Let us put by some hour of every day for holy things...

I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails.
I will believe the Hand which never fails,
From seeming evil, worketh good for me.
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:
I trust in Thee.
--Ann Kimmel

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

Friday, January 11, 2013

Dibs and Dabs

Ah, Friday!!!  Even without driving off to a job or going to school, there's something so invigorating and hopeful about a Friday, and the expectation of the weekend. Rah, rah!

Actually, I do have to drive somewhere today, but not far. It's the local Red Cross blood drive this afternoon and I try to donate regularly. Hey, I'm working on my third gallon! Cool, huh? 

I have the feeling that, what with this dire flu season, eligible donors are seriously depleted, so if you meet the requirements and are eligible, I urge to consider giving blood. It's really no big deal nowadays, the phlebotomists are so well trained. The worst part of the experience is usually when they take the tiny blood sample from your finger to test your iron levels. But enough about blood donation.

This morning I was surprised to find our curmudgeonly old cat, Fat Boy, atop the kitchen table, making himself comfortable on my pile of fabric. I shall have to give it a gentle wash now before I can proceed with my wedding favor bags, but I still found it amusing. He isn't usually so brazen.

 
A fun thing that happened already this morning was the arrival of a package in the mail--my yarn from Craftsy for my first foray into their Mystery Knitting Project for February. This is an online class they offer monthly, where one signs up, receives the yarn, and then gets to find out exactly what one will be making. I know it's a shawl, but that's all I know. Hopefully I can manage the pattern, but if I run into difficulties, I can get online support. I think it will be fun. At any rate, I'm feeling adventurous (well, my kind of adventurous!) so here goes. And here's the yarn Craftsy sent--it's so fine, and the colors are wonderful! It would be fun if you'd join me and we could compare notes.

You can details here for signing up for the mystery project:http://www.craftsy.com/deals/mystery-workshop-club-february/1756
 
I've finally packed away my vintage deer collection--very reluctantly--and I'll be hauling them out to the Christmas cupboard in the barn shortly. I also did another sweep of the house, looking for stray decorations I've overlooked. Isn't it amazing what hides in plain sight? Here's what I found:

How I managed to miss seeing the glittery silvery cone tree I have no idea. It's easily a foot and a half tall!

Oh, boy...  I'm really dithering this morning. I expect I had better buck up and get to work. I hope to blog again shortly, as I have more inconsequential stuff to chat about.

I hope your day is going well! I'll leave you with this little message courtesy of Mr. Wickham:

One of my new Zazzle scripture cards!
  

 

8 comments :

  1. That's a lovely ball of wool - especially the colours! Look forward to seeing the finished product. What happens to the finished article - do you keep it, send it off to some charitable place or what? It's certainly a mystery project!
    Good luck - I gave up knitting a while ago: too much counting involved. Toys are much easier!

    All the best. Isobel: www.ColdhamCuddliescalling.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi, Isobel--You're JUST the person I want to talk to! I'm hoping you'll take a look at the stuffed dog on the previous (Jan. 10) post, and tell me what you know about him. Approximate age? Anything!

      I get to keep the shawl after I make it. My hope is that, after learning to do the pattern, I'll be motivated to make more shawls. Those I can give away! I used to do a lot of knitting before my kids were born but haven't done much with it in a long time, so it will be interesting to see if I can cope with the challenge or not.

      When you do your toy making and repairing, do you sew mostly by hand or by machine? Any special equipment you use to make the job easier? I've been stashing some wool fabric I want to try to make into stuffed animals, and maybe felt.

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    2. The yarn is beautiful, with colors resembling those of Black Watch Plaid. Of course the yarn isn't plaid but the colors are reminiscent...

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    3. Come to think of it, you're right! And it's SO fine... I've used fingering yarn and baby yarn before, but this seems even more fine than that. Wish me luck!

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  2. Ooooh! I want to try out Craftsy, sounds so fun :D

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  3. Your cat is a beauty!
    I wish I could give him kisses

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  4. Hi, ladies...
    Vanessa, you would quickly regret those kisses if you tried to give them. Fat Boy would most likely bite and claw at you. He's very unpredictable and gets overstimulated so easily. I can pet him cautiously, but I keep a close eye on him the whole time I'm doing it.
    Puffer was the pom we got about the same time as Peppy, but he died in a stupid accident when he was two. That's when I got Lollia and Wickham, I was so broken up about losing Puffer. I am a VERY vigilant dog mom now.

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  5. :) nah Im sort of like a cat whisper or something
    Joshs grandma had this cat named Fuzzy who hated everyone she was almost 20 yrs old and no one had ever gotten to pet her..Well I went out to her and meowed at her and sat on the ground and talked to her and she came over to me and I held her..josh said you know Ive wanted to pet that cat my whole life and she never let me and the first day she meets you she loves you.


    Poor Puffer ( love the name by the way )

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