Mission work

So, I am not a recreational shopper. I don't shop for the fun of it, I shop on a mission, when I need or want something. When I need a pair of black pants, I shop for black pants. When I need jeans, I shop for jeans. If I need a cute skirt and top outfit for an event, I'll hit maybe three stores, tops....and as soon as I find what I'm looking for, I'm outta there.

So today I decided to go get three things I've been contemplating: A Cricut machine for scrapbooking, an Ott light for the living room, and a Store in Style file cabinet.

With my 40% off coupon in hand, I headed for JoAnn's. Couldn't use the coupon for the Cricut, so I reluctantly picked one up at full price since the sale on them is over and moseyed on over to the Ott light section in search of a standing Ott light. I just love it when I happen upon a sale. 50% off, and those puppies are expensive. I was able to use the 40% off coupon on a Store in Style filer cube for my scrap room, which I am reorging yet again.

I'll be using the Ott light to work on this:

It's the little crib quilt I put together at the applique/color class I took a couple of weekends ago. The class was taught by the very nice and very talented Linda Jenkins of piece o' cake designs, and the applique is all done by hand, so I can do it while hanging out with Corey in the living room or travelling. I finished two blocks the first two days after the class.

And I finally finished my Spring Fling Socktopia socks for March. Didn't make the deadline for the drawing again. I swear, I am just not cut out to start and finish a pair of socks in one month, and since I have started a toddler dress and am gearing up for Corey's sweater, I think it is only going to get worse. But I love these socks. The pattern is the Waffle Rib 2 from Sensational Knitted Socks, and the yarn is Knit Picks Memories in the Hawaii colorway, which I was saving to work on when we make it to Hawaii, but I decided to use it for the Spring Fling theme since the colors are so very springy. I love the Socktopia group and the leader of the group has been designing some really great socks exclusively for the group with cables and other interesting patterns.

Sock wearing season is just about over, though. I put these on to take photos and couldn't get them off fast enough.

As I mentioned above, I've started a darling baby/toddler dress in the cerulean blue Laines du Nord Cleo cotton that I ordered from Knit/Purl. I'm on my third start. I even got halfway through the back and decided to frog it and start over. The pattern is easy, but the directions were unclear for me at the beginning. It said on the 6th row to "start knitting in stockinette", which means, to me, to knit the knits and purl the purls, but there is supposed to be purl ridge on row 5, and what they really meant was knit row 6 and then continue in stockinette. Grrr. But now I am on my way again, my edge isn't rolling up on me, and will post photos when I have some progress worth photographing. Knitting with the non-stretchy cotton is hard on my right hand, but I am learning to loosen up and not give that extra little tug after my stitches that makes my knitting so tight.

BTW, I love knitting and sewing for my daughter. :-)