Three Days and Counting

I cannot express in words the excitement, the joy, the antici....





...pation of MS&W!!! This Saturday be a day filled with fibery goodness at the Howard County Fairgrounds!

But most importantly, in just three days, all my girls and baby Edward will be here. I cannot wait!!! But there is plenty to do before their arrival. I'm sorta ahead of the game with the bulk of the grocery shopping done but there's plenty else to do before Thursday night when the contingency from NYC arrives. Hence, it's 11:00 pm and I'm just finally getting some blogging done. (I had to make a cake for work, but that's a subject for a later post.)

In preparation of the big weekend, I recently tried out the swift for the first time to make sure it worked...



...and it did!



That's the Blue Heron yarn I bought in St. Michaels. Wanna close-up?



While I have every intention of posting more before the big weekend, I don't think my schedule will allow it. There's just too much to do between now and Thursday night. If only I could take an extra day off from work, but alas, that is not looking like it's in the cards.

If you happen to go to MS&W, be sure to check out the Ravelry meet up at the Rabbit pavilion and if you happen to see this Crocheting Commuter, do stop me and say hello. Safe travels and happy yarn shopping!

LYS in St. Michaels Maryland

The first weekend of April, Sean's Mom came to visit. We had a wonderful weekend spending Saturday in Downtown DC to see the cherry blossoms and then Sunday in St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore. I feel in love with the place as soon as we drove down the main street of town. It has all the things I liked about the Hamptons without the stuff I hated about the Hamptons. So cute with boutique stores and high end stuff I can't afford to buy (but do enjoy browsing). Right by the water with wonderful restaurants and fresh seafood. We got to really enjoy the water with a long boat ride on the Miles River with Patriot Cruises. A must see and do if you're in the area.

And you know what else was in St. Michaels???

You know it - a yarn shop! Yay!!!

Frivolous Fibers located at 112 N Talbot Street in St. Michaels. The store didn't stand out at first with the main sign on the side of the building.





The yarn store is actually in the back of the store. Here's a photo from the front...



Though it was a small space, there was a large wall of needles and hooks and a great selection of yarns.



I loved this painter's palette of yarn colors.



One of the best parts of the store was the huge selection of Blue Heron Yarns which are hand-painted in nearby Easton, Maryland. I had seen Blue Heron before when out on the West Coast - but I refused to buy it since it was from Maryland. Now I was in Maryland with a huge selection of the beautiful yarn. How could I resist?

I couldn't. :)

I did restrain myself and buy just one skein of yarn.



It's bulky rayon chenille in Sandstone. I had to get it after I saw the felted scarf they had on display. I got the pattern with my purchase.



I must also mention that the ladies at the store were super friendly. I'm very much looking forward to our next trip to St. Michaels so I can check out the store again.

Hoppy Easter!

Here are photos of cupcakes I made for today:





Hope everyone has a fun and festive Easter!

Citrus Fruit Coasters Pattern

I was on a roll this week - another pattern is complete and up for sale on Ravelry...

Citrus Fruit Coasters Pattern

Featuring lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit for all your beverage needs. So quick and easy to make, you can have a set done before the weekend barbecue.

Watermelon Coaster Pattern

Just in time for the frosty cold beverages that accompany the warming temperatures of Spring and Summer, my crocheted Watermelon Coaster pattern is finally up for sale on Ravelry.

A Tisket, A Tasket

Flowers in a cake basket!

Here's my finale cake from Wilton Course II. Finished this cake two weekends ago and it was a huge hit at Sean's work.









I've got at least 3 cakes to make this month. One for Easter dinner this weekend, one for a retirement party at work and then the cake for MS&W weekend. I may have a cake to make for a birthday party but that's still up in the air. The looks I've gotten at the supermarket when I buy 10 boxes of confectionery sugar have been priceless. I've also managed to run out of room in the kitchen to store all my cake supplies. Just like knitting and crocheting, there are just too many fun things to buy.

Completed Project: Cotton Baby Wash Cloth

Using the Lace Dish Cloth pattern, I used some green striped cotton yarn to make this cotton wash cloth to go along with the Shades of Irish Green baby blanket.

Believe it or not, these are three photos of the same project. The lighting and background made them look very different. All the details are on Ravelry.







The blanket, the wash cloth and some baby onesies will be shipped off to South Carolina next week. Baby Decklin or Saoirse will have them all for his/her arrival in May.

Saving the Craft

Celt's Vintage Crochet site was down because of unsavory capitalistic crocheters but now there is a Yahoo Group you can join to access all those fabulous patterns. Check it out.

Completed Project: Evening Fat Bottom Bag

Another one crossed off my 2009 crafty resolution list...

3) Try to sell a project - either on Etsy, at a craft fair, or word-of-mouth. (I'm thinking a purse or coaster set are possible sellers.)

I sold my first bag!!! Yay!!!







The colors and handles were chosen by the client - black cotton yarn, a gorgeous red and black fabric lining and black bamboo handles.
Details on Ravelry.

I gave it to her yesterday and she loved it! And guess what ... I've got 3 more orders! And maybe more on the way!!! Yay!!!

Sweet!

First - a quick update since my last quick update... My car died after cake class the weekend before last. Yep - right in the parking lot of Joann's, she took her last breaths and was eventually carried off into the sunset on a tow truck sent by AAA.

But life is good and we got a new car that has plenty of room for cake class supplies and any yarn I happen to pick up after class. :)

Now - on to the cake!

I'm three weeks into the second course of Wilton cake decorating class at Joann's. Here's what I've created with color flow and royal icing so far.



Look, Ma! No cabbages!



I really like royal icing more than butter cream for flowers. I've got to find some time this week to make another batch of frosting and make a bunch of flowers that will dry before the finale cake on Saturday.

This class helps cross off one item from my crafty resolution list for 2009. But I'm feeling like an over-achiever. And because I'll be making cakes for both my boss' retirement party and my future sister-in-law's bridal shower, I'll be taking the third course of Wilton cake decorating in April. Bring on the fondant!