Moving and Shaking

Well, "hectic but blessed" are the best words to describe my life right now, which is why you haven't heard from me in a while.  My husband has graduated summa cum laude from UAH, and started a great new job last week.  God just blessed us with a wonderful rental home on a nearby mountain, also!  I am exstatic about it!  It was built somewhere around the 60's, but has all new windows, refinished hardwood floors, and a new bathroom.  The kitchen is huge, but very vintage.  Luckily I love old and vintage things, so I think it will be kind of fun to have a kitchen like that, at least for a while.  The house is about 3 times larger than the apartment we were seriously considering, but it is less expensive.  It also has a really large back yard which is like a clean slate just waiting to be landscaped.  I could hardly ask for more.  Praise the Lord!

We will be moving the first weekend in August, so it may be a few weeks before I post again.  Then again, you never know.  If I get really excited about something, it may be hard for me to stay off the computer.  Otherwise, I will be packing, cleaning, moving, and knitting.  I have been moving along on Cosette's sweater, and will be sharing another project with you soon.  If I can only put the packing tape down...

Talk to you soon!
Faith

Exclamations of Joy!!!

 Knitting Needle and Notions Organization Day

Hello!  I have so much great news!  I am doing so much better physically!  Plus, I have been knitting a lot lately, and can't wait to share with you!  I have also organized my yarn stash and needles!  But some of the most wonderful news is that my husband just finished school!!!  I can hardly believe it!  He took his last exam yesterday, and will graduate on Saturday!  Have you noticed that every sentence ends with exclamation points?!  It is because I am that excited!!!  :D

Soon we will begin our preparations for finding a new place to live and will begin the process of moving.  While moving does not tend to be the most fun process, I am not as worried about it this time, as we do not have as much stuff to pack and move.  Things have gotten a little messy since I have been sick and injured, but I am trying to gradually straighten up.  Today I organized my yarn stash, knitting needles and knitting notions.  Below is a description of what I did to organize them:

Knitting Needle Organization

I used to sell Mary Kay, and every time I bought a hand held mirror (for customers to look at during a presentation), it came in a small, clear, zippered pouch. I kept all of them to use for “something” in the future. Well, I recently decided that they would be perfect for storing my circular needles. Today I finally put them to use.

Since I only have 9 of these pouches, I put two sizes in each pouch.  I made little labels for each pouch and punched a hole in them so that I can attach them to the zippers. For now I have them right inside of the clear pouch.  One of the pouches I also labeled for double pointed needles (dpns), and one for misc. big needles.
I also have two enfamil roll up pouches that I received when my daughter was born (the hospital gives these to everyone), and have all my extra notions, purse handles, etc. stored in them now. Both of those and the needle pouches are resting in a huge index card holder.

I only have a few pairs of straight needles, and haven’t figured out what to do with them. All my vases are in storage right now, so I may have to wait until after we move to organize them.

Yarn Stash Organization

I have all my yarn sealed in plastic bags, and then stored in large plastic storage bins with lids.  Well, I have received  and bought some more yarn in the past several months, and have also started and finished projects, etc.  So,  basically the yarn stash was starting to take over our bedroom.  Today I went through it all,  consolidated it, and organized it.  My acrylic yarn is in one bin; cotton and cotton-blends in one bin; and wool, alpaca, and other animal fiber yarns in a third bin.  All of these are stacked on one another neatly.

Breath in, Breath out...peace and calm from organization.  Now tomorrow I will do another portion of our room and gradually it will all get done!  :)

Have a great, restful and peaceful night,
Faith

Stitches South was Awesome!

Mom and me with our Stitches South haul.

The Next Hurdle
Well, there is good news, and there is bad news.  I have started feeling very energetic lately!  I think that I may finally be through with walking pneumonia, and hopefully this time for good! As long as I continue to get enough rest at night, and not run myself into the ground with too many activities and chores packed in, I think I'm good.  That's the good news.

The bad news is...last night while checking in on my toddler my back went out.  :(  I was about to go to bed and checked on her one last time.  I had to put her blanket on, move dolls away from her face, etc.  (You know, what all Moms do before they can properly rest at night.)  Well, when I was leaning over the side of the crib, my back went out.  I really don't know exactly what's wrong, but it seems very similar to what happened last time.  Anyway, my sweet husband took me to the chiropractor and ran errands with me today. 
Needless to say, today is an impromptu "big-girl bed" day.  I wasn't sure when we would try this, but since lifting her into and out of the crib (and obviously leaning over the crib) is so hard for me and my mother-in-law, we decided that today is the day.  Cosette picked out her comforter, and had to have Tinker Bell.  This afternoon Daddy is going to put together her big-girl bed, and I hope that all of her excitement lasts and that she sleeps comfortably under Tinker Bell tonight.  Hopefully crossing one's fingers isn't bad for the back.

