Surgery is over

So yesterday came and went with a blur. Thanks to all of you who sent me emails wishing the girls luck with their surgeries! We got to the hospital at 7am, with the girls still in their PJs. It's not the first time that twins or siblings had surgeries on the same day, but let me say, it does confuse people from the registration desk all the way to the doctors, nurses, and anesthesiolgists. Making sure they each had the correct ID bracelets on, and that the nurse was writing info about Sophie on Sophie's chart, not Helen's, etc. We really had to be on our toes. At one point during Sophie's surgery, we were waiting with Helen in the pre-op room and a doctor came in, introduced himself and mentioned that he was an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) doctor. We paused for a moment, and then asked him why we needed an ENT for a hernia surgery? He had walked into the wrong room, so we all got a nice laugh from that one.

Everyone there was so nice - they even had a child life specialist who came in and talked to the girls at length about the surgery, in children's terms. She was really helpful. Sophie had quite a few moments of being really scared and upset, and so she did take the "calming" medicine before her surgery. Boy did that help! She was Chatty Kathy being wheeled down into the operating room. This picture was taken as soon as the medicine started working. Sophie is in the middle, with a bit of a glazed look in her eyes. I was all suited up to accompany her into the operating room. I was there until she fell asleep for the surgery. That was hard. They should have given ME some calming medicine for that one.

Helen is a tough kid, she didn't need anything to calm her down. She was too busy watching the Nick Jr on the TV in the room. I guess when you don't watch much TV at home, it is a real treat to have your very own TV in the hospital. When it was her turn for surgery, Marc walked her down, and it looks like a party in the operating room! Here they are with her surgeon and the anesthesiologist.

At just about the same time, Sophie woke up pretty happy in the recovery room! She was so brave!

When Helen came to the recovery room about an hour later, she was in such a deep sleep we thought she'd never wake up. She slept hard for almost an hour and a half, then woke up asking for a popsicle and some chocolate ice cream, both of which she inhaled.

And the long awaited wheelchair rides! The girls had been dreaming about riding in a wheelchair for ages. Too bad they were still pretty drugged out. I'm not sure they even remember much about the wheelchairs.

We got home just after 2pm, and then it was naptime again for the girls. The cats were thrilled to have sleeping buddies on the couches.They slept another 12 hours last night, and today they are laying low. They are doing well, but the incisions do hurt. Helen's hurt more, as she had two and Sophie only had one. Anyway, I'm glad it's over. I am feeling the exhaustion myself, as I think my stress was all bottled up inside, and now that it's over I can release it. Phew...

I did start one of the coats for the American Girl Dolls (which by the way the girls LOVED). It's a cute Easter coat that will look like this:

and I didn't get very far yesterday. But it shouldn't take too long. I am using Roma - what an awesome yarn to knit with! It is in the Holiday Wear pattern booklet.

I gave my mom the Rooster hooked rug yesterday and she loves it! She was really excited to get it and couldn't wait to get home and find the perfect place to hang it. What a good feeling that was - I loved making that rug, and seeing how much she loved getting it... well it was more than an amazing feeling. And hey, isn't that what it's all about?

Summer has arrived

Summer is finally here, with temperatures yesterday in the 90s, high humidity and strong, strong storms. We've been having some severe storms this month - seems like once a week. The girls are out of school, and this Friday will both be having hernia surgeries. What's with my family and hernias? I'm not sure, but for two years now the medical deductible has been more than met. They are a little nervous about the surgeries, as am I... hard to have any child needing a surgery, but two of them, at the same time, well... it's causing a lump in my throat. I hope Friday comes and goes quickly and with ease. Then summer for them can truly begin.

