Recent Aquistions

As of late I have finally begun to cash in my birthday gift cards to various craft stores. For those interested, my birthday was back in June. I know it has taken awhile to get around to using them but I'm one of those types who puts their gift cards in random places and then happens upon them months later. It's like second birthday! Anyways, I had gift cards to Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Jo-Ann's (I call this the craft store trifecta). I used my Jo-Ann's card awhile back to purchase The Big Book of Quick Knitted Afghans, some US size 17 circulars (for said afghan projects), and some paint that I needed for a sign I was making.

The book with my first project from it on the needles.

The pattern I was making.

I have actually finished the afghan I started from this book.

Did not intentionally drape this exactly like the picture from the book. Ok, maybe I did a little.

So, that was one gift card well spent. The Hobby Lobby one was next. I snagged some yarn for the Square, Not a Circle blanket and the newest issue of the Debbie Bliss knitting magazine.

Yarn for the blanket.

British knitting magazine.

I still have not decided how to spend the Michael's gift card yet. I was really hoping that one of the stores would carry a pair of US 10.5 circulars with a 60" cable but apparently Addi is the only company that makes circulars that long. I will probably be needing more yarn to complete my mitered squares blanket but I may use some white I have in my stash instead of the purple and "berry" colors I have. In addition to using the gift cards I also treated myself to some goodies a few weeks ago when I visited the Whole Nine Yarns in Woodstock. I got a skein of Ella Rae and a skein of Nature Spun. I was thinking a hat would be made out of these fun, bright colors.

The Ella Rae was a natural choice. See where it's from?

I'm a Romanian at heart!