sale!

EtsyCREST is doing a huge promotion for Black Friday/Cyber Monday!! All of those participating have donated an item to a gift box, which will be raffled off to all who enter! Enter the drawing by commenting on the sale post over at the EtsyCREST blog!

As part of the sale, I'm offering a 10% discount on all of my yarn, plus free shipping if you put Ravelry in the comment section. Come to my shop!

shop update

I posted a bunch of holiday themed yarn in my etsy shop! It's the one thing I managed to do today that wasn't taking care of Seth or trying to squeeze in some work during his nap times. My friend BellaRose stopped by for a pot of tea, and a bit of chatting, while Seth ate his lunch. It was nice to not be alone for a bit. I had enough of that this past weekend in the hospital.

And, as my luck would have it, I have a head ache, sore throat, and a temperature. Here's to hoping it's GONE in the morning!

HSKS6 package!!

I got the most amazing package from my HSKS6 pal Lucy! This thank you post is WAY late, and I am SO sorry for the delay!! But, here are the fabulous pics!

Here is a shot of everything- look at all the goodies!! You can see a Hermione Granger themed package, which includes a canvas red bag with my initials, a great binder with patterns in it, a notebook for me to write in, and pens. Stitch markers, which are so cute!! An amazing hat, which is just beautiful, and the mitten pattern to go with it, with the yarn. Plus an amazing sock pattern, for Gryffindor pride socks, and the yarn to make it. And some yummy chocolates and jelly beans!! You rock Lucy! It helped make my last few weeks much better.

hospital

Well, the last few days have not been fun. Friday we took Seth back to the pediatrician, who promptly sent us back to the hospital. It had been over a week and he didn't sound any better. The tests came back positive for RSV, so we were admitted and spent the last few days there. I'm a bit behind on a few things, like posting pics of my fab. package from my HSKS pal, and getting a few packages in the mail. I'm working on it all, and will do as much as I can tonight. Sorry for the delay.

Quidditch round 3!

1. Who was Tom Riddle Sr.'s girlfriend before Merope gave him the love
potion?
a. Eleanor
b. Cecilia
c. Sally
d. Mandy

2. What does Luna say floated into Harry's ear when he was in the train car
that supposedly caused him to lose focus?
a. Demiguise
b. Jobberknoll
c. Wrackspurt
d. Runespoor

3. How much do the primary Apparition lessons cost?
a. 10 galleons
b. 8 galleons
c. 15 galleons
d. 12 galleons

4. What is Professor Merrythought's first name?
a. Eileen
b. Galatea
c. Carol
d. Jocelyn

5. What Hogwarts club was Eileen Prince captain of?
a. Charms Club
b. Gobstones Club
c. The Slug Club
d. Occlumency Club

6. Who is head of the Goblin Liaison office?
a. Ambrosius Flume
b. Dirk Cresswell
c. Ciceron Harkiss
d. Barnabas Cuffe

7. Mrs. Weasley offers Fleur a goblin-made tiara for the wedding with Bill.
What family member is currently in possession of the tiara?
a. Aunt Muriel
b. Aunt Ethel
c. Aunt Edna
d. Aunt Thelma

8. How many points does Snape take from Gryffindor for Harry's late arrival
and muggle attire?
a. 30
b. 70
c. 50
d. 90

9. When Profressory Slughorn first meets Hermione, he asks her whether she
is related to Hector Dagworth-Granger. What society did Dgworth-Granger
found?
a. The Most Extraordinary Society of Charms
d. The Most Extraordinary Society of Herbology
c. The Most Extraordinary Society of the Defense Against the Dark Arts
d. The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers

10. Which of these describes Golpalott's Third Law?
a. The antidote for blended poison will be equal to less than the sum of the
antidotes for each of the separate components
b. The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to less than the product
of the antidotes for each of the separate compenents
c. The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the product
of the antidotes for each of the separate compenents
d. The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of
the antidotes for each of the separtea components

ER

Crossposted at my other blog
We had an eventful day. Seth has had a cold since last weekend, and I was a bit concerned about it. It wasn't getting any better at all, so I took him in today to see what the Doc thought. We got to see Dr D, and within 5 minutes, he was getting an albut.erol treatment. Seth was really wheezing a lot, to the point where his face had a little blue tint to it. NOT a good thing. So after that, and re-checking his pulse-ox, which was still under 80, Dr D sent us to the hospital. By ambulance. I was totally freaked, but he and the nurse did a great job at calming me down and reassuring me. I called Nathan to meet me at the hospital, because I knew I couldn't manage it myself without completely freaking. Thankfully we got there just after he did, so it worked out. After about 4 hours, another neb treatment (plus the one in the ambulance on the way), some oxygen, a chest Xray and some tests on nasal secretions (for rsv and flu virus) we were cleared to go home. His breathing is still not great, but at least his pulse ox was regularly over 90, and the blue was gone. Now we're on predni.solone again, and albut.erol every 4 hours. We get to go back and see Dr D again tomorrow. Talk about a stressful day!! I would have a glass of wine or something, but if he gets bad again, I have to drive to the hospital. Again. I'm hoping he's ok for the night. This whole infant asthma thing seriously sucks. And it's stressful. Seeing my precious sweet boy sitting on a gurney in an ambulance is an image I'll have with me for a long time. It's moments like that that I'm so grateful that my inlaws took the cat, and that we're doing all we can to help him breathe easier.

