Yet Even More Birthday Stuff…
I’m gona drag out my birthday as long as possible, LOL! No, I’m only kidding!
On Friday I took mom down to the annual sale at Woolen Treasures to fortify her needle inventory. She knits *very* tight because that is how she feels like she has control of her knitting tension since she can’t see it. So we got her nearly every needle over the size of 8 in a 32″ length. Well, we stopped at 11 or 13 I think. But they had been low on needles when I had stopped in the first day of the sale. While there I vascillated on picking up one of the felted Calla Lily kits from Pick Up Sticks. Calla Lilies are my absolute favorite flower and I carried 6 with just a touch of ivy for my wedding bouquet. I decided against a kit though. I am sort of curious whether the large arrangement kits contain slightly different flower directions so you get a more natural looking arrangement or if you just get more of the supplies. If it is just more supplies I may cave at some point yet and get the single kit so I have the directions and can then make my own arrangement of them. But, we’ll see.
I did end up getting one (~875 yd) hank for Fino by Alpaca with a Twist (Color 1002, Twilight). It’s 70/30 Alpaca/Silk and has a very lovely hand. I *think* I’ve broke through my stumbling block on triangular shawls so I think this will grow up into something like that though I do not have a specific pattern in mind just yet. Then again, the color would be great for Susan‘s Mountain Stream scarf. Who knows what it will grow up to be! Choosing the color was a bit hard. The previous weekend Sansablog and Snow had tried to force upon me a lovely rose-like color, but since mom was buying for my birthday I decided to the describe the colors for her and let her choose. She decided the blue would look nice with my eyes.
On Saturday after a yummy breakfast and many phone calls from family back in the midwest we headed to Boulder a little early and I did some more birthday shopping at Shuttles. Mom got me the Inspired Cable Knits book as well as a couple more balls of Dale Baby Ull. I swear I drool everytime I open this book. The best part is that even though I’m a big girl I could make most of the patterns in here for myself without having to extrapolate the pattern. And I love the inspiration photos too. It is just gorgeous!
My sister sent cash with my mom for my birthday knowing that we’d be doing some shopping. She also sent directions that it has to be for something completely fun and frivolous and not practical. So, with her money and that sent out by Grandma Schueler (which I guess technically I am not supposed to get any longer because I’m married) I finally picked up a Weavette (4″ square) and the pattern book. I’ve been thinking for a long time it would be a nice way to use up little left overs of my handspun and then Spin-Off had that article this winter on the flowers made from the squares. I haven’t tried the loom yet. Reading the directions had my head spinning. But I’m sure it is just like knitting patterns used to be for me and if I just sit down and take it line by line it’ll make much more sense.
At the tea most of the crafty people in attendance not only bought themselves a somewhat expensive high tea, but also brought gifts! I was floored. Since I was asking people to drive an hour and spend $20 each on tea I was not expecting gifts. I of course mentioned what Sansablog and Snow got me yesterday. That was given to me on Monday evening so that they would both be there when I opened it since Snow needed to stay home and do the usual Easter weekend activities. But Ashley gave me Knitting Over the Edge. I haven’t looked too closely at it yet, but I’m quite excited by it. I have the first one and often find it a source for inspiration. Then Robin, a writing friend of DH, GF of a good friend and another binder of books gave me Envelopes. It is a book of postcards and envelopes that made their way through the Royal Mail even though they were addressed in a wide variety of puzzles. I can’t wait to curl up in my chair with that one! It sounds like a lot of fun!
I think this one floored me the most. It is 8 oz of Suri Alpaca Roving from Hannah. Firstly, I haven’t tried Suri Alpaca yet and I’ve heard it is quite nice to spin with. Secondly, Hannah is not a spinner (yet, I think she had this fall sometime expressed an interest in learning though). Thirdly, it is from one of the local Alpaca farms and I expect Hannah had to put forth a bit of effort to get it for me. I’m excited about this one, but I’ve got some of my hand dyed BFL on the wheel at the moment. Though it shouldn’t be too much longer…
I do have to give some kudos to DH who sometimes is lacking in the gift giving department. He got me this gorgeous necklace with two semi-oblog (not tear drop and not round, but ever so slightly oval) pearls on lariats (?). I had drooled over it in a local jeweler’s window in old town one evening a few weeks ago. Then about a week before my birthday we walked past again and I made a comment that it was still in the window. Well, it was awaiting my opening the morning of my birthday. I couldn’t get a nice picture of it, but you can see glimpses of it in the photos from the tea (probably best on this one, though only one pearl is showing). The pearls match the earrings I had made for our wedding so the necklace is even that much more special.
This year definitely goes down as one of the very best adult birthdays ever! The only way it could have been any better would have been if my sister and dad had been here. It was filled with fun, laughter, great food, and wonderful people. As Hannah put it when she RSVP’d, 30th birthdays should be celebrated in style and I think mine surely was!
