Elsie & Cookie, stipple pattern on new quilt

I was in such a hurry to get my blog entry out yesterday morning that I neglected to tell you everything about Tuesday night.  I think Barb (who has been coming over semi-regularly to knit on Tuesday nights) is my good luck charm!!  After all, it was she who found the beautiful multi-colored mohair that I am using for a sweater for myself.  She saved me lots of $$$ from buying new yarn when she found that mohair in my stash.  Then last night, I was complaining to her about my knitting tools.  I told her that about 2 years ago, my knitting bag of tools was too full and I decided to just keep one of everything in my regular knitting bag…and to put all of my duplicates into a second bag.  Well, for the past 3 weeks I have been looking for that second bag, as I need another counter and another pair of scissors.  I had looked and looked in the 3 places that that second bag normally lives…..no dice  :~(.  She walked me over to the media room and said ‘look again, I’ll bet it’s here and you just missed it’.  I told her I had looked 3 times and it wasn’t there….but as I was looking yet again…and she was urging me to be very thorough…guess what…..yep…found it!!!!  I was really glad because I didn’t want to spend more $$$ on a new counter and a small pair of scissors when I KNEW I had them somewhere….I think Barb is a good person to have around :~).

I was up early on Wednesday (11/19) to pick up Jan shortly after 8 AM to head to Gastonia.  We hit 3 fabric stores, as I was looking for fabric to go with my stash to make 3 separate quilts….and I managed to find everything I wanted.  Jan also found many beautiful fabrics that she just HAD to HAVE  :~).  Michael got to relax a little in the morning with his own pair of snuggle bunnies. 

 

I wasn’t home until 2 PM, and immediately threw 3 of the fabrics into the washer.  Normally I don’t wash my fabric….but I hope to back this quilt with polar fleece…and since that doesn’t shrink at all, I thought I’d better get the shrink out of the new fabric as well.  I headed downstairs to finish the last 2 rows on my blue/green/purple quilt (final pics after it is bound and labeled, but it was a stippling pattern again)

 

and Beth came over for help with her Christmas stocking.  I put together a vegetarian quinoa casserole for dinner for us and for my neighbors Anne & Bryce, and Michael left for a pick up rehearsal at 6, while I headed to the studio to iron and cut the washed fabric.  I got the fabric all ironed before Janice called at 7:30 and we talked for an hour….SKYPE wasn’t exactly working.  Anyway, I got started on cutting my strips (this quilt is going to be for a friend going through a very rough time….more on that later…after it is done) and got them all done before Michael arrived home at 9.  We watched TV and I continued to knit on the ascot until bedtime.