On the Knitting Front:  Stitches South!
There is plenty of great news to share with you about knitting!  Stitches South was G-R-E-A-T!!!  My Mom and I had a blast shopping on Saturday!  We were there all day Saturday and it was a "shop 'till you drop" day.  I was shopping right up until the last moment when it closed.  My Mom gave me a huge blessing by giving me some shopping money to add to mine, so I was able to get some really great yarn and patterns!

My favorite vendors to buy yarn were The Discontinued Brand Name Yarn (DBNY) and Webs.  My Mom and I had shopped around for a while and I took tons of notes jotting down the vendor number and what I was interested in.  I wanted to make my money stretch, and I didn't want to get carried away buying things just to find that I really wanted something else.  Well, eventually we found DBNY and I fell in love with their Henry's Attic China Beach yarn, which are thick and thin 85% merino wool/15% silk blend hanks, and specifically one color:  Amethyst.  And it was only $18 with an extra 20% taken off at the register!  Man-o-man, I was not going to let these hanks get away.  I didn't care what else I saw, I had to have these.  I got two hanks (the last two) and then kept shopping.

This is one of the Amethyst hanks:

Well, after shopping for a while, taking more notes, tallying up costs,  and figuring out what I really really wanted, I decided that I wanted to go back to DNBY to look some more.  Time was running out, and I didn't want to miss out on the wonderful yarns and deals there.  Well, to make a long story short, I ended up buying three more hanks of the exact same yarn, but in different colors:  Mint, Mulberry, and Lake Blue.  I know what I like!

Here are my beautiful hanks before and after winding.

(above picture) From left to right, two Amethyst, Mint, Mulberry, Lake Blue

    

 

 Oh, by the way, Cosette claimed two of the hanks as hers.  ;)  Here are some cute  pictures of her helping and otherwise being cute.

Do you think she has a chance but to be a yarnie and master knitter?  : D  She already wants to knit and as soon as she possibly can, I am sure she will be clicking away, knitting needles in hand. 

I have all kinds of things that I want to knit with this yarn, but I think the first thing that I will knit with it is a pattern I came across on Ravelry:  Bitty Bump.  It is so cute and the designer, Gina Bonomo, told me how to adjust the pattern so that the sweater will fit Cosette.  It is supposed to be great for beginners, and I can hardly wait to start it.  I will probably knit it up in the pink yarn that Cosette claimed (Mulberry).  ;)

Bitty Bump by Gina Bonomo

At Webs I really loved the Berroco Vintage Family pattern book, and kept thinking about it while we shopped.  It was my last purchase of the day, and one of the wonderful people working there helped me find the yarn for it at the last minute.  She was so sweet and very patient!  The yarn is luscious and was only $6 a hank!  Unbelievable!  I really want to make the sweater on the cover, but am interested in others in the book as well.  I bought the yarn it called for Berroco Vintage, color:  Breezeway.  It is 50% acrylic, 40% wool, 10% nylon.  I really love the color.

Berroco Vintage Family Book #293

 

Neat and Famous Folks at Stitches South

We also got to meet some really great people while we shopped at Stitches South.  The vendors were really wonderful and very helpful.  One of them even taught me how to spin!  I got to try spinning on a two different types of drop spindles.  The usual kind (not sure what it is called) and the Turkish kind, which looks kind of like an airplane propeller.  I have had an interest in spinning for a while, but just haven't had the time or money to spend on it.  I decided to wait on it for at least a little while, but I know that I will be picking it up right around the corner, and I can't wait!  You can visit this vendor here:  Upper Room Studio

I also got to meet some famous people!  The inventors/owners of Ravelry, Jess and Casey, and their team were there.  They were SO unbelievably nice, and it was so neat to get to see them in person.  They took several pictures with us and were super friendly.  All knitters, crocheters, and spinners who are a part of Ravelry know very well what a gift they have given us by inventing Ravelry and offering it to us for free.  I know my knitting life would never be the same without Ravelry!  It is an addiction all unto its own.

