Happy Easter

What a wonderful Easter weekend we are having here on this side of the pond. The temperatures are reaching as high as 15 Celsius, with bright blue and sunny skies. I have spent some time in the garden...weeding and trimming back the shrubbery.

I also took some time to go shopping...The Spouse and I made our way over to the shopping mall. It felt like home....the big mall with tons of shops and restaurants.

if a picture is worth a thousand words....

I am experiencing writer's (blogger's?) block...

Remember my birthday gift from Holly?
Pre-draft...
waiting patiently to be handspun...
getting started...
look what I can do in a few hours...

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

1. What is your favourite type of yarn? >>> natural fibres and blends…wool/merino/cotton/silk/alpaca.

2. What is your least favourite type of yarn? >>>I do not like 100% acrylic and novelty yarns such as fun fur. Since I’ve been knitting with some the of the luxury yarns out there, I’ve become a "part-time" yarn snob.

3. What’s the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop? I am attracted to colours and I love the way some yarn shops display them…I will walk around the shop and look and feel every yarn in the store…then move onto patterns, books and magazines. One my way out, I will take a look at the knitting accessories....also, I look out for the "specials"

4. What other crafts do you do? >>>Decorative painting, quilting, sewing, spinning with a drop spindle, some cross stitch (but I am still working on a 4” x 4” kit which I started in 2002!)

5. What crafts would you like to do? >>>At some point, I would like to learn how to crochet, felting, jewellery making, spin (with a wheel), and weave.

6. What magazines do you current subscribe to? >>>None at the moment

7. Put this type of magazines in order to preference: knitting/crochet/other craft/food/home/fashion/celebrity gossip/garden...
>>>knitting>food>fashion>other craft/home

8. What types of things do you like to knit? >>> socks, sweaters, shawls, scarves, hats, lace...do not like knitting dolls or toys (too fiddly for me)

9. Are you allergic to anything? >>>fish and walnuts

10. What do you like to smell like? Very light and fresh florals during the day, a trace of fresh and fruity after a shower, something more exotic and alluring in the evening.

11. What is your favourite way to relax? >>>Other than knitting?? I like to read the newspaper on a Sunday afternoon…also, I will read “chic lit” (should I have admitted to this???) since I do not have to concentrate too much on the plot. Also, I’ve recently discovered yoga…great way to relax the mind, body and spirit.

12. Where would I go first? >>>The Italian café…love a good cup of cappuccino and a biscotti.

13. What do I come out with? I will take home a cannolli filled with whipped cream for the Spouse and myself.

14. Where do I go next? >>> the bakery

15. Any other words of wisdom for your pal? I love colour and the lustrous illusions it creates. I have an eclectic taste for style…I will wear classic style and accent with something whimsical…like a funky piece of jewelry (bling).

what is off my stix

It was a friend's birthday last week, so I decided to make her a felted case for her mobile phone.

Using Kilcarra in aubergine and lavender, I made a rectangle

and stitched the side and the bottom to create the pouch

Although, I put it through the wash cycle twice... It was still to big for a mobile case...

So I searched through my stash, and found some cotton and whipped up a garter stitch face cloth...

and used the case as a gift pouch for a bar of olive oil soap...

this is a birthday that never ends...

This is a birthday that never ends, it seems to go on and on…
The Spouse returned from the other side of the pond last week and brought two birthday presents for me. The Sibling sent over a book titled, The Secret.
The Mother-in-Law spoiled me with a home spa kit and the hottest fragrance, Vera Wang Princess.
Just when I thought my birthday moment ended…it resurfaced last Tuesday night, at the weekly Rathmines knit night where Holly surprised me with a gift of her dyed roving. I can’t wait to spin this yummy fibre. Then, Isobel presented me with another present…soft and springy laceweight yarn from Avoca. Ahhhh…I am starting to like birthdays…

customer service

I love to shop for yarn, call me a yarnaholic... On this side of the pond I know of four shops that sell yarn.

The mother and daughter proprietors of the lovely shop in Blackrock Market are like rays of sunshine. They are friendly and happy people. Their enthusiasm for knitting is contagious. Customer service is excellent and I enjoy being in their store.

There are two other shops on the north side of the Liffey, however, the sales staff at both make me feel like the invisible woman...they are not aware of my existence. I walk around in these stores and no one seems to care or take notice that I am a yarnaholic and I want to buy yarn.

The fourth store on this list is a little out of the city centre, however, they have a large variety of the blended yarns. The customer service at this location is the total opposite of what I experienced in Blackrock. The words that come to mind…unfriendly, unhappy, unenthusiastic…get the picture??? The customer asks the seller, "what is the yardage in one ball of kilcarra?" and his response is a non-verbal cue, a person’s body language is worth a thousand words… the seller rolling his eyes at the customer.

As a consumer, let us take a stand… speak up and demand for good customer service.

St. Paddy's Day 2007

Today marks my first St. Patrick's Day in the Emerald Isle. Lots of fun stuff on this Bank Holiday weekend ...it is a three day weekend for us folks here.

I am off to enjoy the Irish festivities this weekend. May the luck of the Irish be with me as I search for that pot o' gold (yarn???) at the end of the rainbow...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!