Bouclé Afghan

Sometimes when walking through my local Jo-Ann, I admit I get easily distracted.

Or maybe all the time.

Well, one day when I was there taking advantage of a pattern sale, I saw some beautiful red yarn.

Then I looked closer. It was bouclé -- not my favorite. It was also acrylic*-- again, not my favorite. But the color was so pretty, and the yarn so soft! And on sale, too! Plus I had a coupon.

With that, I was hooked. I purchased 4 balls of Jo-Ann Sensations Rainbow Bouclé yarn for $20.

I decided the best thing to do was to make an afghan. I cast-on 200 stitches, and worked in garter stitch until I had gone through 2 balls of yarn, binding off just before I ran out.

This made a large and soft afghan which I can wrap myself up in, or snuggle under with someone I love. To get an idea of scale, the bed that the blanket is spread out on is king size.

The only trick now will be to keep the pups from stealing it like they have the others.

Project Details:
Pattern: None, but the formula is here.
Designer: Well, designer is a bit pretentious, but I made up the formula.
Yarn: Jo-Ann Sensations Rainbow Bouclé (88% acrylic/12% nylon) in the red colorway.
Needles: US 10 (6 mm) interchangeable needles with a 60" cable.

*NOTE: While acrylic is not my favorite fiber choice, I don't hate it. I believe quite firmly that there is a place for every type of fiber. Indeed, for color selection and saturation, easy care, and affordability, acrylic is fantastic.

I Wasn't Going To Do It

I'm not a big fan of Black Friday. In fact, I tend to avoid going anywhere the day after Thanksgiving.

I've mocked it.

I've lamented it.

I've railed against it.

I was all set to do the same this year.

And then I looked at the ads.

So, I went shopping, and now have my Christmas shopping (except for stocking stuffers) done.  Plus, I was able to get lots of sewing and crafty goodness at unbeatable prices.

Maybe this day isn't so horrible after all.

It's About Time(pieces)

Growing up, I never had allergies of any kind. 

After 12 years of living in Arizona, and without my approval or even knowledge, that changed.

To make a long, boring story short, when recovering from an illness, a doctor gave me some antihistamines to try to see if they would help, and they did.  So, without any further testing, I was informed I have allergies, and that was that.  Of course, I had no idea what I was allergic to, but no matter.

Shortly after moving to my current home, my watch broke.  Having worn one daily for more than 20 years, I felt completely naked without one, so a replacement was a must.

I prefer my watches to be water resistant to at least 50 feet, to have a metal band that is not in any way elasticized, and I have to like the way it looks.  So, I went shopping with this criteria in mind and found one that I liked.

I put it on and wore it happily for several weeks.  Then I noticed that my skin was getting irritated and itchy where the watch was.  I thought perhaps I'd gotten some water under the band, or the heat was causing irritation, so I took it off for a bit.  When I put it back on that evening, I immediately starting having the same reaction.  Now, I'm not always the brightest candle in the chandelier, but I was able to make the connection.  I took the watch off, and looked closely at the back.  It turns out that the back of the case is stainless steel, with the rest being "base metal" that was plated with something else, and the plating was coming off.  Yep, whatever "base metal" is, I am, apparently, allergic to it.

Being a bit upset, and unwilling to take out a mortgage to pay for a high end watch, I accustomed myself to life without one.  Which was harder than you might think.  Even after three years of not wearing one, I would, out of habit, go to check my watch to find out what time it was. 

Well, on Wednesday, Scott had asked me to pick something up for him at Kohl's.  When you walk into the store, one of the first areas you come to is the jewelry counter.  Being a fan of jewelry, I decided to have a browse.  When I got to the watches, one of them really caught my eye, and it was on sale.  In fact, all of the watches were on sale.  I took a closer look.  With the assistance of the saleslady, I discovered that it not only wasn't water resistant, it was also made from the mysterious "base metal", so it was out.  I looked at all of the other watches, and the ones that caught my eye weren't water resistant, and many didn't list what material they were made from. 

I'd pretty much given up, and was headed to menswear when a watch managed to catch my eye.  The one next to it was even better -- same style but a darker face which I preferred.  Then there was another beneath it.  I called the saleslady back over and, trying not to get my hopes up too high, asked to look at the watch with the dark face, and the one with a more decorative band below it.  I looked at one, she looked at the other and they were both water resistant.  Both had metal bands.  Neither were going to cost me an arm and a leg.  But only one was all stainless steel, which I know I'm not allergic to; the other didn't list the materials.

So I got it.  The watch is made by Relic, has a 12 year warranty, and, when you combine the sale and the coupon I had, was only $35.  I couldn't be happier.

It's Bountiful

For several years now, my friends have been telling me about a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets.  Okay, so it was more like them singing their praises and urging me to join too.  The only caveat?  There is so much food, my little family of 3 may not be able to eat it all.

So I finally did.  And this is what I got on Saturday:

2 bunches of celery, a head of Romaine lettuce, broccoli, green beans, 7 sweet potatoes, 3 tomatoes, a package of champagne grapes, a bunch of bananas, 3 Valencia oranges, 2 mangoes, 7 peaches, and a lot of small plums.  In the back you see the 5 loaves of 9 grain bread I added to my order.  So much good food!

And all of it for only....

$26.50.

The produce basket is $15.  The bread was an optional add-on, and was $10.  All orders have a $1.50 processing fee.  And for new people, the FIRST time you order, you will also add a $3.00 new member fee.