Check out our cool picture:

We also met Lily Chin (she was about to leave, so sorry, no picture).  She was really nice, but I honestly didn't know much about her at first.  (Remember,  I am fairly new to the whole knitting world.)  My Mom told me a little bit about her while we were there, and that she did magnificent fine gauge knitting.  Well, after I got home and looked through a few knitting magazines, I found a whole article about her.  You can also read about her here.  She is amazing!  I only wish I could have known before meeting her.  Then I would have taken my magazine for her to sign.  She is really cool and superbly talented!

If you are ever even considering going to a Stitches event (I heard about Stitches West while I was there), I would highly recommend going!  My Mom and I really had a wonderful day!  At one point I leaned over to her and said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if this was a store that you could go to anytime you wanted?"  Be still my heart!

I have much more to write, but really ought to go knit!
Faith

Walking Pneumonia: It zaps energy both physical and knit-ical. ;)

 "The Knitting Basket" by Nora Kasten

Wow, I can't believe it has only been a month since I have posted.  It seems like it has been forever!  Let's just say walking pneumonia is harder to get over than one would think.  I have been dealing with it off and on since November, and I thought I was over it...then I started getting sick again the weekend of Easter.  That Monday I had to go to the doctor and found out it was still walking pneumonia.  Sheesh!  I could hardly belive it!  Well,  more meds and lots of rest...Yesterday I went forward at church for prayer and now today I have more energy than I have had in a long time.  Thank you Jesus!!!

Well, I would like to say that I have been making tons of wonderful knitting garments during this time, but unfortunately, that is not the case.  Most of the time, all I have felt like doing is resting, and I had to kind of ration my energy for the most essential tasks of the day.  (Taking care of Cosette, cooking, cleaning up our dishes, and watering the garden.)  Other than that, I slept and, you guessed it,  rested.  I did occasionally knit a little, specifically while waiting for hours in the doctors' offices. I knitted on the neck warmer that I still haven't gotten to tell you about (but will soon) and at home I knitted a dishcloth.

Conversation about Knitting
While knitting at the doctor's office, I got into a really neat conversation about knitting with a man, about my age, which was surprising.  We were sitting there for a while when he finally said that he was intrigued, couldn't take it any longer, and had to ask what I was knitting.  Apparently his family likes to knit stockings,  and he was trying to figure out if that is what I was knitting.  I told him about the neck warmer that I was knitting, and about the one that I knitted for my husband.  We talked for a while about knitting, sewing, and being creative in general.  He had asked his girl friend to get him a sewing machine for Christmas, which he got, and he is now using it for his current project, which is re-upholstering his boat seats.  It was a nice conversation.

I miss Knitting!
All in all, I have mostly started to re-forge a desire to knit again,  and I have been thinking of all the luscious yarn in my stash, just waiting to be unearthed and knitted into beautiful garments and luxurious textiles.  The beautiful hues of teal, fuschia, purple, creme, and vintage sea foam green are beckoning me, calling me, to twirl them into the wondrous fabric that we all know so well.  Ahh, stretchy garter stitch, and Ooh, silky smooth stockinette...The patterns that I have thumbed through, and dreamed over, now flip through my head, as I make mental notes and plans for my future projects.  I also have been thinking about the projects that I have already started, and have been building my desire to finish them, as well.  Soon,  my needles shall be clicking full speed ahead once again! 

Stitches South-This weekend!!!
I think it will all come to a wonderful apex this weekend,  when my Mom and I will make our first pilgrimage to Stitches South!  Wow!  It will be my first knitting festival, and I plan to indulge in the vast array of fiber that will surround me, delighting my sixths sense, (you know, the knitting sense). I can just see myself picking up hanks of wool, alpaca, and angora, and enjoying their soft plys as I dream more and more about what I will knit.  I will be using my $20 birthday gift from my husband there this weekend, so I will definitely have to be picky and choosy, but I can hardly wait!  Just taking it all in will be a wonderful experience, one that will be a first for both my Mom and Me.  Of course,  I will tell you how it goes.  But for now...I must go and rest!  :)

Have a great night,
Faith

A Blessed Birthday

Wow! do I have a lot to talk about!  I don't know where to start.  I have all kinds of news to share with you, including  what I would call Winning the Knitting Lottery for my birthday!  (No gambling was involved!) 


My Birthday
My birthday came around the other day, and got all kinds of wonderful knitting-related and non-knitting related gifts!  It was great. 