They have known about this surgery for 6 months, and a few months ago we started talking about a little "prize" that they might receive after the surgery was over. Hey, I'm not above bribing them on certain things. Sophie (at age 7 1/2) still FREAKS out when we pull into the pediatician's office parking lot. She has a huge fear of doctors and their offices, so I've been dreading her reaction to this surgery for months now. You know how you check in for a surgery, and then it's hurry up and wait... you sit around in pre-op for what seems like an eternity. More time for her to freak out, I know. And when she freaks out, she works herself into SUCH a state. Not to mention how Marc and I feel. The good thing is that I found out we can get a little "kiddie" valium for her when we arrive. They said a lot of kids freak out like that, and so that makes me feel a little better, anyway.

Back to the prizes... Helen and Sophie both like American Girl Dolls. They each have one. They decided that they would each like another one as their prize. They have been pouring over the AGD catalogs for months now, telling me which doll they want, and which outfits and accessories they would like for future birthdays, Christmases, etc. So look what arrived here at the shop a week and a half ago? Meet Nicki and "blondie with earrings" (she doesn't have a name.) I also couldn't resist getting each one of them a wheelchair - perfect for the occasion, right? Sophie already has the crutches for her current doll, and she LOVES them. In fact, both Helen and Sophie want me to get them crutches at the medical supply store for their birthday this August! They are fascinated with crutches and wheelchairs, and the only happy face I have gotten out of Sophie regarding her upcoming surgery was when I told her she'd get to ride in a wheelchair after her surgery, on the way out to the car. She is not looking forward to the actual surgery, but the wheelchair ride? Well that's a different story.

And this whole AGD thing is leading to some new, small knitting projects for me. I have already made some sweaters and skirts for their existing dolls, but we recently got some new patterns, so I am going to start on coats for each of their new dolls. When I opened the shop 5 years ago, I had customers who came in looking for 18" doll patterns. I did not have any, and couldn't believe that anyone would be knitting clothes for dolls! Well, look at me now. The girls just love anything I make for the dolls, and since I cannot sew to save my life, I have had to invest in some patterns for dolls. So if any of you are looking for 18" doll patterns, we now have some!

I did finish two baby sweaters recently - a textured one in Rowan Handknit Cotton out of the Nashua Handknits Bloom booklet, which should be back in stock any day now...

and the Minnowknits Orangini Vest in Nashua Handknits Cilantro.

I will be home for the next few days with the girls, and am going to finally "finish" my rugs - the Whimsie and the Fish in a Line. I just need to sew some pockets onto the back, so I can hang them properly. Barb helped me with the surger today (again, sewing is not my forte) and I should be ready to go once I get home.

This Sunday is my parents' anniversary and I will give them the Iddy Biddy Rooster. I'm sad to see it go - I love it! But that just means I will have to start another one....

New needle cases here... and NEW bags coming

We just received some great new circular needle cases from Della Q. The circular cases are slightly padded to protect your needles and they come in three great colors.
We also received two new colors of the Combo case, which holds both straight and circular needles.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be getting our first shipment from Offhand Designs. Many of our customers have been asking us if we stock these bags and needle cases... well, now we do! I ordered 3 different bag styles and two of the clutches - the deluxe and the circular. The first shipment will be their current fabrics, and then in August we will get another shipment with the new fall fabrics. Let me just say, they are fantastic! And don't worry - if you don't see a fabric or style that you like, we are happy to special order any of them for you.


I am trying to finish up a number of baby sweaters I've been working on recently, and so I am not allowing myself any new projects (knitting OR hooking!) until I finish some of these loose ends. I am itching to work with the Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky, though. We just got in 3 new yummy shades yesterday...


Another yarn I am DYING to knit with? Malabrigo Chunky. That's right, we're getting it! My rep comes on Tuesday of next week, so I will finalize my color selections at that point and then we should get the yarn by the end of June or beginning of July.


Things in Vermont are heating up - it's going to be in the 80's all week. Come on in to pick out a summer project - we have AC and it's nice and cool and colorful in here, as usual!

This one's for you, Alice!

