BUSY VERSUS BALANCED......BUSY WINS.

Not having posted in almost 3 weeks, I've lots to show and tell.

Spent time at Stitches, Rhinebeck, on the Nursing job, teaching my knitting classes, organizing (yep-again!) my yarn room, cleaning out closets at home and scrambling to finish that afghan for our Church project! In between knitting that occasional Ballband cloth, and Granny's favorite just to keep my sanity! I need to feel a balance among home, work and creative play. Not feeling it yet! SIGH. Next immediate project is to knit about a dozen little sock ornaments for the Church Christmas tree-due by Saturday morning! Oh, how I love a deadline not at all!!!

So, lets start with our Baltimore trip.

The 3 Amigas, turned loose on all that unsuspecting yarn.....

Home again, in the sanctity of my yarn room, I survey the damage done, and contemplate where to store it all! Notice a trend here...sock yarn and lace yarn. Main attractions for me were Blue Yarn, Claudia Hand painted and Brooks Farm Yarn. Most of the patterns were half off at Yarn's Forever. Books came from Mannings and Yarn Barn.

What I plan to be knitting this year! Serious! I've decreed that if I haven't knit my purchases by November 2008, I'm a staying home!
Purses were from the samples sale bin at Two Old Bags, cost $20 each! Who could resist? Not me, Gentle Knitter!

Budget constraints gave rise to serious thoughts regarding what to spend at Rhinebeck the following week. Piggy bank offerings were taken to the bank, and that lovely coin machine set some spending guidelines.

HOW ABOUT A CONTEST!!!!!!

Guess how much coinage in the bowl, post your answer to my comments section and I'll send the lucky winner who is the closest to the correct amount without going over, 4 balls of stash dishcloth cotton and a hand knit dishcloth from my dish cloth stash.

Why am I doing this, Daaaarling? I've won a few things myself lately, and I've got a lot of stash. Paying it forward.

Deadline is Wednesday, October 31st, midnight. I'll announce the winner before noon Thursday, November 1st. Winner can even specify the cotton skein colors and if I've got them in my stash, well, they are yours, postage on me!

Hint: There's more money in coins than you might think in that bowl, but not enough for me to go merrily to Rhinebeck without adding some $$$ to the yarn shopping budget, as you might tell from my purchases. See below.

Next stop, Rhinebeck!

I found some interesting things, but as with Stitches, you can predict that I will come home with something from Blue Moon and Brooks Farm. Again, socks and shawl yarn. Some cool patterns, and a really funky black alpaca with some sort of feathers woven in. My new scarf this year! CAW! CAW!

Little projects were perfect take- alongs during our trips....

I'm favoring the Peaches N Cream brand over Sugar N Cream these days due to their vibrant colors! Hope they wash and wear well.

Playing around making some dishcloth care tags for my gift giving.

Found this bottle of wine during my monthly wine run and just had to buy it because of the label. Alas, the actual wine was swill, but nothing that couldn't be made tolerable with a bit of ginger ale added! I'm a fan of log cabin quilts, so knitting this cloth gave me immense satisfaction.

TA-DA! The church afghan finished! Those ladies I knit with are such talented knitters! I feel such peace now that it is all finished.

Next up....Mike's sweater!