From my Mom (my knitting pusher)  ;)
I had told my Mom about the Knit Picks 40% off book sale (or maybe she told me), and that there were several things that I would love to have that I put on my wish list.  She remembered that and gave me a gift certificate a little early so that I could take advantage of the sale.  You will never believe what I was able to get for $50!  I got three books (Amigurumi Knits, Color Sense, and Knitting Lingerie Style), two skeins of beautiful sock yarn (Imagination:  Damsel), a stitch holder, two cable needles, and a packet of Knit Picks stitch markers (plus free shipping).  So exciting!  Thanks Mom!

This was my first Knit Picks order, and it was so fun to order and receive such wonderful knitting goodies.  I have heard that it takes a long time to get a Knit Picks order, but this one didn't take too long.  I highly recommend checking them out.  My Mom says that they have sales pretty often, and actually their prices are already so great.  You can check them out here:  www.knitpicks.com.

Mom's Visit
Alright, while the Knit Picks order was extremely awesome, it doesn't end there.  When my actual birthday weekend came around, my Mom came to see me.  We had a lot of fun!  We hung out, went to the salon (I had a hair appointment), and went to an auction with my husband's parents.  Well, my Mom also brought me some more wonderful gifts from her personal knitting stash.  Okay, this is what I mean by winning the knitting lottery.  My Mom didn't just bring me a few skeins of yarn that she didn't want anymore, she brought me bags of luxury yarn that she didn't want anymore!  She also brought me several books and patterns, including all of her Jean Greenhowe books (more about that in an other post)!!!  Shock, awe, speechlessness... 

This is the yarn that she gave me:

9 skeins of Cascade Pastaza (50% llama, 50% wool) in a beautiful teal color.  (She had seen me drooling over it when I visited her and remembered.);

9 skeins of Classic Yarns Cashsoft DK in red (It looks kind of orangy in this picture, but it isn't.)
(57% extra fine merino wool, 33% microfibre, and 10% cshmere).  Wow!  Cashmere?  Need I say more?;

10 skeins of the same Classic Yarns Cashsoft DK, but in ecru (more cashmere and merino!);

9 skeins of Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby DK (50% acrylic, 50% nylon) in a pretty, light yellow shade (perfect for charity knitting, gifts, or future babies!);

and 5 skeins of Classic Yarns Silk Wool DK (50% merino wool, 50% silk) in a pretty muted seafoam green/mint green color (I am loving vintage colors lately!).

It is so exciting to be such a new knitter, and to have so much wonderful yarn in my stash.  My Mom knows that I have little money, and she sees how much I love knitting and blesses me so!  Now my mind is trying to figure out what things to knit with this beautiful yarn, in addition to the other beautiful yarn my Mom has given me in the past.  I can't knit quick enough!  This was such an amazing birthday present!

Birthday Present from my Husband
My husband is so great, and he really pays attention to "those little nuggets about me" (comedian Kevin James quote).  :)  He remembers what I like, and usually gets me very thoughtful gifts.  Well, this year money is really tight, so he made me a gift certificate that I can cash in a few weeks from now.  It is for $20 of Knit Picks merchandise!  Yay!  More Knit Picks!  I already know what I want to get:  the "Andrea Shawl" pattern and the suggested yarn.  When I saw the shawl, I instantly wanted it.  [I am really starting to think that I may be a product knitter.  I have to really love the item or it has to be something that the recipient would really love for me to have the desire to make it.  Practicality works, too (as in dishcloths for example).  Of course, I love the process too...]  Anyway, "I want that!"  :D  (I must watch "Napolean Dynamite" again really soon!)

Not Knitting Related, but Really Cool
Well, I got another amazing gift for my birthday and I love it!  My mother-in-law has been letting me use her antique vanity for a while.  I think it is so neat, and it is so practical too.  Well, the other day she told me it is my birthday present!  :D  I love antiques and vintage things, and this vanity matches our antique bedroom suite very well and is so neat.  What an amazing birthday gift!  Unconventionality is grand!  :)  I love it!

I got other presents, cards, meals, and cakes from my family and friends, too.  It has been so great getting these gifts, but it is the feeling of love that was given to me that was truly wonderful.  The thought and sentiment behind every card, gift, greeting and hug meant so much to me.  It is nice to feel like people really notice you, notice things about you, and want to show you love and make you happy.  It is not the nice gifts that make the difference, it is the people in your life that make you truly rich.  I hope all of you can experience that kind of true wealth.

