I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving. No real excuse for not posting anything yet this month other than, well, to be quite honest, I thought I had! I know I did post a picture to my swap site, so perhaps I just remembered incorrectly.
On the fiber front, in the process of putting together my swap partner's goodie box I had the opportunity to visit all of my LYS, including one new one that's only been open a month and
one that I had heard was really snooty and so was sort of afraid of... WELL.... nothing to be afraid of - they weren't snooty at all, even when I was pretty clear I was only looking. They have a huge selection and the prices, while higher than your local big box, were what you would expect for the high quality yarn they carry. They even had a nice sale selection, so I will go again. I did fall in love with a skein of beaded silk that would make the most gorgeous anything, but at $35 for 50grams, and no real specific project that I need (or dress to make a hat for or anything like that) it will stay at the store, and I might visit it again sometime!
The new store was an incredible experience. It's a warehouse with closeouts or something like that. WHO KNOWS! All I can tell you is the prices were great, the owner was lovely and the selection was huge. I got one skein for my partner there, a skein of sock yarn to make socks for Erin and 2 skeins to make myself a hat. The bad thing about this place is that if you see and love it, you have to buy it because she doesn't replace what gets sold. Once it's gone, it's gone - hence the sock yarn as I already have a skein waiting to be knit and I really don't like adding to the stash that way, but I am sure Erin will like it and so there wasn't much choice. I also got a skein of a self-striping yarn to make her a simple hat. It was in the clearance bin and was quite pretty. Her hat will be done as soon as a certain secret project is finished.
And, then there was the LYS I found a couple of weeks ago. I got my partner 2 skeins there. They are very nice, but seem to carry a lot of novelty stuff and less just regular yarn - or maybe that was just what it felt like. Now, though, of the 3 stores, it has become my least favorite because of my least favorite retail trick which is to not price anything. You have to ask for a price on everything. That bugs me. Perhaps it's because I like to look and contemplate a lot. Maybe it's because I am very budget conscious, but regardless. I hate being in a store where I have to ask the price on every item I pick up. The only things that were priced there were the sale items.
Anyway, I am really psyched to have found these places as I was getting really tired of crap yarn from the big boxes. My biggest challenge is finding yarn for anything for my mother. She is allergic to wool. All wool. This makes even the smallest amount in a blend impossible for her. That would be why her afghan is being made of a cotton blend.
Also, I frogged the BMC babyghan. I just couldn't get it. I struggled at the beginning of each row to understand how the row began and how it matched the row below. I think it might be sleep deprivation related, but to be quite honest, it's not how I like to work, so because I had already allocated that blanket to be a gift for someone, I had to quickly get moving. The baby it's for could come anytime in the next couple of weeks, as the due date is next week. Instead I am joining the CAL baby blanket on my yahoo CAL group,
Kim Guzman's Hugs and Kisses Baby Afghan . I hope to find it a bit easier to follow in the wee hours that are when I crochet.
I will have to update the side bar with my progresses.
In other news... my birthday was last week. I got the coolest Hartford Whalers sweatshirt from my husband. I will have to take a photo and post it here. It's in the laundry because a certain someone spit up on it, and then, when I was doing a midnight (okay, it was really 4am) diaper change, she peed on me. Yep. There I was, minding my own business, trying to get it done as fast as possible in an attempt to get back to sleep, and the next thing I know there is a fountain, and I have to change her pajamas and my sweatshirt. nice. NOT!
In any case, the
Hartford Whalers were my favorite NHL team growing up, of course being from Hartford, who else could I root for! They left Hartford in 1996 to become the Carolina Hurricanes. Can't like them. They tore my heart out (only the people of Cleveland who lost their Browns can understand this!) Since then I haven't really picked a new team, although my husband would push me to be a
NY Rangers fan. Anyway, in addition to the sweatshirt, I also got on ebay a R
on Francis jersey that we will be hanging in the hockey theme bathroom that we have. I will post pictures here, too. For our anniversary he had gotten me a Whaler's cap so now I have a matched set of Whaler sleepwear!
On the cuteness front, Erin has started
solid food. Not really eating meals, but tasting new things. In a couple of short weeks we have added: avocado, sweet potato, rice cereal, banana and yogurt. The next thing to try will be butternut squash. Interestingly, at my LLL meeting yesterday we talked about how even for the next 6 months breastmilk should still be her primary source of nutrition, but if you don't begin introducing new things at around the 6 month mark they become too set in their ways to try new things when they are one. I have to say that just breastfeeding certainly made it easier to think about what to feed her. Now all of a sudden I have to think about it, and plan. Something I have never been good at before for David or myself for dinner, or myself for lunch, so it's a bit of a challenge, albeit a good one.
Wow, this post is long. I guess I need to just post more often. Not that I know if anyone is even reading, but whatever. I post because I have something to say, not because I know anyone is reading! Pictures will be forthcoming. I promise.
Because I was opening it with Erin around, I didn't have the chance to take pics as I opened it, but it was wrapped with bubble wrap and pink paper and it was really crinkly and Erin LOVED that!
Also, any other food included also needed to be kosher and somehow (Mary must have been channeling my husband for this one!) she picked out his favorite kind of packaged cookies... 
and, some amazing chocolate that I may or may not share... we'll see... It looks really yummy...
And, as an added bonus, for my birth anniversary, in addition to the two hanks that will find their way into becoming a hat for me...at some point... there was a beautiful, extremely colorful skein of sock yarn, that is going to become... well, something... I haven't decided yet.
