the yarn sitting out from my stash all ready to go this afternoon.

My stash is slowly getting smaller. I think I got nothing compared to some of the stashes I have seen as of late on other blogs!

I well, I'll keep you posted on the colors.

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Good Gosh, don't we look young? This is at our wedding in 1997 at the Desert Botanical Garden's in Phoenix.
And, here we are 8 years and two children later! Where did the time go? We have had our ups and downs but it has been a fun journey thus far!

Happy Anniversary Honey!
Looking forward to many happy years together in the future!

Happy Early Anniversary!

My 8th anniversary is tomorrow. However, my hubby and I have never been able to hold on to our anniversary gifts until the actual day, which is tomorrow.

My hubby bought me THIS.......I would never have bought this for myself although I have been drooling over the ipod ever since they came out. If only it wasn't charging right now I would be all over loading stuff RIGHT NOW!

And, he also bought me this nice little attachment that allows me to play all my music in the car! Wahoo!
We had this discussion while driving to California that if we had an ipod, we could upload all our music on the ipod and not having to listen to crazy static or haul all our cd's around in the car.

Thank you hubby!!!! I love you and I look forward to many years together.

Weekend in Review

This post actually started on Thursday afternoon. Hannah & I went to the open house at Gabriel's Angels, a group that takes dogs to visit sick & abused kids. Here is Hannah with Pam Gaber and Gabriel.

We were so close to the Fiber Factory that I could not drive past without stopping. However, this is all I bought!!! I really am trying to use up my yarn stash before taking off and buying a whole bunch more stuff!
We took Jen & Steve out for lunch at Cyclo in Chandler. It is upscale Vietnamese food! Yummy!!!! They both tried to use chopsticks and did not do too bad of a job.
Obviously, everyone liked the food!
And here are Jen & Steve out front of the restaurant.
As we were coming home from lunch, we see this on the "main" street of our neighborhood. The car hit the fire hydrant so hard that it pulled the hydrant and the 3 foot pipe out of the ground! I am sitting perpendicular to the car on the main street. I have no idea how exactly that car did that and had that kind of speed in a residential neighborhood.
Here we are at our party. Here is Hannah and Rosie.
Pam with my son, Simon, playing with the new Monster Magnets from Rosie.

Iain, modeling the newest fashion for me, sparkly tiaras!
Woody & David.
Steve, looking like all that in Iain's Mustang! Iain even let Steve drive his Mustang.
Iain and I. Hmm...do I look like I had one too many martini's. Um....my head told me so the next morning.......and the worst thing is, I still woke up at 5:30 am waiting for Simon to come trudging into our room. Russell and Simon. Russell was off to curling in North Scottsdale.

Pam & Melanie pushing our kids on the swings! They were great guests and really good babysitters! Note to self, invite Pam & Melanie to our next party!

Happy Birthday Dad

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Here is Dad with Hannah...she loves Grandpa to death!!!! He is a great Grandpa and a great Dad!!! I love the relationship I have with my Dad. We have surpassed the child/parent relationship and now have a bit more of an adult relationship.

I do know that whatever happens in life, I will somehow have my Dad wrapped around my little finger.
Dad and his new bride, Linda, in June at their wedding! They are a very happy couple and I was happy that I could be part of the celebration of their union in June! Good luck and best wishes for many happy years together!
I love you Dad and I wish that I was with you to celebrate this big year! I'd tell you how old he was but then I'd have to kill you so......

I hope you have had a great day! With much love from ME!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Secret Pal 6 Info

Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

It depends on the project but mostly I use LYS yarn. I have quite a bit of acrylic in my stash that I am trying to get rid of by making prayer shawls and other charity items.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I bought a drop spindle but have yet to try it, so I guess that would be a NO. I can crochet like a beginner but I prefer to knit.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Yes, I am allergic to smoke and most pollens. I can handle perfumes and animal hair (cats, dogs, etc.)

4. How long have you been knitting?
Almost 20 years!

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No but the things that would be on it are:
Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Knitting on the Edge
Knitting over the Edge
50 Bootees to Knit

I have no problem with used books, especially if the price incentive is a good one!

