A little shopping and eye candy,,,

So first off - there was some concern voiced about my silence - I've had some family issues I've been working thru - I don't know if I will ever be in control - but at least things are spinning a little more slowly!

Then the beastie went off to college - a lot earlier than anyone expected - so the hubby and I were trying out life as just us for a while - very odd. And then after 7 weeks away the beastie returned to get ready for his senior year of high school, and all that this milestone entails. And right in the middle of all of it - he announced he wasn't playing football to concentrate on some honor's classes, and a few other surprises which leads us to today.

I thought I'd show you a few of the fingerless mitts I've been working on - there's a benefit craft show at the beastie's school in November and this will be my last year as an exhibitor! All of them are made from bits and pieces of ColourMart - everything from 100% cashmere to Camel Down and Yak - each one softer than the next! All are made of Navajo ply 2/28 on a US size 2 or 3 needle.

Then I went a little shopping crazy this month - so here are my reviews and 

where to go and order them.

First off - my new favorite project bags - They are from Funtific and made by Sandra Voss over on Etsy.  Can't say enough good things about these - yes I went a little crazy on the site but the prices ranged between $12 and $18  there's needle cases and zippered pouches and I just loved them. Since buying them I can tell you that I keep my on the go knitting in it - and there's even my stay at home lace scarf in one. I will tell you that the bags are somewhat reversible too - I find that turning the bag inside out with my lace projects are the way to go - you can still use the drawstring closure and the bag stands open while you work if you fold down the top of the bag by an inch - and the best part is that it's tall enough to hold my 10 inch straights and a cone of ColourMart cashmere/silk, my glasses, scissors, crochet hook, pattern, and markers - read this as roomy! You'll notice in one of the pictures that I put the large box of Kleenex from the CostCo in the bag so you'd have an idea about volume! No you don't get the Kleenex too... I have no relationship with this vendor - I just love my bags and thought I'd pass it on to you!

You'll also notice that there's a set of straight needles in the above picture - I tried a new vendor and a new product! I tried out a couple sets of straight needles - since straights work best for me on super thin yarn. I also got a huge magnetic board to use with my lace patterns - you can actually fit an entire 8 1/2 x 11 inch page all at once, and it came with a pen and a pocket to store extra stuff! Both the needles and the magnetic board were from a new vendor to me called "Knitter's Pride" the manufacturer is Nova. I was happy with both these products and they are now on my "Can't live without this" list! Both were purchases from Webs - their prices were extremely reasonable and shipping took about 2 weeks.