Shoppe Puppy

Jill has a new puppy and Gracie comes and visits us about twice a week. It was originally thought that Gracie was Lab and Beagle, but her vet says that he thinks she is more like Lab and Rottweiler.

Whatever she is, she grows every time she sleeps. (first picture is 2 weeks ago) I think we should start a pencil line on the wall, chronicling her growth cycle.

My first day of my vacation

I am taking a vacation. I am not going anyplace special. Just taking time off of the fun job and the paying job. This is my first vacation in at least three years. I can't remember when I last took time off to just have time off.

Here I am at the Leland harbor.

I am wearing a new ruana that I purchased from Molly's. My husband calls it a tablecloth.



I am having milk and my daughter's freshly made chocolate chip cookies for lunch.

They are pretty good, but she refuses to put walnuts in them, which would make them close to perfect.

Later on, I have a choice of Coca Cola or wine. They are waiting for me in my winter refrigerator.

And at night, we watched Anne of Green Gables, the Sequel.

Pretty good start for a vacation.

Hatting on

I frogged it and started knitting. Here is where I am, several days later.


Since I cast on a different amount of stitches, I had to play with the moose part. I will admit that it took me at least one hour of knitting and frogging to get it right and now I am moving on.

By the way, the original pattern's antlers were more reindeer than moose, but I found another chart that did moose antlers, so I am using that chart instead.

Autumn and helping the community

Connie came in here a while ago to buy some yarn. She wanted to knit a shawl for her church's fund raiser. She had found the pattern and we could get the yarn for her.

Then she came back with this.


It is a pattern from Jojoland and uses their Rhythm yarn.

In exchange for Connie letting us have this at the shoppe, we are helping her sell it for $200. All of the proceeds will go to the 1st Presbyterian Church in Elk Rapids. It is for a fund raiser that will help families through agencies like the Women's Resource Center.

Connie has put a lot of time and effort into this beautiful shawl. And we know that it will help to make a difference in our community.

It's Demarie's fault

Demarie came in on Saturday with this pattern in her hands. (you have to be a member of Ravelry to go to the pattern.) I helped her pick out the yarn (Pastaza) and she left. But - she got me thinking. I pulled up Ravelry and started to look at the pattern and what others had knitted with it. And I was hooked.

This is a picture of the Ralph Lauren Olympic Hat for the opening ceremonies.


I picked out St. Denis, loved the colors and Jill had raved about the yarn, and started knitting when I got home Saturday night.

Now - what I did not need was another project. I was happily knitting MY Elizabeth Zimmermann Weekend Sweater

(although the dye keeps staining my hands, but that is another post), plus I am also knitting Carol's Clever Little Shawl out of the Brown Sheep Handpaint Original.

And then there are the other trillion UFO's I have tucked away here and there.

But, this hat kept picking at me, so I picked out the yarn and started it. (I am using the St Denis book hat pattern for cast on and other information.)



Monday morning I looked at what I had knitted and this is what I saw.


Look closer.

Twisted knitting. Not what I wanted. So, I will tear out 2.5" of knitting 140 sts per row and restart.

I swear that I checked and my stitches were not twisted. Honest.