More Advent Calendar Reveals

Care to join me in opening some wooly & yarny & fun surprise things in my Alicia Paulson Advent Calendar?  You do?  OK!  I showed you the first 7 in my last post.  Here is #8.  A wonderful candle made by Alicia herself!  Oh it smells so nice!

I wondered what was in this tissue!  It wasn't soft like yarn.  :-)

Over the weekend I unrolled the pretty skeins of yarn.  

My assistant, Dayle, holding the yarn so I can roll balls.

I have devised an excellent way to roll a ball.. I hold out the end of the yarn and then begin rolling a ball on my finger tip.  I roll and roll and twist the ball on my fingertip as I go to make a well rounded ball.  This way I can use the yarn and pull from the center with the end I held out and wind around.  :-)

Here are my first 3 balls ready to begin knitting my cowl.

I began with the pretty pink one.  I bought the recommended circular needle, size 3.  BUT.. I started my project with it and it drove me completely bonkers, the connecting cord kept flipping up into my face and getting in my way.  Knowing it was to be knitted flat, I found the right sized needles in my collection of vintage faux tortoise shell needles and knitted the project on over onto them.

I am so much happier using straight needles!  I did not have any stitch markers so I used little circles of yarn tied in knots.  But that was not a happy solution as the yarn got knitted into the project.  

You can buy the PDF of the cowl pattern on Alicia Paulson's website, click HERE.

Aren't these needles wonderful?  And they're so pliable, too.

OK.. a new morning.. what could be in this small envelope??  Hmm!!

OMG.. 5 beautiful stitch markers on silver rings with a sweet little bead on each one!!!  Just what I was needing!!

I have really been enjoying this project - you can see it will be smaller on the top and wider at the bottom.  I had to google how to do a "slip 1st stitch with yarn in front, then move yarn to back and knit".  LOL!  I had to tighten up the stitches where I have to turn and go back.

This morning's surprise.  

Oh.. I like this one with lime color mixed in!

  
In the pattern she said you can change colors every 8 rows, but this will be the back of the cowl so I did a bigger area of the pink, less ends to weave in.  I did change colors there at the bottom, but it's hard to tell the difference.

OK.. now on to a sad story of murder and mayhem while Dayle and I were gone running errands on Saturday.  Remember my cute little sheep I named Noel?  WELL.. look what we found when we returned home!!!  A pile of curly wool on the floor.  After more searching we found the body of Noel.  A hole ripped in her side, one ear gone.. the cute little eyes and nose and rosy cheeks gone, erased by drool.  

Poor little Noel.. naked, earless, and left to die a slow and painful death.  Now, I know you're asking.. where did you leave your little sheep?  WELL.. she was on top of my computer table.  About 3 feet off the ground.  Now.. Buddy is not 3 feet tall.... 

Meeka, the German Shepherd IS 3 feet tall.  So, who is the criminal?  Hmm.. you tell me.  

Well.. on to more positive news.. there was a dusting of snow at Multnomah Falls a few days ago.  Someone posted a new photo on Facebook, there was no name attached to it, but I thought I'd show you.  If the photographer comes forward I will be happy to add their name to this.. :-)

Last but not least - Little Bee - on Facebook - posted this photo of one of her friends who crocheted this Sunday Shawl using Scheepjes Whirl in the colorway Rosewater Cocktail.  I fell immediately in love with it and have ordered this yarn.  I already have the pattern.  I look forward to working on this!  :-)

I had a DAR meeting this morning so this post is late in the day, it's 5 pm here.  So, I will bid you adieu for now.  

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 *M*E*R*R*Y* * *C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S*!*
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((hugs)), Teresa :-)