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Vanilla and lavendar

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yes, but it is SO HOT in Phoenix right now that any candy that was sent would definitely melt.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I sew when the need arises but with my two children being young, knitting is my main craft!

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like country and pop and 80’s music! Yes my computer can play MP3’s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? My favorite colors are Anything in the green family (green, aqua, chartreuse, etc.). I also like black and hot (neon) pink but not pale pink!

I don't really like earth tones (browns, rusts, etc.)

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a lovely husband of almost 8 years, a daughter (age 6) and a son (age 2.5). We also have a 6 month old female Siamese named Sophie.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I would love to win the lottery so that money would not be a concern and travel a lot more!

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Wool, silk, cotton, bamboo, mohair, angora….ALMOST ANYTHING!

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I don’t like knitting with Red Heart yarn but I knit with Jiffy, Lion Brand yarns and Homespun.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I like prayer shawls and felted bags.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Baby items (because they are quick), felted items for the same reason, almost anything but I don’t knit sweaters much because I live in Arizona and it is too warm most of the year.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Lost Points Shawl from SWTC and Kitty Pi Bed and a lacy scarf.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Hate them on me, my chest is far too large.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circular!!!!! I have straight ones but I don’t use them much.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Any of the above but bamboo, except for really slippery yarn on which I use bamboo needles.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I have knit socks but I am not obsessive about it.

22. How did you learn to knit?
While I lived in Norway in 1987.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
11 years. It is a vest for an ex-ex-ex boyfriend and although my hubby would like it, there is a bad karma about it SO it is about to be frogged!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Don’t have a favorite animated character but I like Gimbel’s Quail.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Nothing but too much yarn!

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Interweave knits.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Yes, they are on the Amazon list.
Knitting on the Edge
Last Minute Knitted Gifts
50 Bootees to Knit

Photo Heavy Post

On Monday afternoon we were off to the airport to pick up Jen & Steve from England.

Here is hubby giving the kids a ride on a luggage cart.

I didn't get a good photo of Jen but here is Steve "relaxing" in the yard. That's what you get for smoking....gotta make yourself useful while you are in the yard. The kids have been really enjoying having Jen & Steve here. They also liked all the presents they got. Football (soccer) shirts, candy and hats.
I took Jen to the Tuesday night SnB.

Here is AfriKelli showing off her gorgeous knitting prowess. Why yes, that is a hat that was twisted while knitting in the round and is now a turban hat!!! And yes, that is a big knot between her knitting and the ball of yarn. She was trying to convince us all that the scarf was long enough....Um, no, don't think so...nice try to NOT have to unravel that knot.
Here's Jackie and Melanie.
Berniece & Pam. Pam.....not a bad photo!!! I tried to fix the demon eyes and that's the best I could do.
Carol with her felted bag.
And Subadra and Jen, who is holding my knitting.

You know it's a bad sign.....

When you are trying to find a watch band and the US distributor of the "brand" calls you to tell you that they have never seen that watch before!

David got this watch as a gift from a record executive colleague sometime in 1974-1975 in London. Aprey is a very "posh" jeweler in London that also makes the Queens jewelry. It is the royal jeweler.

Anyway, every time he needs a band we have problems because no one in the US sells 17 mm XL bands because the sizes are 16 mm, 18 mm and 20 mm in the US. So, I think, why don't I suck it up and call Asprey?

So I called their Beverly Hills (told ya it was posh) store and the nice lady has me email her a photo. She calls me back and says, "I have never seen that watch and I know we don't have one like it in the store."

We are hesitant to send it back to London with his family because the last time we did that about 2 years ago for a cleaning, they sent it back (packed like Fort Knox in a steel strapped box within a box) by overnight courier, at our expense ($75 plus), and the darned thing did not work. When we called the lady at Asprey in London, she said in her very posh condescending voice that only an English person at a fancy place would use, "Well, Mr. Hubby, you do realize that to make this watch work, you must wind it daily."

To which hubby responded, "Yes, I know, I have been wearing it and winding it for almost 30 years without incident but I sent it to you for cleaning and it doesn't work. It did work BEFORE we it was sent to Asprey but now it doesn't."