24 questions- SP13 questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love anything really soft. Especially blends with silk, bamboo, etc. The softer, the better!! I really don't care for acrylic yarn.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a needle roll that my SP gave me years back, which I love!! Then there is the KnitPicks Options binder which I use for my interchangables. And a zipper pouch for my DPNs. But I could always use more storage, especially something for my DPNs.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting for approx. 27 years. I learned when I was about 5, and would pick up needles on and off for years. I really started knitting non-stop about 4 years ago.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, I do, but it's out of date. I'm working on it though and will post the link asap.

5. What's your favorite scent? Lavendar, vanilla, or citrus. Lush is one of my favorite places to get this stuff, but I'm always on the look out for new sources!

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I love twizzlers, orange chocolate, and Reeses stuff.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I spin, dye, scrapbook, sew, quilt, rubber stamp cards, dabble in jewelry making, love to cook, photography, gardening and baking. I'm pretty well-rounded when it comes to crafts. :)

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I love pop/rock. My favorite bands are Barenaked Ladies, Guster, They Might Be Giants, Great Big Sea, Moxy Fruvous and Cake.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Blue, purple and green are my favorite colors. Not a fan of yellow and oragne, but if you ask me, all colors have their place.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am happily married (for 6+ years) and have 2 kids, a 4 year old daughter and 8 month old son. I used to have 2 cats, but due to my son's asthma, we got rid of one, and the other had to be put down because of chronic renal failure. Now we have no pets (unless you count one fish).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes to all, but ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love to knit socks, sweaters, baby clothes, scarves, and hats. And mittens.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I will go with what I'm "actively" knitting now. One sweater for my daughter, a hat for the baby, legwarmers for my daughter, a pair of socks for myself. I'm pretending the other 20+ projects on the needles don't count, since they're hibernating.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Absolutely!!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I like straight and circs, babmoo or wood are my favorite materials.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I own both! Plus an electric skeinwinder for my dyeing business.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
3 years or so?

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?
I love Thanksgiving. I celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas (my father is Jewish, mom and hubby's families are catholic/christian).

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Lots of things!! Yarn, of course. Then there is always cook books, wine, fabric, and poodles (I had 2 standard poodles growing up and love poodles!!)

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have a subscription to IK, but that's it. I'm looking for some fun vest patterns, some challenging sock patterns, and fun kids patterns for either boys or girls.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm trying Lace out, and love it. I'd like to learn to do colorwork, but I'm still terrified by the idea.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am. My foot is big- size 10 wide. I'll write the measurements later...

23. When is your birthday?
June 25th.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I am, my ID is shelbyknits

FO: Central Park Un-Hoodie

Here it is!! My CPH, which I love way more than I ever thought possible. I wore it yesterday and it was so incredibly warm. So incredibly soft, and just absolutely beautiful.
ETA: The yarn I used for this is Brooks Farm Solana, and is just amazing. I have nearly 3 full skeins left, and plan to make a matching one for my daughter.





I did omit the hoodie- partially because I don't like the bulk and partially because I'll never use it. Instead, I've added a 2x2 rib collar, which is about 4 inches long. I've also made the button band go up onto this ribbing, to make it look more finished, and I absolutley LOVE how it turned out. This is the first real project that I've finished for myself (other than socks, mittens or scarves). I am so amazed that I actually finished it in exactly 6 months (thanks Ravelry for keeping track of that for me!).

And coming tomorrow- Stitches East!! This is the last time it will be in Baltimore, so I so thrilled to be going! And even better- my mom arrives tonight so we can go together! And we're even taking a class together too. I'm so over the moon with excitement!

A night to remember

Not only am I overly thrilled that our country has elected Obama to be the next president, I am filled with hope, and excitement to see what the future brings. Bring on the change!!

AND...While I waited up to watch the results, I was working on seaming up my CPH. Seaming up, and weaving in ends. LOTS of ends. And within 10 minutes of finding out that Obama won the election, I FINISHED MY CENTRAL PARK UN-HOODIE!!!

Needless to say, I"m wearing it today, and am nice and toasty warm.

One word describes me today- happy!