This Hat Which is Completed

I did it, I finally got the hat down to normal hat size. There was great rejoicing at this achievement.


It sits a little high in this photo because of my hair clip. There is enough room to wear the hat with my hair pinned up, yet it is snug enough to not blow off if my hair is down.

Knit in the round on US size 9 needles with Fritisgarn wool. This is a bulky yarn from Iceland (I think the band is in Icelandic) and it knits up very nicely. The yarn does make a solid material when felted that has enough play in it to allow for shaping.



In other news, I'm currently listening to the sounds of rattan being loaded into the truck for tomorrow's Crown Tourney. The shop will be there rain or shine. I'm staying home with the guard pets and doing a bit of baking. The weather has been good for staying indoors and being productive in a warm environment.

On the Road Again

I'm not, neither are the critters. Our rattan business however, will be in Perrysburg, Ohio this weekend at an SCA event. We're hoping to make lots of fighters happy with our current selection of rattan. There is more stock on order. It has not arrived as of this evening. The thought has occurred to us that we will get the call saying it is at the local Yellow Freight hub about the time our rig is in northern Indiana.

In other news, the Fibro has settled down and my inner voice is no longer shrieking like Miracle Max's wife. I have passed the pre-screening for a study. Fibromyalgia patients who qualify will be sorted into two groups, one group will receive savella, the other will be receiving a placebo. I don't care which one I end up in. I'm just tickled I can help others by participating. The more doctors can learn about this disease, the better the odds of them finding a cure.

I am working on a few knitting projects. No photos to show off at present. I completed a prayer shawl last night and need to package it for shipping. I plan on working on hubby's socks next followed by finishing up my wimple. I want to stick with some short and easy projects for this month before I begin making baby things for various friends.

Went to the Animal Fair

Actually I went to the Fiber Event in Greencastle, Indiana. It was a very nice sunny day which made wandering through buildings at the Putnam county fairgrounds enjoyable. Lots of lovely yarns to fondle, pretty fleeces to covet and some spinning wheels that were works of art.

I had a good time. I was frugal. I came away with a small project bag, three skeins of yarn and a toy for the younger daughter. I thought she'd be amused by a dog made out of hot glue. I was right.

Today was a meet and greet at City Dog Grocery in Broad Ripple Village. It was very nice to take the pooch to meet up with bulldogs, assorted other pure breed dogs, more bulldogs and lovable mutts. Lots of tail wagging and puppy cuddling going on. I hope the fund raiser/raffle for the local English Bull Dog Rescue does well.

The pooch and I stopped at a local cemetery on the way home. It's a nice place to walk and relax after being in a large gathering. She's a hound mix so getting to sniff and stretch her legs is a very good thing.

Hubby is at an SCA event in Ohio. We're hoping he does well selling rattan there. It would be nice to have a bit more income since our roof decided to leak yet again.

Home Again, Home Again

We traveled to Lumberton, Mississippi the other week and camped at King's Arrow Ranch. This was for our hobby, the S.C.A. While attending Gulf Wars XX, I taught a class on darning and other mending and two classes on basic hand sewing.

The weather was clear, cool and almost ideal for camping. It did get a touch cold at night. We packed down on Saturday and managed to leave the camp before predicted rain arrived and missed out on the snow. Yes, it apparently snowed in southern Mississippi.

While on the road, I did a small amount of knitting.

This is another wimple. I plan on keeping this for myself. I have a few small trade silver charms I want to work into the lace border.

I also have a sock on my needles. It's the second of a pair and I sincerely hope to complete it by next weekend.

One other accomplishment from this trip

I learned I no longer should climb on furniture to lower the seven foot tall tent walls. There are some things even the best trained dog cannot prevent from happening.



We're home now. It's warmer here and I have flowers in bloom. Our next events might be the Greencastle Fiber Fair, Feast of Three Saints in Rivenstar, and Baron Wars in Perrysburg, Ohio.
Note the key word: might.

Knit and Natter

I've been off reading and knitting. It's healthier than fretting over bills, the economy, or the state of the world in general.


This is my third shawl done on US size 13 needles with a boucle yarn. I like the color changes on the blue almost as much as the so called brown. Actually, that one should have been named autumn because it had a lot of gold and orange in it.


same thing in red, which was disappointing for the lack of color changes. Ah well, one can't have everything.

