Knitting cupcakes

I took the best class on Sunday at Eleganza Yarns on Shad Row in Frederick, MD. The teacher/owner was fun and knowledgable. The class, free by the way, was on making knitted cupcakes. She had a great model with "coconut" topping (my fav!). Unfortunately, that yarn was no longer available. I did find several other combinations including red, white and blue (4th of July, of course!).

There were 3 of us making cupcakes and a 4th working on a beautiful sweater, plus the instructor working on a light shrug. I liked that even though I've been knitting since 1982, taught knitting at the yarn shop I worked at, and judged knitting for the fairs I still learned some things! I like that about me. :)

Class was great fun and a real treat for me. The day was clear and sunny (it's been so rainy for the last couple of months) and the breeze felt wonderful. We all chatted and had a great time and made good progress on our "fat-free" cupcakes. It cracked us up when another knitter came into the store, asked what we were making and said that she had "too many projects started to be spending time knitting cupcakes!" What a hoot!! I'll stack my knitting, crochet, needlepoint and cross stitch started projects against any one, any day, any time!!! Yet I had time to knit cupcakes. And, yes, us cupcake makers laughed at her after she'd left the parking lot.

One of the other cupcake knitters brought in a skein of "coconut" yarn that she'd bought at the shop many months ago. Although I looked at the label and had pen and paper handy, I didn't jot down the name of the yarn. All I could remember was "FFF" for the manufacturer. Never heard of 'em!

Well, I'm not the Google Queen for nothing! I found the yarn, FFF's Moira, online AND found a shop selling it for 50% off!!!! You may touch the hem of my garment. (LOL)

Ash came back from the framers + clydesdales

and, boy, is it gorgeous!!! I framed it with one inch at the top and tail, 2 inches from the nose, and 4 inches above the bottom since I wanted to give the appearance that it is flying. I have no memory in the computer for scans so I am unable to post a picture of it or of anything. :(

I am still "plowing" (LOL) away on my clydesdales pulling the old fashioned plow. I stitch for 3 to 4 hours a night and it still shows no daily progress. After a couple of days I see progress, but it takes a while. I'll be glad when it's done and I can stitch on other things. I might have to take it on vacation and to a framer while on vacation so it'll be done in time for the county fairs. They can ship it to me, if it comes to that.

I have many things I'd like to stitch next. Little Mill Hill musical instruments as ornaments, MH sled and MH train ornaments, needlerolls, HIH, the new BC branches, anything Shepherd's Bush (I have so much, it won't matter what gets stitched), Dictionary of Bras, Language of Flowers, Sweet Treats, and my needlepoint and knitting!!

I finished Ash the dragon

As soon as I saw Ash I knew I had to stitch it. I don't call myself a dragon-type person, but there are some I like. This was one of them. I didn't like the charcoal dragon on deep red fabric so I found a sky blue fabric (Aerial from Picture This Plus) and an aqua ThreadX. Soooo beautiful together! I like the swirls in the wings. It took exactly 5 skeins. I have a single strand about 11" long left over. I used purple metallic Petite Treasure Braid for the eye and eye accent.

Sheep & Wool Festival is this weekend!!!!!

I'm so psyched!! I love going to the Sheep & Wool Festival. I pre-ordered my t-shirts and tote bag so I don't have to stand in the God forsaken line. I work my t-shirt all weekend. Only one person noticed that I had the new shirt on (not bad actually!). www.sheepandwool.org

Observations on the Woodlawn Exhibit

I didn't make it upstairs again - that staircase is trecherous! Maybe next year.

I entered three items that were well displayed and all in the first room. No award winners, but it just makes me want to try harder for next year. I noticed that most of the award winners were stitched "over one". The best in show was one of the early Lavender & Lace angels (winter??) and it was done over one thread. Awesome! Needless to say all the stitches were perfect, but I wonder if it would take all the joy of stitching out of it to be that precise.

The tea room had some of Martha Washington's Ginger Cookies for sale. I believe these are from the same recipe before they changed the last room on the first floor into the tea room. They were in a tin bucket on the mantel! They were good, but not as good as I remember. I believe the cookie I really liked was a molasses cookie rather than a ginger cookie.

I made the mandatory (and highly anticipated) stop at In Stitches needlecraft shop which is north on Rt. 1 and right at the McDonalds. I like that they open on Sundays throughout the exhibition. This shop is an extended lunch hour away from where I work, but I hadn't been in a very long time. It was great to see everyone and pick up some things from my list as well as some new things. I didn't see anything at Woodlawn that I really wanted to stitch (that I didn't already own!!) so I didn't need their help in finding anything. In past years, they've pointed me to the charts of items displayed at Woodlawn.

Then we picked up lunch and parked at Gravelly Point to eat and watch the airplanes take off and land at National Airport. It was a beautiful day.

A Life List

I saw this on someone's blog and thought it'd be fun to see how I'm doing.


Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyworld
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo (I don't sing)
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset (both!)
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold Girl Scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. taken a road trip
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. met the love of your life

32 ct Lambswool linen + American Idol

I find it very interesting that everything I was ready to start stitching on this past weekend called for 32 ct Lambswool linen and I HAD NONE!!! How is that so? It seems to me that every time I go to the xs shop I buy a package of this linen. Where is it going? Although I had a similar problem with size 8 knitting needles when I was doing a lot of knitting. Seemed that every project called for size 8 needles and I could never find a pair. I must've bought at least 15 pairs of size 8 knitting needles over the years!

To put an end to this linen dilemma I've ordered a FULL YARD!!! However, I must note for the record that a fat half yard is needed for the Jim Shore 12 Days of Christmas. I plan to make ornaments and to not stitch the gold border as the pattern suggests. Still, with an extra fat half I SHOULD have some on hand the next time I need it. Cross your fingers!!)

Anyone watching American Idol? This change in format where 12 sing, viewers vote and 3 go through to the final 12 is a bit daunting. However, based on last night, it will be easy to pick 3 out of 12 because only 3 will sing even halfway decently. A few made my ears bleed (so to speak). I'll be happy as long as the girl with the ego complex (and horrible laugh) doesn't get through on a wildcard.