Alice, a customer and friend, was in yesterday. So great to see her - it had been a while! I told her I have been running by her house recently, as my longer runs have forced me to go further out beyond my normal routes. She told me to stop by sometime - as she knows how to make a mean Key Lime Marguerita... just what I need after a nice run! I might also need a ride home afterwards...


Anyway, she was joking with us, and said that she wished I could post a blog entry each day. Ha ha ha. Not going to happen! I really do try to post as often as I can, but I don't always have time, and I can't just post about nothing!


Well this will be a quick one, but at least it's a post. We got in 2 new colors of sock yarn today - one Regia Bamboo and one Regia Silk. They are so great! So bright and fun and summery! They make me think of yummy popsicles and sherbet...

I am almost finished my latest rug hooking project. I LOVE it. I get faster with each rug I do, and my technique has really improved. So far I've done Whimsy, Fish in Line, a Pansy brick cover, a sheep tile, a rug hooking sign for our shop and this rooster. It's for my parents' anniversary later this month. So if any of my mom's friends are reading this, SHHHHH! Don't tell, please!

I really love these colors. Kalen helped me pick them out. She's got an eye for color!

This weekend I am headed to Portsmouth, NH again. We are hoping for a little beach weather! My sister and her friend and I are running in the Market Day 10k on Saturday, which goes all through Portsmouth. Should be fun! We are also hoping to get in some outlet shopping in Kittery on Saturday night. I hope to finish two little kid's sweaters I am working on.

By the way Alice, have you set up your bloglines yet? www.bloglines.com - it's a timesaver!

Tilli Tomas yarns plus new SOCK yarns

We just received our first shipment of Tilli Tomas yarns - we got Flurries (a gorgeous Australian merino wool with glass beads), Pure & Simple (100% spun silk), Rock Star (100% spun silk with glass beads) and Disco Lights (100% spun silk with petite sequins.) It is just lovely! This is the Pure & Simple:

And this is the Flurries (top) and Rock Star/Disco Lights (bottom):

Barb took a skein of the Jade in the Pure & Simple and started a pleated scarf. Normally, I am not a fan of the color jade. But this Jade makes me want to change my mind. It is SO pretty.

I took 2 skeins of Flurries and am knitting the simple little beaded baby hat. This would make a really special baby gift. What an heirloom!

Tonight I am headed down to Portsmouth, NH to visit my sister, and I am dropping off 4 skeins of Pure & Simple and some of the Rock Star at Joy's. She lives right along the way, and I figured this will get her knitting our sweater sample right away! She will be making us the "Drama Queen" sweater, a fitted sweater with ribs at the bottom and beaded cuffs and collar. Gorgeous. I think she is eager to start it. Barb says the yarn is heaven to knit!


I am almost finished my little textured sweater out of Handknit Cotton. All I have to do is pick up stitches for the button bands and then do some seaming and a lot of weaving in of ends. I always leave that to the end, I know. I like to work them into seams, so that's my excuse! I need to grab some buttons for it before I leave for the day.
Barb is almost finished her sock out of the Regia Bamboo. It's a toe up sock, and she's running a class on it in early July. It's already over half full, so call to sign up if you are interested.

We just got a partial shipment of our Tofutsies sock yarn - you know, the yarn with "chitin" - shrimp and crab shells! This yarn is all the rage, and we have 7 colors in stock now, with a few more on backorder, but soon to follow.


Monday we will be getting in three more sock yarns: Fortissima Socka w/Bamboo, Step (with Jojoba and Aloe Vera), and Trekking. Socks, socks, socks. They are all the rage!

Vermont City Marathon Recap

So what an amazing weekend! It all started out at 8:30am on Saturday morning down at the waterfront, where Helen and Sophie participated in the YAM Scram. They each ran a mile without stopping (I'm not sure this has happened before!) and boy were they excited! It was just amazing to see hundreds of kids participating in this event. Here is Helen running (she's the smaller one behind the two older girls in front):And here's a slightly better picture of Sophie, since she wasn't right in the middle of the pack. She's in mid air:

They were a bit red faced and hungry after the race, but thrilled with their new medals!

