Fun, but not photogenic!

This has been a good week, and I know I promised pictures, but even though this has been fun, it has not been very photogenic.

On Tuesday I had my private knitting class to learn how to "double knit."

Here's the swatch I made... a little uneven, and definite mistakes. The other side is pink squares with a gray frame. I have very cool yarn to make the real scarf with. It will be 3 squares wide, and nice and long. I actually have enough yarn to make 2 scarves. It is a very long variegation, so you will only have one repetition of the color range in the whole scarf. This is the pattern, but my colors are not exactly the same:

On Wednesday I went to see "The Help" with a friend. That was a wonderful movie! It was very interesting being in the theater with so many people who had read the book. Everyone reacted to the "foreshadowing" with oohs and ahhs. It was fun! The Skeeter's mom was the most different character from the book, and of course, everything was condensed and abbreviated. But it was very good.

On Thursday I went to knitting group and we had a fun time together. There is a wide range of knitting experience in the group, all the way from beginners to people who take classes continuously in new techniques. I think I am about in the middle. Several people make baby blankets, booties, and baby hats; others make dish-cloths and towels; a couple of people just made shrugs (that are very cool!). There are scarves, and afghans; lots and lots of ideas, plus good company.

Then during the afternoon and evening I went to Crown Point, checked out the rest of the antique stores (but didn't find any more buttons). Then I also picked up 11 pounds of rice hulls.

When I started making temari DH ordered 20 pounds of rice hulls for me. That was 3 or 4 years ago, and they are just running out now. The 11 pounds should last me at least a year, and I can use as many as I want to. I was kind of "saving" the hulls I had left, but now I don't have to save any more, I can use them up. I should take a couple of my favorite temari books for bed-time reading, and let my subconscious work on ideas for stitching... something has to get me out of this temari slump.

A friend had planned on going to the Stitches Midwest expo with me, today, but she didn't go because she wasn't feeling well. I was ambivalent about going by myself, but decided to go. There was a lot to look at, and I got lots of ideas; I just didn't buy any yarn. I did fall in love with a scarf/shawl. You could get it in silk for $135, or cashmere for $100, or tencil for $50... and I couldn't bring myself to get the tencil, the others were just too yummy. I think I would like to save up to get this one. Here's the picture:

But the colors are much nicer.

I bought a pattern for another felted bag, along with the handle hardware and rivets to put the hardware on... but then I priced the yarn: 8 (or 5) skeins at $9 each... out of the budget.

(this is the official picture of the bag, I love it!)

I also fell in love with a vest from Fibranatura, with a hood.

I probably could have afforded the yarn for this, but at this point I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed. Too many choices! I do have the pattern, so this will have to go on the "to do" list. I have never knit a sweater, and I am a little nervous about that too. This looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to get to fit right, and I really like the style.

I also bought a kit for kumihimo braids, with a book, and a set of knitting needles for $3, and I got several free patterns. It was a lot of fun!

Then on the way home I stopped in to see DD2. Tomorrow is her birthday, even though she says she is not going to have any more birthdays. (C cannot understand anyone not liking a birthday.) I got DD2 some birthday treats (birthday brownies) and some tulips. I got to pick C and P up from school, and it was wonderful to see their faces light up when they saw me. I also got to see their puppy Danny (twice the size as last time I saw him) and Po (the hamster).

Next week will not be as exciting, but maybe I can get some more done.

Well, I guess there was enough to look at, even though I did not take the pictures!