San Diego squares -- update

It seems this week will be a time of updates... This one about a charity knitting/crocheting opportunity.

Awhile back, I found out about a project to knit or crochet squares together to make blankets for the victims of the San Diego fires. There are over 2000 families who have lost everything; what a nice thing it would be for each to receive a hand-crafted blanket, to know that others care.

Well, I began my squares right away, but then got delayed because of three shows, special orders, and Thanksgiving. Now that the dust has settled (basically) on those events, I pulled out the squares to continue working, but worried that maybe I was too late.

So I jumped online and .... the project is still going strong. There are still many blankets to be made. When I visited the Ravelry group to check on the status of the project, I learned they now have a blog about the project. If you have a minute, knit or crochet an 8" square; if you have a few minutes, hop on over to the "San Diego Wild Fire Blanket Project" Blog. There are heartwarming pics of crocheters in San Diego assembling all the donated squares, photographs of the horrible devastation the fires caused, and info on the project itself (numbers, specifications, and address to send squares).

FO update

Today I have just a quick FO (finished object) update. I spent Thanksgiving weekend eating yummy food, hanging out with my husband's family, and knitting up a storm. The result: three finished wraps (and not a moment too soon!):
One, knit with gorgeous brown and orange variegated yarn, has been mentioned in this blog before.


This one, made with Skacel Sofa (I love how soft and yummy it is!) was to be a shrug, but suddenly yelled "caplet" as I began to knit.

And this tiny, soft, furry concoction, is a mobius wrap fit for a night on the town (what with it's splashes of glittery silver and all).

The world's biggest yarn stash

Unfortunately, it's not mine, although I'm working on it. I can only imagine walking through this room, sniffing a Tess here, fondling a cashmere or angora there..... This must be like where all good knitters go after death!

Seriously, I'm sooo jealous!!! This MUST be the largest stash known to knitter!! My head is reeling as it is; I cannot imagine any more privately owned yarn in one room.

If you click on the picture, you can read what the woman's mother-in-law posted about the stash a few months ago.

Updated info for Mansion House Farms Christmas Shoppe

A few days ago I blogged about a really cute Christmas Shoppe that will be opening in Bear, DE on Nov 23rd.

I just received a flyer from the owner, which includes the shop phone # [(302) 836-8170] and hours of operation (Mon-Fri 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm; Sat 8:00 am to 8:00 pm; Sun 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm). There are also some special events planned with Santa on Dec 1st and Dec 15th.

Here is the flyer.

New store!

On Nov 23rd (Black Friday, folks!), a new Christmas shop will open in Bear, DE. And my items will be sold there!!

The Mansion House Farms Christmas Shop is at 2656 Porter Rd in Bear (just off Rte 896). It's at the corner of the Mansion House Farms property in a cute little green and red painted building. The decor inside is very cute and Christmas-y -- with tree lights strung from the ceiling, wreaths on the windows, and iridescent snowflakes hanging in the background.

They will be selling handcrafted items from local artists. Some of my pinecone wreaths, as well as stuffed snowmen and Smileville Bears, will be in the shop. Also a possibility are my scarf/hat sets and some macrame ornaments. I only know one of the other artists so far, but I love the items she makes - fabric covered corn bags (among other things). They are wonderful little "bean bag" like things that you can put in the microwave (they're full of corn that doesn't pop!) and use them to warm your toes in bed, or keep in your coat while you walk the dog.... they are so warm and smell so good!!! Also for sale in the shop will also be homemade fudge and hot chocolate, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, and other holiday gift items made by local residents.

I hope you'll stop by the Mansion House Farms Christmas Shop, and finish a little of your holiday shopping from the selection they have inside. If you need to call for the hours (I don't know them yet) or directions, call George at (302) 540-1438 or Mike at (302) 528-0051.

Off to show we go!

Just a quick reminder that tonight I'll have a booth at the Olive B Loss Elementary School Craft Fair from 6-10pm. Then tomorrow I'll be at the Holy Angels Craft Fair from 10-4pm. See the links on the left (under show schedule) for more info about each location.

If you're in the area (or bored and looking for something to do), please stop by! I'd love to see you!

Squares for San Diego

Several days ago, a woman posted a question to my Yahoo knitting group about what charities might accept some squares she has been knitting. And in doing a quick Google search to help her, I discovered that a resident of the San Diego area has begun collecting squares of washable yarn to make blankets for all the residents displaced by the recent fires.

And so began my recent obsession with crocheting squares. I dug around in my stash and near the bottom found some partial balls of Red Heart, left over from when I was doing plastic canvas crafts (a long time ago). I've been making squares during every possible free moment (there aren't as many as I'd like, given show preparations, but it's amazing how much of a square you can do while standing in the kitchen waiting for dinner to cook). It's amazing how many you can get from a partial skein of Red Heart yarn!

I will post a pic of the squares once I deplete my Red Heart, or learn of a deadline and stop to mail them in. I don't think there is any sort of deadline yet.

Oh, where can you learn more, you ask? Well, if you're on Ravelry, just look up the "San Diego fire 8" squares donations" group. If you're not a Raveler quite yet, then visit this link.