Saturday afternoon my sister Lisa arrived. This was to be her first marathon. We headed over to the Sheraton to register and pick up our bibs. We had a nice dinner and woke up early on Sunday, so we could relax and have our coffee and eat a bit before we had to head into town. I was nervous about the logistics of the whole thing. I'd never even been a spectator at the marathon before, so with 7,600 or so runners and over 25,000 spectators expected, we were a little worried about parking and meeting up with the rest of the group at 7:30 am. We drove into town with my good friend Alice (who was also running on a relay team) and found a spot about 1-1.5 miles away.

Burlington was just crawling with people. It is impossible to even describe it. It was so electrifying! We walked toward Battery Park with hundreds of other runners and spectators. Here we are at 7:40am, just 25 minutes before I had to start running (l to r: Michele, Barb, Kalen, me):At 8am, my sister and I quickly squeezed through spectators and runners and got into place at the start for our pace group. A minute later, I turned around and who is standing right next to me in this sea of runners, but Suzie (who teaches classes for us and used to work in the shop.) She was doing the relay with her husband, son and daughter. The gun went off and after 3 minutes of shuffling, we crossed the start.

All along the route, people were screaming and cheering and playing music. It really was such a wonderful experience. At about mile 1.5 we passed my family - Marc, Helen and Sophie, Lisa's daughter Meredith, and my mom and dad. It was so emotional to see them waiting for us. They were holding up signs (that my daughters had made) and screaming and they ran out to give us hugs. Here is Lisa getting a hug from my mom:

On the Beltline, which was an out and back stretch, we were able to see the race leaders, as they were already coming back as we were just heading out. At one point I heard someone yell my name and it was Carlie K., a running customer and friend of ours. It was so great to see her! She was already heading back into town.

The rest of the day was perfect (except for some pouring rain!) We finished our relay and all ran well with no problems or injuries. My sister was successful in running her first marathon, and even broke her estimated finish time by one minute. We are SO psyched to do this again next year. In fact, we are going to have several Kaleidoscope Yarns relay teams, and we are going to get some of you customers to run WITH us! So get your running shoes on and get out there and get moving! Remember - it's not about the TIME, it's about the EXPERIENCE!

Yesterday Carlie came in with 4 beautiful geraniums - to congratulate us on a job well done. Thanks Carlie! It was so fun to talk running with you (and knitting!) We are inspired by you to keep on going!

Here are some other shots from the day... My neice and daughters waiting at the 3rd relay exchange zone.Kalen with a strong finish, after running up the hill on Battery Street!

My sister at mile 15 - still smiling!

Kalen and Brett (Michele's husband) after running their legs (#3). Brett was a last minute fill-in for my friend Alice's team. Next year Brett, you are running for US!
Barb finishing the last leg:
And Lisa finishing the whole marathon.

Next post will be all about yarn, I promise. Boy have we gotten some GOOD things in this week! Check it out!

Glass beads and sequins and spun silk, OH MY!

Look what will be arriving next week!

I spent some time on the phone this morning with Tracy from Tilli Tomas and by Tuesday of next week we will have four of her yarns: Flurries, Pure & Simple, Rock Star and Disco Lights. You will LOVE this stuff!

One finished rug, now on to the next

I finished my Fish rug the other night. I am thrilled with it, and can't WAIT to hang it above my couch in the family room. It looks incredible in there, all of the colors blend perfectly with everything in the room, and it looks like it was made to be in that very spot. Well, hey, it WAS!

Last night I started another rug, this time a smaller one that is going to be a gift. It is SO cool. I can't show it until I am finished, just in case someone is looking. Kalen and I picked out colors yesterday before the shop closed, and I've already put in about 2.5 hours on it. I hope to be finished within a week or week and a half. It's tough making one for someone else. I hope the colors will work for this person, but I have to admit, they are just gorgeous. It's going to be hard giving it away, but it's so fun to work on, knowing that it will be enjoyed by someone else.

