Vegan Knitting...and then some

My new Rocket Dog shoes

This definitely goes under the "Goodies" category.  I've been wanting a pair of Rocket Dog shoes for a while but I've never seen any in stores except for at this one place where none of the styles were me and fit, until I went to Ross last week.  There, sitting lonely and neglected, were my shoes.  $12.99 and a perfect wide size 10, and no animal materials!  Plus, they're great for showing off handmade socks!

My first sewing machine!

Lookie what I got today from Craigslist for $25!!!!

I need to get the manual from the seller but I'm so excited to start using it!  My sewing mentor, Simone, better get ready for some questions!  This model does 24 stitches and has all sorts of nifty attachments. 

My Birthday Bag!

Thanksgiving was heralded by the arrival of Simone, (and the aforementioned trip to Millennium Restaurant).  Unfortunately, I was sick the entire time she was here with either a bad cold or the flu.  Not the best way to be a good hostess!  So we spent most of the time either cooking, eating, knitting, or watching movies under blankets.  Not such a bad time, even if I did feel horrible!

However, the start was beautiful, with the dinner, and then...my birthday present!!!!  I knew she was sewing me something, and I knew what fabrics it might be made of.  I hoped it would be this, and I was right!  A Batty Bag! In beautiful red and black - lined with black quilted fabric, and stuffed with spiderweb tissue paper!  Thank you so much Simone, I am so excited!!!

Thank you Ellie!

A big hAAAARHty thanks goes out to Ellie, who, along with the pink Rose of Sharon hat she sent me, also sent me 3 (yes, that's THREE!) sets of beautiful, handmade stitchmarkers. (The AAARH is for the pirate tape she put on the box she sent it in. And because I was reading pirate stories from the late 1800s right before discovering the stitchmarkers as I was about to recycle the box.)  Only one of the pink sets is shown in the picture.

If ye ever set sail to the land where Sir Francis Drake landed his ship, the Goldenhinde, I'll treat ye to a tankard of the Captain's best rum!

The Best Christmas Present Ever!!! - (A Canon Elph!)

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! Look what my beloved aunt sent me for Christmas! A Canon Powershot SD30!

It comes with a remote control, memory card, and look how tiny it is!!! And it's 5 MegaPixels and even records sound! No more crappy photos take on our HP Photosmart 518. That'll be saved for eBay pictures. (DH sells records, CDs, DVDs, books, and movie-related stuff.)

Nice Boobies!

Geez, from reading the entries, you'd think that all I ever do is eat and knit!

Well, I am doing a lot of both but I also have other interests!

I'm a huge birdwatcher and nature fan. Tonight in this great cafe, there was a girl with a yellow shirt with two Blue-footed Boobies (sea birds) on the chest. I knew what she was hoping for, so I went over and said, "Nice Boobies!" She laughed and said "Yes!" to her friends. I was tickled and forgot to ask her where she'd gotten it. That's where the internet comes in!

Nice Boobies

Unfortunately, they're out of stock in girly sizes so I requested a reprint. IN the meantime, they have some great other designs. I might get the "take a hike" one which looks like a trail map but the trails make a bird picture.

I'm most interested in shore and sea birds - something about the webbed feet and long toes, perhaps. So we spend a lot of time at beaches and marshes looking for strange and elusive birds. My favorite is the Black-Necked Stilt, which is the bird that drew me into bird-watching to begin with. Foot-long bright pink legs - bring 'em on!

Guess what we got for Christmas?

The cookbook from Millenium Restaurant - "The Artful Vegan"!!!

Watch out tapenades, roulades, and reduction sauces, here come DH and I armed with the 40 ingredients we'll need for each recipe! Okay, some of them aren't that complicated. I can't wait to make the Yellow Finn Gnocci and the Coconut Flan!

It was my 9-year-old BIL's idea, too. How sweet!