I am also working on a block a month throw. This one was for January.

My M.I.L. saw this and positively drooled. I think I know what she'll be getting for next Christmas.

Hubby ran a sale on rattan during our slow month. We had two orders that took forever to arrive. At least, I hope they've arrived by now. I managed to sell two magazines this week. I really should finish adding the books and magazines to our online store instead of relying on word of mouth to sell them.

Today is Val-Day in Kalamazoo. Hubby was at the event with rattan and yarn. Last week, we only took yarn to an event and he still managed to sell three sticks of rattan. He's decided to add Winter's End to our schedule this month. After that, we have the push to prepare for Gulf Wars down in Lumberton, Mississippi.


This little beauty arrived in the mail yesterday. Hubby ordered it from Clang Armory. They do nice work on the forge. The rose even had a bit of rose scent on it which made the dogs happy. My hound mix likes the smell of roses very much.

Time for a bit more knitting and to wind down for the evening. Tomorrow will be a busy day.

Frustration

I've been a touch frustrated lately. I fully understand how everyone has less descretionary funds. I just wish I could make a few more sales in the online store.

No good deed goes unpunished. One year ago, I bought out a friend to help her retire. While I was wanting to have an online shop, I had (and still have) very definite ideas of what I want to carry. Unfortunately, most of what I bought does not fit the bill. It is very nice yarn. It does not work for reenacting or recreating historical clothing. I have a lot of Crystal Palace fizz, glam, deco and Debbie Bliss yarns, along with Ironstone's Desert nights and Paris nights, there is mohair, rayon, and ribbon yarns. None of it is in large quantities. There is likely enough of most items to make a single project. In a fit of inspiration, I did package some of these items to sell off at one price.

The economy being what it is, not too many people are purchasing odd lots of yarn. Maybe I could request a bail out? Or, do you think the tax man would accept yarn instead of cash?

~~

In other news, I discovered I am allergic to mohair. Not a mild, oh it itches allergy. I break out in hives if I touch the stuff. Irony = owning a yarn shop and being allergic to one third of what you have in stock.


I have been working on these wash clothes this week. I have a stack of five completed. Just four more to go before the holiday. I know that sounds odd or cheap, but that's the stocking stuffer this year. Everyone gets a fancy new dishcloth. It's the thought that counts.

~~

Upcoming events:
Visit MGA/Two Dogs Yarn Shop at these upcoming SCA events:
Regular Event in Cleftlands 24 Jan
Better War through Archery 7 Feb.
Gulf Wars in Gleann Abhain 15 - 21 March
Three Saints at Rivenstar 11 April
Midrealm Coronation 2 & 3 May
Baron Wars in Red Spears 8 - 10 May
Midrealm Crown Tourney 23 24 May

~~

shameless exploitation of my pets: http://www.cafepress.com/twodogsyarns
I plan on having more of my photos available there in the future. Look for flowers, knitting related shirts and other goodies after New Year.

Boar's Head

We took a little trip north this last weekend. It started off on Friday night with a four hour drive to the suburbs of Chicago and spending the night at a friend's house. Best thing about visiting with friends is the muffins. All the ginger bread or cranberry orange muffins we could eat for breakfast. Ok, so I am not a total hog. I confess to taste testing one on Friday night then having two at breakfast Saturday morning.

We were up way too early on Saturday and in the truck heading north of Milwaukee for the event. I got to see the sun rise. Not my idea of a good time, but a serious application of coffee improved my mood. Once we arrived at the site, hubby and one of his friends unloaded the truck and trailer while the pooch and I began to set up.

This was an indoor event and not dog friendly, so only the assistance/service dog got to travel with us this weekend. She sprawled under the table for the most part, with a touch of shivering when someone held an outer door open for too long. Our booth was right inside the room the event was held in so the breezes from the atrium were a bit much for me. I snuggled with the dog when that outer door was held open.

After the event, we had a two hour drive to our friend's house that was longer than usual due to the winds. There was a bit of rain, but the wind was bad. We managed to have a nice long visit, got to sleep in on Sunday and went out for brunch Sunday morning. After brunch, we had more visiting and a long drive home. The winds were still blowing hard on Sunday.

Have I mentioned it's good to be home?