Anyway, after a long discertation by the hoity lady about the fact they they employ only the best watch makers in the world, blah, blah, blah...she said to send it back at our expense. Yeah right.....we took it to Suzi at Fast Fix Jewelry at Fiesta Mall where they determined that Asprey had not centered the crystal when they put it back together and therefore the pin could not move.

And now, back to the search in UK ebay.

Editor's note: It was brought to my attention that it appeared as if the Asprey watch was a fake. Nope, it is not a fake just older than most of the people that are looking for the bands.

Someone stop me!!

Another day, another pair of slippers. These were made of some purple mohair and superwash hot pink wool I had in my stash. These things are so easy that I think maybe my little winkies will be getting a pair in their Christmas stocking.

That's got to be a good reason to buy some of that fuzzy yarn at Target. The mohair I had was kinda scratchy so it is good that it was used in the slippers that I am sure will be worn over feet with socks in Alaska.

I think the reason that I knit these so quickly is because it will brighten the day of the nice lady in Alaska. Her hubby is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's and she cares for him at home. She is in her early 70's and he is in his mid-80's. She made a promise to him that she would never put him in a nursing home.

It is tough on her but she has some great friends and family near her that help her to get out of the house from time to time. A good group. I hope she enjoys getting these in her second package within a couple weeks.

Saturday in Review

It was a nice Saturday. I went out shopping, for me, at the mall for almost 3 hours. How great is that??

I saw the shoe manager at Robinson's on my way in, when I bought a couple pair of shoes, and then on the way out of the mall, he asked me if I was still spending money. Yes, I must buy enough shoes in Robinson's that the shoe manager recognizes me by sight. At least he doesn't know my name!!!

Anyway, I said, I am shopping without my kids helping me. What is not to love???

He told me that this was the first time he had ever seen me without my helpers.

Truthfully, I go to the mall without the kids maybe once a month or so but I don't always see the shoe manager.

I found two pair of high end shoes for $20 ($18 after my additional discount) each. I bought a pair of Clark's flip flop sandals in green (shocking, I know) and some Easy Spirit slides that are so popular this season.

I found quite few little "items" and had a good day getting ready for winter in AZ. Of course, this is precipitated by the fact that I am REALLY SICK OF MY SUMMER CLOTHES! I have washed some of the t-shirts so much that they don't hold their shape so I am forced to start throwing them away. I don't care how much you spend on knit shirts, I don't find that they last for more than a season or so. Maybe it is because in Arizona you have to wash everything, especially shirts, after one wearing because it is so HOT!

Hubby wanted to go out for dinner last night so no one had to cook....hmm...that sounds like a good idea. We went to a Vietnamese place called Yen Mi. It is attached to Lee Lee's Market at Dobson & Warner in Chandler.

Simon & Hannah were both trying to master chopsticks. As you can see, they did get some food in their mouths with the chopsticks.


We had all kinds of food and a fair amount of left overs. Simon ate their spring rolls but Hannah wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. On the flip side they both liked fried rice and Hannah LOVED the shrimp and squid. She ate almost the whole plate of squid. Hmmm....strange child.

They did great not only be behaving well but also trying much of the food put in front of them, which is all I ask.

If you have never been to Lee Lee's, it is a shopping experience. This is a market which caters to the ethnic groups not serviced by the big chain grocery stores. They have always catered to the Vietnamese market but I noticed they have expanded and have specific aisles for Japanese, Trinidad, Hong Kong, Indian, some Hispanic foods and almost anything you would need to make most food from Asia.

The biggest difference with this market is the size of the meat case. If you think of the meat department at Basha's/Fry's which takes up the whole back of the store, this is replaced by true cold meat cases at Lee Lee's. They have live fish, soft shell crabs or blue crabs in season, fresh lobster and a wide variety of fish. They also have beef, lamb & pork plus a whole section of animal parts (hearts, tongues, gizzards, livers, ears, snouts, etc.) which you just don't see at most American grocery stores.

In short, if you are in the area, it is worth the stop! Plus, if you are a Poore Brother's Potato Chip fan (they are always $0.89 at LeeLee, compared to the $1.99 everywhere else).