Today is our sale - and boy do we have some great deals on yarns here in the shop! Everthing knitting related is 10-50% off! It's a great time to stock up for your next few projects.

The girls and Marc are selling our old samples out in the front yard under a little tent. We have some amazing samples out there. It's tough, we spend a lot of time making these - but then if a yarn gets discontinued, or even the color of a yarn we've used, the sample is not really usable anymore. So we are constantly making new ones, and we've got a bunch to sell today.

It was supposed to rain today, but so far it's actually quite nice. The girls are in charge of the cookie plate (get here early, they keep sneaking cookies when we are not looking) and also in charge of helping us with bags at the counter. I've found that it's much easier for them (and US!) when they are separated by at least 5-10 yards.

5th Anniversary Sale this Saturday!

Don't forget - our 5th Anniversary sale is this Saturday from 9am-5pm. It's NOT the tent sale, folks! It is in the shop and we'll have knit samples for sale as well (those are cash only). Come and help us celebrate 5 years of serving all of you wonderful customers!

Today is dying day in the kitchen here. We have already sold out of a number of wools that we dyed for rug hooking so we are needing to replenish them.

Michele is teaching a class right now to 6 eager beginning hookers. She brought in her latest rug - she just finished but still has to do the edging. Isn't it great?

I finished my Fish rug, and started the edging last night. Last week we got a new yarn from Berroco - called Peruvia. It's 100% Peruvian Highland wool and it's SO amazingly soft and gorgeous. The colors are incredible, and as I was photographing them to put on the website, I saw one that I thought would be perfect to bind my rug.

And it is! See how great the color looks?

I am really taking my time with the edging on this rug. I want it to be as perfect as possible. It is amazing how great it can look when you are slow and careful with it. I am eager to finish, but I am not going to sacrifice quality just so I can get it done quickly.

Today I am putting up (online) a new yarn from Plymouth for fall. It's called Royal Llama Silk, and it's a blend of 60% fine llama and 40% silk. It's incredibly soft - Joy is already knitting a sample for us (a great shawl) and can't put it down. Come in and check it out!

We also got OPAL! We used to carry Opal years ago, and then we switched to other sock brands. Now they have some really pretty colors, so we just brought in Hundertwassers and Hundertwassers Cotton. They are just gorgeous, and Opal is - in my opinion - the SOFTEST sock yarn we've ever had. It will be in the shop next week, but it's online for now!

Cats, and Yarn. Not always a good combo...

Every day I come home from work to find that any yarn I have left out is littered about the house. Even if I have tucked it away carefully, and almost hidden it inside of things, those cats find it and drag it around the house like a dead mouse.

Last Friday morning, I woke up and opened the basement door to let the cats out. They sleep in the basement because they are still rambunctious kitties - and will meow at all hours of the night right outside our bedroom doors. I had enough sleep deprivation when my girls were infants, and I'm not wanting to relive that, so the basement is a perfect place for them. Anyway, they normally race out of the basement and head straight for the kitchen for their breakfast. Maisy came right out, but Lucy was nowhere to be seen. This is unusual, as Lucy LIVES for food. So I knew something was wrong. I found her in the basement, looking a little freaked out, and chasing her tail. Upon closer inspection, I realized she was not chasing her tail, but rather chasing the 6" piece of yarn that was hanging underneath her tail. Need I say more? She had obviously eaten some yarn, and it was not quite through her system. (She has good taste - it was Koigu!) I called the vet and they wanted to see her to be sure what yarn was left inside her, wasn't wrapped around her intestines. So I put her in the kennel, and drove all the way down to Charlotte. I left her, and a few hours, a kitty enema and $122 later, Lucy passed the rest of the Koigu. It was another 2.5 feet! So that yard of Koigu is perhaps the most expensive yard I've ever purchased. Moral of the story, when you have cats, you REALLY need to be careful with your stash! Once they start chewing on a piece of yarn, they can get it stuck and then they HAVE to swallow the whole thing. Anyway, she is fine now. But it was more than a bit dramatic!