The real deal is this: It is a lot of produce for the money.  I personally have had some quality issues with some of the fruit being spoiled, but it is generally not much.  The produce is generally ripe and ready to eat when you get it, so you will need to be able to use it or store it within the week you get it, and you don't get to select what you will receive.  Also, remember that this is a co-op, so everyone working is a volunteer.  You also have to make your purchase online, and there is a deadline to do so -- generally it's no later than Wednesday, and pick up is on Saturday.  There is a 20 min. window to pick up your order, and if you miss it, your food will be donated to a charitable organization, with no refunds or exchanges available for any reason.

Bottom line is that this is a good deal on produce if you can use it up within the week, especially if you don't have a Farmer's Market nearby.  You may have some quality issues, but, since I'm the only person I know that's actually found any rotten fruit, the odds are that it will be okay.  So, I do recommend it, but it's not for everyone, and I won't be participating anymore.  And since it's available in 8 states, there may be one near you.  If not, and you wanted to participate, you could always check into bringing it to your area.

New Suede Shoes

I didn't go into the store looking for shoes, but since I was already there... Well, you know how that happens.  Another fabulous find at Kohl's.

At first I only saw one of these shoes.  I liked it a lot, but couldn't find its mate.  I'd given up and was walking out of the aisle when, there it was, the missing shoe!  I tried them on and they were MY SIZE!  One of only 2 pairs left.  Unbelievably comfortable, especially with a heel that high.

LOVE!  

Again, found in the clearance section at 90% off.  That means the sale price was... $6.99!  I also had a coupon to take an additional 15% off (down to $5.94) and some Kohl's cash earned on an earlier shopping trip, making my final price, including tax:

$1.37!!!

Stash Enhancement

A while back, Knit Picks, to promote their new videos, offered a 10% discount code to anyone who emailed a friend about them.  So, I did. :)

I got my code and wanted to make sure to use it before it expired.  And here is what I got

Details:

A wooden darning egg, which I was needing to repair some of my hand knit socks.

8 hanks of Alpaca Cloud - 4 of Smoke Heather and 4 of Tidepool Heather.  The photo doesn't do justice to the sheen or depth of color on these -- especially the Tidepool; I absolutely love that colorway!

12 balls of City Tweed DK - 10 of Emerald and 2 of Porpoise.  I fell in love with this yarn while knitting this sweater.  I cannot wait to have something for myself knit out of it.  And the colors are so beautiful!

The Nautical Blanket kit.  My father- and stepmother-in-law sail, and having settled in a cooler harbor, I thought this would make the perfect gift for them.  Being able to buy it as a kit makes it that much better. :)  I have started work on this, but will save the details (including the modifications I'm doing) for another post.

Have I mentioned that I really love this company?

Homeschool Resource Freebies!

 There is a wonderful company called CurrClick that offers ebooks/curriculum for homeschooling.  They have featured products of the week, one of which is free.

Right now, in honor of Mother's Day, they have a TON of resources that they are offering for free.

Check them out and take advantage of the offers.  And if you're looking for something specifically, search for it and purchase it too.

Full disclosure:  I do not receiving anything nor am I affiliated with CurrClick in any way except as a customer who has found them to be a very valuable resource.

Score!

We're getting things back to normal today after a lovely Easter visit from my MIL.  And it was very lovely.  A happy belated Easter to all of you.  He is risen indeed!

Last month, Jenny sent out some information about a fabulous sale going on at Smiley's Yarns.  Moda Dea Washable Wool for....$1.99/ball.  At that price I went a little nuts and ordered 30 balls of yarn - 10 each of purple, orange, and green.  On the Saturday before last, I was headed to knitting and spoke to Jenny who arranged to have the yarn available for me to pick up (thanks Jenny and Tom!).  

And here it is:

Soft and lovely, the colors are just what I wanted, and they complement each other so nicely, that I've decided to make the Yggdrasil Afghan with them.

Shoe Love

I love shoes. Not all shoes of course, just the cutest/prettiest/best shoes.

I also love bargains. Not the discount-on-the-stuff-that-really-wasn't-worth-its-original-price-so-now-I'm-paying-what-it's-actually-worth kind, but the I-can't-believe-I'm-getting-this-for-so- little-because-it-truly-was-worth-its-original-price bargains.

And now I've found a store that allows me to combine my two loves.

Kohl's.

You see, a couple of weeks ago I had to buy a new quilt/bedspread/comforter for my bed, because Gypsy decided that the one I had was just a giant chew toy for her. Since Scott hadn't been thrilled with the last one (he called it "damn puffy") I decided to go with something a little different and got a quilt.

Once that was done I decided I'd just check out the purses (because I love them too) to see if they had any must-haves (they didn't), which led me to check out the scarves and accessories (which I decided I could make), which reminded me to check out the shoes. And I am so glad I did.

I found...the clearance aisle.

And I had a coupon.

So I was able to pick up these adorable shoes for only $9. Yes, NINE dollars. They were originally $55, marked down to $12 with the coupon dropping the price another $3.

I didn't see any others I felt I must have, so I left, only to be back there just a few days later at the request of Jay, who has decided that the fedora is his signature hat and he needed another.

Since I was already there, I decided to check out the shoe clearance aisle again.
I found these $70 Vera Wang shoes marked down to $7.

I couldn't believe it. And the best part is that even though both pairs are sporting 3 1/2" heels, they are surprisingly comfortable. Not that I'm saying I'd run a marathon in them, or even go on a marathon shopping spree while wearing them, but an average day spent in them IS doable.