Friday, March 29, 2013

RAKs, Yarn Shop Visit, Blanket Update, & Easter Wishes

I don't seem to be posting as much as I used to.  I think I have a case of LPS (Lazy Posting Syndrome).  I have things to share ... I'm just too lazy to share them!  Do bear with me as I play a bit of catch-up   : )  However, the first subject on the agenda does not involve catching up.  It involves RAKs.

This past Monday I mailed 2 RAKs, neither of which I bothered to take photos of before I sent them   : (   One was sent to Trace ... some chicken printed fabric & some old china buttons.  The other was sent to Vickie ... a set of kissing poodle salt & pepper shakers.  Well, what a shock I had when yesterday's mail brought 2 RAKs for me!  This first one has a little back story ... sort of. On Tuesday, Gracie posted a photo of an RAK which Dawn sent to her ... a beautiful beaded scissor fob.  I was green with envy!  This was the most beautiful fob I had even laid eyes on!  I commented on Gracie's post about how lovely it was, & on Wednesday when I read Dawn's post where she shared a photo of the fob, I emailed her (I fear I will never be able to comment on blogs with those little white boxes appearing underneath the posts again) to tell her how lovely I thought it was.  Well, what a huge surprise I had in yesterday's mail!  Dawn had made & sent me a fob as well!

Isn't it beautiful, & doesn't it look perfect with my purple handled scissors?  I love it! And look at that cute tea-related notecard! Looking at it now, I think that's probably meant to be a coffee pot, but for me it's a big teapot   : )   Thank you again Dawn!

The 2nd RAK is from Michelle.  Look at these lovely gifts she sent me!
Those 2 wooden ornaments are so cute!  I've not seen anything like them here.  She included some sparkly thread for me to use in my next cross stitch project, & at first I thought that other thing was an in-home pregnancy test stick.  I know I've gained a lot of weight over the past year & certainly look like I could be pregnant, but she knows that I'm well beyond childbearing years, so I was perplexed.  Of course it turned out to be not an in-home pregnancy test stick at all but a pair of snips   : )   She also included a very sweet notecard with lovely roses displayed on it.  Such thoughtful gifts!  Thank you so much Michelle   : )

I shared with you in my posts last Friday & Saturday that I had another yarn shop visit to tell you about.  This post will not be as lengthy as those others.  I know I mentioned in Saturday's post that the shop is in Lexington & that's as far as I'll go with that. I'm not going to mention the name.  I usually avoid this shop.  The owner is one of the most unprofessional, unfriendly, rude women I have ever met, & if you don't keep a close eye on her when she's writing up your bill, she'll overcharge you.  The shop staff I've had contact with would not win any congeniality awards but they at least offer you their assistance & try to help you when you ask them a question.  The shop is actually part cross stitch supplies, part knitting/crochet supplies.  I had planned that day to visit a different shop in another part of town, but it was lunchtime & I have this "thing" about traffic so I decided instead to stop by this one & hope for the best.  The best is what I got ... the owner wasn't there. I had a nice, relaxing time looking at all the yarns & notions.  I came home with 2 mega skeins of a super soft, decadent yarn I've not seen before ... Mushishi by Plymouth Yarn, 95% wool, 5% silk, made in Italy.  Each skein holds 491 yards.  I couldnt' make up my mind which colorway to buy so I bought them both   : )   I have no idea what I'll be making with these, but whatever it is will be gorgeous   : )
I also brought home some needle protectors, a set of 2 counting pins (one with a Sophie on it), & 2 leaflets I was delighted to see. When I find some yarn I really like, I think "this would make a nice scarf" or "this would make a nice sweater" & then I freeze.  How much do I need to make a scarf?  How much do I need to make a sweater?  Well, these little leaflets give you that information!  God bless the person who came up with this idea. I got one for knitting as well as for crochet.
I have been enjoying my crocheted granny stripe blanket journey.  I have taken this bit of what I've been able to accomplish so far just about everywhere in this house to try to get an accurate picture of the colors. I've gotten some real nightmare results, let me tell you!  The photo I'm sharing with you now is the closest I've been able to get to true life colors but trust me, it's not too close. The bottom stripe is a very dark red, next is sort of a robin's egg blue, next a light heather green, then sort of an eggplant purple, followed by a light heather blue, hunter green, true red, sort of a dark teal, & then a medium gray, & then the colors repeat   : )  
This blanket is going to be wonderfully warm. I've got a long way to go yet & I'm already wondering what to do for the borders.  Any ideas?

Well, that's it for my post today ... I will just leave you with an Easter greeting.
Have a very wonderful & blessed Easter!    

13 comments:

Catherine said...

Wonderful RAK's!! I had an envelope from Dawn today too! She sure knows how to spread the smiles!
Love your blanket ~ sure looks comfy, cozy!

butterfly said...

Lovely post Shirlee, love your RAKs , and your goodies and your blanket is looking great, hugs.

Kaisievic said...

Such gorgeous RAKs and I love your new yarn and you are right, those yarn requirement brochures are a great idea!

cucki said...

Sweet RAK ...
Very pretty blanket :)
Love for you
Happy Easter x

Chris said...

Don't RAKS just make you skip! So wonderful.
Lovely new yarn stash!
Happy Easter!

Vickie said...

Thank you Shirlee for bringing me joy with the poodles. They are sweet. A Blessed Easter to you and John.

Myra said...

Lovely gifts for a lovely lady I say! Your blanket is going to be gorgeous - I do love the colors. Wishing you and John a very happy and blessed Easter.

Miss LindaLee said...

Love the way your blanket is looking and the colors are great. The RAKS you received as so sweet. I need to get some things out myself. I love sharing and buy little gifts and all. It's always nice to think that someone you care about will open their mailbox and smile when they see that package.

LindaLee from
CrossN' My Stitches

Anne said...

Love your yarn. I have LPS too! :)

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

Love your blanket. :)

Wishing you Easter blessings.

Mii Stitch said...

I love your blanket so far!!! The colours are just going really well together. No idea about the border sorry as I have no idea how you do this but I'm sure it will look stunning! Keep it up :D Happy Easter x

Michelle said...

Your blanket is lovely Shirlee - I am so glad your RAK arrived and you liked it xx

Sandi @ The Primitive Skate said...

Love how your blanket is turning out. So beautiful.
Oh, how I wish I could do that. Love you RAK gifts.
What sweet treasures.