This week we've gotten a lot done at the shop. Remember our 5th Anniversary Sale is next Saturday, May 19th from 9am-5pm! We have been pricing samples and BOY are there a lot of them. Every time we get rid of a yarn, we have to pull all the samples - so we have quite an inventory of sweaters, bags, scarves, etc. DON'T miss it! Cash only for samples - they'll most likely be set up outside the shop.

This week we received a LOT of new colors of Ultra Alpaca - many heathers and wow - are they gorgeous. They will be online soon, maybe today... though I have just put up 6 new sweater kits, and I think I need a break from Photoshop and the computer in general.

The big relay is on May 27th and it's RIGHT around the corner! I am running 8.6 miles (legs 1&2) and I've been working up to it. I actually ran 6.2 on Sunday and felt great! Well, I felt great while running it... afterwards was a different story! Kalen is running leg 3 (6.5m) and Michele and Barb are doing legs 4 & 5 (each 5.5m). So as a part of my training, last night I went running with a group of folks from Fleet Feet, which is just down the street from us here in Essex Junction. We only did 3.1 miles last night, but it was a little faster than I normally go, and so it was a great workout. Fleet Feet has a free running group - one on Wednesdays at 6pm - for people who can run a 5k but are working up to a 10k, and then one on Thursdays at 6pm - for people who are just starting and will run/walk and work up to running a 5k. Do any of you want to join? Two or three of us will be doing the Wednesday group. It's fun! A number of the people who were there last night had just run their first 5k. It was neat to see how excited they were - they never thought they could do it, but with practice and a supportive group, they all did do it!

Back to reality

Well, I'm back from vacation. It was wonderful to get away and enjoy temperatures in the 70s and 80s (though I'm aware it was that warm in VT for several days!) The best parts? Relaxing on the beach in Sanibel, hearing Helen and Sophie laugh and play together for many many days in a row, seeing my parents, running in warm weather, petting a dolphin at SeaWorld, and conquering my (and Sophie's) fears and doing water "coasters" and flumes at Typhoon Lagoon.
The not-so-best parts? That it had to end, and of course the weather when we stepped off the plane in Burlington on Sunday night (let me see - your typical 50 degrees, windy and raining...) At least the sun is shining brilliantly today, and did anyone catch the sunset last night? WOW!

Barb and Kalen did a great job holding down the fort while I was gone (Michele was also on vacation). Rug hooking is really picking up in the shop - yesterday we had to reorder a lot of patterns and kits. This week we have some new patterns coming in (Primitive Grace). I'm not sure what my next project will be. I am definitely going to hook our checkerboard pattern for Helen and Sophie, but I'm not sure if that is next on the agenda. The girls love to play checkers, and I have always wanted a large cloth checkerboard. So I will hook the checkerboard and most likely give it to them as a birthday present (August) or Christmas present. It will depend on how many other projects I start in the meantime.

We did get in some lovely new wools - textures and plaids. Can't wait to get started on some of these!

Fishies is nearing completion. I worked on it last night between post-vacation laundry loads.I made the Krayon Krazy sweater on vacation. It is adorable! And the yarn (Cilantro) rocks. It was excellent to knit with. I am on the sleeves on the Coco Loco sweater. It's cute and I hope to finish it up by the end of the weekend. Joy sent us two new kid's samples and they are great. One is Cheri Cherry in Manos Cotton Stria:and the other is an Oat Couture baby polo in Rowan Wool Cotton:

They are both adorable - and people are knitting for kids and babies like crazy at this time of year, so now we have four new models to inspire people.