Livin' La Needle Loca

...between work, meetings, picking the Daughter up at the airport, and the cold that the Husband "shared" with me, today is kind of a lost cause. Short hits: Mailed the contest prizes on Saturday, as planned Yay! Finished weaving the Marine Silk shawl yesterday. I'll upload pictures when it's dry. [ Ravelry ] Finished spinning the first bobbin of Agate merino-silk yarn; halfway through the second bobbin. [ Ravelry ] Received my Rockin' Sock club installment for January. No pix yet. That's all I've got. Off to take more Airborne before leaving for the airport...

...hard to believe the month is almost gone! Today's eye candy is all about tulips. dark pink... light pink... Up this weekend: My primary goal is to package up the prizes and get them mailed out tomorrow. I finally figured out how to wrap the stitch markers to protect them a little better than just bubble wrap. Contest winners: don't be surprised to receive a CD case in the mail. I hope the hard sides on the case combined with bubble wrap will protect the glass beads.  You'll have to let me know if it works! Purlescence Yarns is having a yarn swap tomorrow. I have some yarn that I need to trade or donate, so this is a good opportunity. Other than that,  it's been hard to concentrate on crafts this week. I hope to get back to it this weekend sometime. I have one small favor to ask: Please send out your best thoughts, vibes, and/or prayers to the McCann and Ahlmann families. Today is Savannah's memorial and her burial is tomorrow (see my post from Mon...

...yeah, I never did a weekend report and a few other things got put on hold. If you read my last two posts, you know why. One of my goals was to sew the Knit2 bag for my Blogiversary winner. I'm happy to say that I finished that: (We won't talk about my panic trips to Walgreens and CVS, trying to find the right shoelace length to use for this bag...36-inch white, round laces if you're interested.) Now I just need to find a box that won't crush it so I can mail it out. Another thing was to make the little "extras" for the other prize winners. I finished those, too! I made sets of stitch markers for 4 of the winners. Since I see Loretta at the gym, I delivered hers in person. For Jane, who doesn't knit a lot, I'm letting her decide whether she wants the markers or something else. For the other 3 winners, I'm worried about the crush-issue...we all know how careful the post office can be sometimes!  LOL!  I may just find a small box to send...

30 years ago today, the Husband and I were on our third date when we realized that something special was happening. Being a divorced mom of an almost-3-year-old meant that I couldn't afford to hire a baby sitter for the 3rd week in a row, so the Daughter went with us on our 3rd date.  This could have been a problem for many men, but the Husband is one of 7 children and was used to being around kids. We took a picnic lunch to the Strybing Arboretum at Golden Gate Park. We had lunch, watched the Daughter run around the grassy area, and taught her not to pick the flowers. It was a sunny, January day, and it was perfect. When we decided to get married 5 years later,  the day we chose happened to be the anniversary of that third date. It makes it easy for us to remember when we became a couple and when we got married. The running joke in our family: which anniversary is this, dear? The answer is a combination of the number of years married and the number of years together....

...you leave behind a legacy of joy and love.  You will be sorely missed by your family, extended family, and friends. Savannah was 8 years old when she passed on 1/22. She was the oldest child of Melanie, the Daughter's best friend since high school. Savannah and her Auntie Shauna shared a special bond, so this was just heart-wrenching. Savannah's loss is devastating for all who loved her.  Our hearts go out to Savannah's parents, two brothers,  grandparents, and the rest of her family. ... Hold your loved ones close and tell them that you love them, every day. ...

...I have a lot of work to do and we did have that extra "contest winner" post yesterday! Eye candy was a stretch this week. My old stand-by (sky pictures) failed me in that they were either too foggy or too clear to take interesting pictures.  Most of the garden is in winter mode, so aside from the roses I showed you last week, not a lot is blooming. The strawberry plant, though, looked nice with morning dew coating its leaves. Some green leaves... ...and s red one. Up this weekend: I have some prizes to make and get ready for mailing!  Aside from the normal weekend activities, I want to finish the top for the teal quilt and finish up the marine silk wrap that I have on the loom. That's enough to keep me busy! Have a great weekend!  

....well, everyone! Because we had less than 10 entrants. I decided that everyone gets a pattern!  So send me your email addresses and I'll get a copy out to you within the next day or so. Now, five of you lucky people get something extra: Anna Michele (from Warren, ME...not my sister, Michelle) Tara Just Jane Loretta I don't know what that something is yet (still deciding what to make). Loretta and Jane, I know where to  find you, but I'll need mailing addresses for Anna, Michele, and Tara. Send me a PM through Ravelry (I'm needleloca there) or send me email (marie_novicki at yahoo dot com). And the lucky winner of the Knit2 Bag made in the Knitmare on Elm Street fabric: Michele from Warren, ME: The bag is yours! When you send me your mailing address, let me know which version of the bag you would like: Basic Knit2 Bag - a drawstring bag with a divider to separate two balls of yarn and loops to feed the yarn to keep them from tangling together in the ba...