Be blessed!
Faith


PS  I have much more exciting news to share with you soon...:)

Warm and Cozy

Warm and cozy, that is how I feel after finishing my first knitted article of clothing.  It was also my first design, which makes me feel good too.  I am going to wait to give you more details about this because it is a gift for my husband, and he is in the room as I am typing this.  But it is driving me nuts not to be able to talk more in depth about it!  It was so wonderful to put it on and feel how cozy and warm it is.  I finally get to feel the luxury of knitting something myself, and wearing it.

I think it will be a great Valentine's gift for him, and I have the feeling that I will be making more of these in the future.  More details to come...; D


I <3 Amigurumi

I found out about Amigurumi recently, which opened up another little world of knitted toys to me.  Amigurumi is knitted or crocheted, Japanese dolls.  It can be any little knitted or crocheted doll, really.  A lot of them are very stylized, but some of them are very realistic. Some of Jean Greenhowe or Alan Dart's work would qualify.  In fact, I found several great Amigurumi groups on Ravelry, and entered a contest with the most recent doll that I made (Jean Greenhowe's Winefred)

I also found a neat blog called mochimochiland.com/weblog.  She has wonderful patterns that you can buy, as well as some that are free.  The designer's name is Anna, and I encourage you to find her on Ravelry and look at her blog if you are interested in knitting little, adorable Amigurumi dolls.

I was looking for a pattern for little knitted hearts and found her pattern.  Her hearts are so cute!!!  They are super easy to make, also.  (They are not knitted in the round, which is something I am just learning and can't do well yet.)  I made two in one day.  If I can do that while taking care of a 2 year old all day, you know that it is a really easy and quick knit.  (I knit a row here and there.)

Here are two of the three hearts I have made so far (I gave one away before I could photograph it):

I also found a really great Amigurumi knitting book that I really want to get.  I have looked all over for the best deals, and here is the best deal:  Knit Picks!  They are are having a 40% Sale on their books until February 22.  I have two books that I really want to get:  Amigurumi Knits and The Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman.  (I actually have a really long list of books that I want on Knit Picks and Amazon, but getting just those two on sale is a little more realistic for me.)
 
Please share with me your Valentine's projects.  I would love to see them!

I hope you all have a Splended Valentine's Day!
Faith

Well, I turned in my submission for the Vanna's Choice Contest in time, but by the skin of my teeth.  : D  I was knitting up until the last minute, quite literally.  If you remember, I found out about the contest only about 3 weeks before the deadline, so I was on a very tight deadline.  (Being somewhat new to the amazing world of knitting sometimes has its disadvantages.)  Anyway, I thought it would be fun to at least try to turn something in, and, it was!  While I don't anticipate winning, I am very excited that I did this and entered the contest.  It was a really neat experience.

Step 1:  Shopping for Vanna's Choice Yarn

I shopped for Vanna's Choice Yarn at Michael's,  and bought a lot of yarn!  I decided to come up with my own color combinations, and this proved more challenging than I had anticipated.  I ended up picking a lot of different colors, thinking that I would return whatever I didn't use.  After picking out my yarn, I had to look around at a few more things (who can resist browsing at a craft store?)  I ran into a family friend and talked to a couple of shoppers.  Everyone commented on how much yarn I was buying.  I finally realized that because both mine and my daughter's coats, as well as the diaper bag, were filling up the entire bottom of the itsy bitsy, teeny weeny shopping cart, that it made my 10 or 15 skeins look like the entire shopping cart was filled and packed to the brim with yarn.  No wonder they thought I was buying a ton of yarn!  (Michael's, knitters and crafters everywhere emplore you to bring in some bigger carts.) 

Step 2:  Knitting, err, uh....Picking out Colors

A few days after buying the yarn, I finally got down to knitting.  Then I realized that if I was going to use my own color choices, that I was going to have to make sure that they all went together well.  There was not only clothing, but also shoes, hair, accessories,  a pet, etc.  Man, this was harder than it seemed.  

Step 3:  Knitting

After choosing pink to start the doll's stockings, I started knitting away on the Jean Greenhowe pattern that I had picked out:  Winefred's Wool Shop from the Little Dumpling Dolls, Part 1.  Now I was into the knitting part of the project, and the real fun began.  I had a deadline, and I was going to make it!  But not without some distractions.

Step 4:  Attempting to Dodge Distractions...

