Well, thanks to holiday traffic (took us almost 5 hours to get back from Sequim) I was able to work on some knitting projects. The Rebecca Jacket is coming along-in spite of the fact that the instructions leave out many details and measurements. I was also able to pop out a few more granny squares for my 3rd year work in progress afghan. My goal is to have it finished by the end of the year :)

So what the heck is going on with A Swell Yarn Shop?! Well, at this point we are doing test runs on the site to see that the purchasing process goes smoothly. A few minor bleeps have shown up and are getting unbleeped before I invite a few yarn lovers to be my first customers before it opens to the public...I can see the light at the end of the tunnel :)

First camping trip of the summer. WooHoo!! Got the car loaded and had to make note of this...The one small bag on the lower right are my clothes, ALL THE REST are my crafts, knitting and doggy stuff. Can you tell where my priorities are?! :P

I have just got to say... Since I have been back from Mexico- I have had the BIGGEST salsa withdrawls you can imagine. Ken has said he will try to make a fresh batch this weekend so hopefully that will hit the spot.

My sock is almost done...just the kitchner stitch to go. Yuck! This sock is ending up pretty darn big, so I have a feeling they are going to be more like house socks or camping socks.

I started the Rebecca Apricot Jacket on the plane to Cancun. Since we were going a mile a minute while in Cancun, I didn't make any progress while we were there, but nearly got the back done on the return flight to Seattle. I sat next to a lovely older lady that told me about how she used to knit sweaters for her husband that couldn't fit over his head and that she had thought about taking it up again because her grandchildren wanted to learn how to do it. As we talked more, she told my about her little dog that she loves dearly so we exchanged knitting and doggy stories for the remainder of the flight. The guy on the other side of me (nope, Ken and I didn't get to sit next to eachother on the way back) joined in the conversation about knitting and was telling me about how his mother in-law spins and made a wonderful wool vest coat with an angora collar. He raved about how great that hand made vest was! Knitting brings everyone together :)

Hola Amigos!!! Ken and I are back to the real world from a much too quick trip to Cancun! The water was amazing, the sales people were incredibly pushy, the waiters were highly entertaining, the salsa is too die for and the Pina Coladas were delicious! I got kicked in the head a number of times while snorkeling at Cozumel, but saw the neatest fish. I almost got sea sick while fishing, but caught big ole Mahi Mahi and Ahi Tuna. I was petrified on the SkyRider, intrigued by all there was to see in Isla Mujeres, stuffed full from all the chimichangas, pastels, tacos and salsa and exhuasted from all the fun! I would go back in a heart beat and would stay much longer next time! Here are some more pictures from our adventures!

Cute picture of the day :) Just a quick shot of my sleepy Guppy, bundled up under my desk at work- isn't he just the cutest little guy?!

Two reasons for this picture... First, this is the shrug that I designed after I saw one in Anthropologie with flowers all over it for 200 smackaroos- it's pretty close to the original, except I still haven't finished the flowers and it only cost me about $35.00 to make. The other reason for the picture is to show how unusually tan I am looking because I have been preparing my very fair skin for Mexico sunshine :) I will still be armed with SPF 30 & 45 and a big ole hat when I get there.

How Cool!!!...They call me

How cool is this... My phone rings and it's a yarn distributor wanting to meet with me to show me the new lines of yarn coming out. Needless to say, I set up an appointment to check out the latest-greatest yarns and see what new things I can add to my shelves! Stay tuned :)

7 days to go!

The excitement is building!!! In 7 days I go on my first EVER tropical vacation, to sunny Cancun Mexico. Ken, who is the most fun person I know, will be my travel companion. We will be going to Cozumel and Isla Mujeres for snorkeling, on a private fishing excursion for a full day, and on a sky ride which is where you are pulled behind a boat in a parachute!! I hope I am not afraid of heights! We are both bursting with excitement!!! Thank goodness I am going to be so busy this week- otherwise I would be going out of my mind with anticipation :)
Is it weird that the day we booked the reservations I started thinking about the knitting projects I am going to bring?!

Is it just me or is there NOT enough time in a weekend?

Friday night I blew up balloons for the Open House... turns out Guppy really doesn't like balloons to be blown up. I would blow up a balloon- he would bark. I would blow up the next balloon- he would bark. My dog is so weird.
Saturday was the Open House, what a fun day! I want to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came!! I can't wait to see the finished projects from the yarn you purchased!
Sunday-bright and early, Ken and I headed to Hood Canal to catch the low tide for a bit of clam digging. We both brought our dogs, so while his two big ole labs jumped through the water, Guppy tried to figure out a way to get on my lap while I was shucking my oysters. I haven't hung out with Ken in a couple years so it was great to get to catch up with him and get to see where his secret clam digging spot was. We both had our limit of oysters and clams in no time flat!!
Then it was off to my family's house for a birthday celebration for my brother, Guy, and a mother's day barbeque. Of course everyone wanted something different, so we had chicken and steak and garden burgers and hamburgers and for desert we had cookies and ice cream and cake and brownies. Needless to say, we were all very full! We had hoped a Texas Hold 'em game would happen, but no such luck. It was still a fun birthday and mother's day celebration! :)
Then I was in bed and sound asleep by 9:30pm on Sunday night, and I just gotta wonder... is it just me or are weekends too darn short?!

What would you do? After almost two weeks away from this sock, I picked it up last night to do the heel gusset and realized my cabels were two stitches out on either side and are now landing smack-dab on the decreases!!!! Grrrrr. I have already tried doing the cables with the decreases in them, but the cable pattern really gets lost in the varigated yarn and the decreases. Now I have to decide if I rip the whole thing out or change the pattern and just have ribbing for the remainder of the sock. What would you do?!

Got this quiz from d-made

You are Shetland Wool.You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a
little on the harsh side. Though you look
delicate you are tough as nails and prone to
intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are
widely respected and even revered.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by

Another HAT!!! But this one is a little different. I increased the number of rows between cables so it has a more floppy look! Can you tell I really really like this hat?!

Decisions Decisions

How the heck to organize alllllllll the yarn....Hmmm. Should it be by color or maybe by fiber. Should I put the fancy ones up on higher shelves and the basics on lower shelves. Should I keep brands together or spread them out. Should the sock yarn be all together or mingling among the other yarns. These are very critical choices and harder than you might think to make. So for the Open House on Saturday May 7th, 11-4, I am leaving them as they are...haphazard and pretty to look at :)

Went on a sailing trip with Diana and Jesper on his boat to Blake Island. Other than the lump from whacking my head on various parts of the boat (repeatedly, I might add), it was a blast. Lots of sight seeing, a little knitting, a little texas hold 'em and lots of sailing. We got a little rainy weather on Saturday and lots of gorgeous weather on Sunday. Thank you Jesper and Diana for letting me join you on this trip :) Here are a few more photos to check out http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeAsnLdq5btGKh