It's been a little while since I have visited with you…and in that time I have been pretty busy.

I pretty much took the month of May to enjoy a little Rest and Relaxation.  Time to get caught up with life, the dogs and the garden.  It was nice, but now it's time to get back to work right?

Have I told you how addicting fabric can be?  It's almost as bad if not worse than fiber.  So many pretty colors, so many pretty patterns!

I have been busy making bags again.  I tweaked a few things to make the bags easier to open and close.  Removing the toggle clasp and adding a double drawstring and using a lighter weight stabilizer has made a nice difference.  The bags are still sturdy enough to stay open while you are working on your project, but soft enough completely close easily.

With that finished, I am going to tackle a larger sized project bag…..hmmm….have I mentioned how much I love fabric?

 

 

I'd like you to meet Benchmark Fairy Tale of Ballymena or better known as "Goose" here. 🙂

Now mind you I was not looking to bring a new puppy here.  Not at all.  However, Goose's breeder is a good friend of mine and frequently sends me pictures of her dogs. (she is Skyy and Cleo's breeder as well)

 When Goose's litter was born I was busy taking care of Ellie and really did not pay that much attention other than to notice that they were cute babies.

About a week ago she sent a particularly cute picture.  Knowing that she was not going to keep anything from this litter and knowing that little Miss Ellie is not looking like she will make it to the show ring, I asked Barb to send me a video of this little one on a whim.

In addition to the video she sent me some pictures of her stacked on a table.   Stacked is a show term, meaning the the puppy is set up on the table with a little bit of bait so that you can set the baby up and observe body structure.

Every breed of dog has something called a "breed standard"  It is this standard that a breeder is always aiming for in a breeding, by breeding dogs that compliment each other both in structure and in type.

Needless to say this baby has a beeutiful little body and such a pretty expression…..so after seeing the video and pictures, I said…"I think she wants to live in New Hampshire."

 

Monday I drove into Boston to pick up the little bundle……if you can believe it, she is even cuter than her picture.  Quiet as a church mouse all the way home to NH..poor thing was pooped from her early flight.

I gave her a few hours to recover before I introduced her to the rest of the clan.  After getting a thorough going over, she received the seal of approval from the girls…..even Maggie. 😉

 

After a long and eventful day it was time to crash…..I think she likes it here in New Hampshire. 🙂

Pattern:  Angee
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Harmony Sock Yarn
Colorway:  Beach Sand
Needles US 1 and 1.5

It's been a little while since I have visited with you!  Each day I thought about you and thought about posting but when I sat down to the computer…whew…just too pooped to post…I'm sure you know how that goes every now and then. 😉

Anyhoo…..this pattern is a delight to knit.  Very easy to follow along and so pretty when finished.  Cookie is a very talented designer!

Courtney graciously modeled these socks for me…….If you look close see if you can see something that looks a bit off in the first 2 pictures…

Here's how Courtney would prefer to wear these socks….if she ever did wear socks…..can you see it now?  Yep, that big scar was the result of tripping over some wire while playing soccer….youch!

After finishing up with Angee, I immediately cast on Anne's Hayrick sock pattern.  I loved it from the first time I saw it and the pattern is not disappointing….very fun!

The yarn I am using is a new one that will be in the shop soon called Pandora.  It is a blend of bamboo, merino and nylon.  I am doing this pair in the Scottish Heather colorway. 

This yarn is a bit lighter in weight than Harmony but not as light as Kashmir so Istarted this sock in the larger size figuring with the lighter weight I would need to, but I think I will be rippppping it back tonight and going smaller.  Right from the start I thought it was looking big, but did I listen to that little voice?  Of course not…LOL

Oh well……..it's a fun knit so I don't mind another go at it. 😉

Here it is Thursday and I am just getting to the "big" weekend. 
It's amazing how time flies, especially during these last whirlwind
days of senior year….it truly goes so fast.

 

Our day last Saturday started off with a trip to our favorite hair stylist, Andrea.  Andrea has been taking care of our hair since Courtney was just a wee one.  She does a fabulous job!

A few of Courtney's friends were there just before us, so it was an enjoyable "gab" fest for the girls and the grown-ups alike.