During this mad dash for the finish line, I also decided that I had to have the Dumpling Dolls, Part 2 knitting booklet.  I searched on Ebay and found several, however, they were going for absorbitent prices.  One sold for about $45!  These are wonderful booklets, and one could argue that Jean Greenhowe booklets are more than worth $45,  especially this one since it is out of print.  However, for one on a tight budget,  what something is worth and how much you want it doesn't always win out over the pocket book and how much is in it.  So, I kept looking.  

While I was looking for the Dumpling Dolls book, I found some other neat books on Ebay for great prices!  One of the pattern books contains knitting patterns for Care Bear dolls and matching sweaters.  I really loved the Care Bears when I was little, so this was nastalgic for me.  I watched the shows and movies, and my best friend and I had fun playing with her Care Bear house and little figures.  (We also loved Barbies, My Little Ponies, and Strawberry Shortcake.) I found several other booklets,which I won't go into now, but I have had a blast finding the most unique patterns, and most of them at extremely low prices. 

Well, it seemed like I could find anything at a decent price, except the main booklet that I was looking for.  I decided to post something in a Ravelry forum for Jean Greenhowe fans.  I promptly got a reply from someone in Scotland who had several copies.  She had found them in a dress shop in the Outer Hebrides Islands off the west coast of Scotland.  The store stocks a small amount of yarn.  The books were tucked away in a little box and seemed to have been from a previous owner, as the current owner didn't have any information about them.  I am so thankful to her, as I was able to pay her 6 pounds, including shipping!  (This was only about $9.50 in U.S. dollars!)  It is on it's way, and I will be able to knit little vegetables and food for the Dumpling Dolls, as well as the little men.  This definitely beats $45!   

Step 5:  Getting Back on Track

Well, my little booklet hunting detour was fun, but was a little distracting.  It didn't keep me from knitting my doll, but did take away some of my time.  (I am sure some of you Ravelholics out there can relate to something knitting-related taking away your knitting time.)  Anyway, I continued to knit the doll, her shop counter, the yarn balls, etc.  I decided not to knit the little dog, but to knit a little cat that I had seen in another Jean Greenhowe booklet.  

It was a lot of fun knitting all these pieces and sewing it all together.  My husband and I recently started the first season of "Lost,"  so I did a lot of the knitting while watching the show.  (Please don't tell me anything!)  My husband was very helpful, especially when I was stumped with color choices.  He was the one to suggest I make Winefred's hair blonde, which I love!  It goes well with her outfit.

Step 6:  Crossing the Finish Line  

I was knitting the little sweater that goes on the shop counter up until the last minute.  I was knitting as quickly as I could and sewing it together.  I was really disappointed in the construction of the shop counter, but there was no turning back.  My time was getting away with me and midnight drew near.  I had to fill out my application online, take and upload pictures, and get it all in on time.  After all this,  would I be able to complete my mission?  The clock was ticking.  I took pictures, uploaded, filled out the form, and submitted it....at 11:57 pm!  Whewhh! I made it!  So relieving. 

Step 7:  Incomplete?   

I decided that I should check my email to see if they emailed me a confirmation, and they did.  It was delivered at 11:57 pm, so that was confirmation for me that I got it in on time by their standards.  In fact, the email actually gave me a confirmation number.  It also told me,  however, that my four photographs had not uploaded correctly, and that my submission couldn't be considered without a photo.  Oh no!  I was so upset!  What went wrong?  

I logged into the Lion Brand website and uploaded the pictures again.  Now it said that I had submitted it on February 2.  That is no good!  The deadline was February 1.  So I promptly emailed the company to find out if everything was okay with my submission.  I would have to wait until the next day to find out for sure. 

Step 8:  Relaxation

The next morning the phone woke me up bright and early.  Since I didn't recognize the number, I let it go to voicemail.  When I checked it, I was shocked to find out that it was Lion Brand calling.  They were just calling to tell me that I was, "good to go" with my submission.  What a pleasant suprise! 

So, that is basically the story of my first knitting contest experience.  I am so glad I did it, despite the ups and downs (and interests) in life distracting me.  I was able to pick out a pattern and yarn, knit it up, and submit it on time, however at the last minute it was.  I would highly recommend this to every knitter out there.  

As for me, I will try to find out about these things sooner.  Does anyone out there know of another contest?  As for the yarn, do you really think I am going to take back what I didn't use?  I think you know the answer to that question.  : D

Happy Knitting!!!

Faith