A CONTEST TO STIMULATE THE BLOGCONOMY!

Having been AWOL from my blog for (shamefully!) over one month now, I'll try to regain re-entry into the good graces of you, Gentle Knitter, by offering up this contest to coincide with my much anticipated Sunday pilgrimage to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!

The Contest:

Guess how much money is in this bowl!

The 2 folks who come the closest to guessing the exact amount ($.cc) without going over will be declared the winners!

Just post your guess in "comments" by Sunday, May 4, 2008, 6 pm. I'll announce the winners on Tuesday, May 6 th.

I raided our piggy banks to supplement my yarn expenses and will be cashing in these coins today. At this point, I don't even know how much money I have here!

The Prizes:

I have 2 pristine Debbie Macomber paperbacks, brandy new, bindings not even cracked, which I purchased at a recent American Assoc. of University Women charity book drive. Be one of the lucky 2 best guessers and I'll send one to you!

Good Luck to you all!

Now, onto the knitting....

I was just so pleased with my food coloring lace weight yarn dying experiment that I blew the dust off my brand new Addi lace circs and cast on for the "Comfort Shawl. "

I'm at row 31 now, and liking both the colorplay of the yarn and the smooth knitting of these #4 needles. The pattern begins at the top and just keeps expanding outward and downward.

I'm determined to complete this Noro Kureyon buttoned wrap in time to wear it on Sunday! Yes, I am totally deluded. But, immensely happy in my delusion!

So happy you asked...

No, it's not been neglected. The sleeves to Mike's Christmas/Birthday sweater continue to move along at a snail's pace, it seems, but I do see progress. I have actually surpassed the bend of the elbow at this point. But, still a ways to go! Can we say "Father's Day?" I'm renaming this the "Holiday Sweater" as one never knows just which holiday is going to coincide with it's completion!

Say it loud, I'm cheap and I'm proud!

A lovely link to "whiskers" was posted in a recent Monthly Dishcloth yahoo group digest. Since I have oodles of scrap balls of PVC/SNC cotton to play with, this was the perfect mindless project to use up some of that stash. I had people randomly select the next color to be used and this was the end result. Oh, I wasn't able to stop at dishcloth length, so addicting tying just another color ball on became, so I just kept going until I ran through all the colors in my basket. It's my summertime table runner, folks! I will need to trim down the tails but I love it! Next I will do some cloths! If I can control myself! A nice way to "tie one on" without the morning hangover!

Winter hibernation is over....

These socks ( Sockotta) were started sometime last year -end of summer perhaps? I decided to try an afterthought heel in order to continue in my mindless 2 Toe Up one long circ needle knitting mode. They'll travel to Maryland with me.

A new 3 Amigas Knitalong...

In the past Jeanie, Nan and I have attempted once to knit the same project. We chose knitting an entralac bag,each with a different yarn choice, but the sizzle fizzled! We discovered this pattern at the 2007 Stitches East at the Woolplay booth. The (bait)display model of the jacket was gorgeous, albeit rather ambitious. So naturally, we were hooked. Note my meager progress. Have test knit several squares over in order to get gauge. Each square is 2 3/4 inches, knit in Koigu. Finally, motivation to dig into that multicolored Koigu stash I've been accumulating over the past 10 years!

Charity baby knitting rediscovered.....

Inspired from my membership in the Baby Sweater Knitting Yahoo group a while back, I've been playing around with a pattern from the Leisure Arts Precious Layettes leaflet. This is the Precious Lamb Pattern, with a few adaptations.

I've only profiled a few of the many knitting demands on my time. I'm convinced that the only way I'll ever finish Mike's sweater is if I lock myself in a empty cell, devoid of all other knitting stimuli. Rather drastic.

Any suggestions?