After the salon visit, it was a mad dash to pick up the flowers and grab her dress so Courtney could get ready at her friend's house.  Heather was having a make-up artist there to pretty up all of the girls…so much fun for them!  The guys joined them an hour later to get ready and then an hour after that it was time for the parents to come for snacks and pictures….and pictures there were for sure!

Pictures of the girls on the porch…..and…

Pictures with their dates….

Prom time here means trying to find a nice vehicle to drive up to the red carpet at the Mount Washington hotel….such a beautiful place for a prom. 

Ok…so maybe the big "Harley" truck isn't what Courtney had in mind, especially since keeping her dress up while she jumped out was a challenge…LOL

and more pictures of close friends…

and if you ask Courtney if she had a good time…..

I think this picture says it all…..

Courtney….
these are the day's you will remember….enjoy each moment…..
love Mom.

Normally I am not one to talk about something new here at the Woolen Rabbit.  I don't know why I don't but for some reason I usually feel a bit uncomfortable about it.

  Maybe it is from earlier blog days when some where criticized for having too many things…and maybe I DO have a few nice toys…but heck I work hard for them, right?  Well…. this week 2 new things made their way to La casa Woolen Rabbit and I love each one with the same gusto!

Over the last few years I have lusted for an iphone but given that I live in Verizonland, an iphone was just not an option.  I have an older ipod that works fine so when the itouch came out and I was tempted, but I resisted.  The kindle came and again I was wildly tempted, but again….I resisted…..but then…….

The ipad came and I'm sorry, this time I could not resist.  My kids all teased me saying it was an itouch for old people who can't see, but they were singing a different tune once it arrived.  Risa said it best………."my ipad, I think I could marry it!".  I think she could be right.  It's a pretty darn nifty tool right down to allowing me to using it for a credit card terminal for yarn sales.  How sweet is that?

Next was the long awaited arrival of the new Josh Ritter album……whoo hoo!  I actually think it could be his best, although it's a toss up between this one and Hello Starling.

When Ashley was in college she was forever telling me that I should listen to Josh.  "Mom, you will love him", "Mom…just listen once", "MOM…I think you should listen….pleease." 

Always busy and kind of set in my ways about what music I like I never did find the time to listen to him until one day Ashley popped a tape of his in her car when we were going somewhere.

BAM………."who is this I say?"  "Why Mom….it's Josh Ritter", she says a bit smugly.  HA….this child of mine knows me well.  Ever since that day I have been a HUGE fan of his and even more so after seeing him in concert this past winter.

Click on this Daytrotter link and listen to a few tunes…you just might like him too. 🙂

Pssst….Daytrotter is a pretty cool place….just sayin'

Kites harness the force of the wind.
They express our intent,
But they can not change the wind.
Deng Ming~Dao

Ashley was a good sport to let me take some pictures of her in Mara today.  She was dressed in her "clean the house clothes and hairdo"…LOL. 
Guess I should have mentioned it to her, eh?

This truly was an enjoyable knit, especially for anyone who enjoys mindless garter stitching, which I do.

I used a marker to mark the yarn over side to make it even more mindless. 🙂

The end result is an incredibly soft and cushy fabric that will be perfect to cuddle up in on a cold Spring or Autumn night.

I first saw this shawl on Ravelry and then I had the pleasure of seeing it on someone at Spa.  It was at that very moment that I knew I must make one myself and I am SO glad that I did.

And here's a little treat for those of you have asked what has happened to Ellie…no pictures….here's one for you.

Don't you just love her pouty little face?

and ready for blocking….yay!  Ashley will be home tomorrow so I will take some finished pictures then. 🙂

This is my brown prim rabbit.  I love his little blanket stitched nose and his crooked eyes…and his little pocket of sweet annie.  Yes, he may not be beautiful in a traditional way, but he is loved by me. 😉

Pretty Rita in her Sunday best is gracing the top of my wood stove that has been put to bed until next winter.  She's a kindly looking bunny don't you think?

…and her sister Chloe is ready for Spring with her little bag of flowers…..she is a serious bunny though I do believe. 😉

 
This pair of bunnies and their matching carrots live together atop my fireplace mantle.  Yes, they are a wee bit creepy, but how can you not love those button eyes and cute whiskers?

There are quite a few more rabbits who grace my home, but still at the end of the day I love rabbits like this the best…..

Beatrice…aka "The Bees Knees"…all grown up.

Have a wonderful Easter holiday!!