Is It the Season Already?

Holiday commercials are on TV, holiday movies, showing on Lifetime.  I've been getting Black Friday emails for a while.  So I guess it's time to talk gifts, especially since Chanukah is early this year.

In addition to all the great gifts we've always had available at Reef Botanicals (and remember, if you want to do a custom gift basket, fish around the shop and see what you like then message me so we can make some plans!), there are some new things at Fabric of my Mind you should see, that I haven't shown you yet.

The most luxurious is this 100% cashmere scarf.

It's in a great Irish hiking cable knit pattern.

This blue one you see is one I made for Eric, but I'm offering it as a custom order (which means if you want it for the holidays, order as soon as possible!) in any one of these six colors.

There's also this fluffy soft acrylic blue/green/grey cable knit scarf for a more affordable option.

Or there's a great fluffy soft ribbed scarf in apple green.

That ones makes a great set with these green mittens knitted from the same yarn!

Plus, there's lots more photos if you're into decor as gifts... or to update your house for having guests over.

Bright 'n' Cheery

A few more things have gone into the shop, so it's time to share.

I found this cute star mold and made several sets of Mini Star Crayons.  They're small, cute, bright & cheery, and they'd make great stocking stuffers when that time rolls 'round, but right now they're great as party favors, "just because" gifts, or a gift for that creative type who's already got everything else.

Each set of 10 crayons, made from only the top brand, is similar to the one in the photo, with crayons in reds/pinks, oranges, yellows/light greens, dark greens, light blues, dark blues/purples, fuscias, light browns/white, dark browns, and black/greys/silver.

These are a lot smaller than the Jumbo Dolphin Crayons, so they're not for the kiddies under 3.

Also new in the shop are two photos.  One is of Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland, taken in April of 2009.

The other was taken in my yard in June of 2010, and is of orange daylilies.

Be sure to poke around the shop when you've got a chance.

Some new things in Fabric of my Mind

I needed to pay a little more attention to the newer shop, so I've listed two new photographs.

The first, available here, is a photograph I took at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, Ireland, in the spring of 2009.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful place.  Hopefully, my memories and feelings show through in the photo.

I remember the day well, as well as the day before.  We'd actually gotten to Cashel the night before, intending to go straight to the Rock, see it, and then head on to the next town.  Well, we got there just a few minutes after they let in the last wave of people.  The ruins aren't artificially lighted, so they're really serious about not allowing latecomers.  I was really disappointed, until Eric reminded me that it was actually a day earlier than I thought it was - I so lose track of time when on vacation.

So that evening, we found a B&B and went to a dinner, probably the only one during our 10 days in Ireland that was at all disappointing.  What came after was awesome, though.  We consoled ourselves by going for a drink at a local pub, where we met some guys who heard our accents, found out we were on our honeymoon, and took us partying, first to another local pub with a band, and then to a club where the father of one of the guys was DJing at a private party we crashed.

While dancing at the club, Eric's foot got stomped by an Irish girl with big wooden-soled shoes, so the next morning when we got up and had breakfast, he was still pretty pained.  We walked the Rock anyway, and the grandeur of it almost made him forget his foot.

The second, available here, is a perfect red rose that was growing in my front yard in 2010 here in NJ.  I was able to find an angle that gave me the sky as background, and it's one of my favorite shots; so much so that it's the background wallpaper of my cell phone and has been for 3 successive phones now.

I've also added a third washcloth to the shop, this one in sprout green cotton bamboo with gardenia yellow racing stripes at both ends.  Soft and absorbent as ever, I really love the color scheme.

So... whatcha think?

This one took a long time, but I got it!

I had this terrific lavender vintage yarn from an estate sale.  It was brand new, still with the wrap, and part of the stash of a knitting grandma.  There was quite a bit of it, so I knew there'd be enough for a scarf, and I wanted to do cable knit.  Despite loving the ribbed scarf I did for him, Eric still wants his cable knit scarf in cashmere.  So I found a pattern we love, but wanted to try it out with something not quite as expensive as cashmere to see if we love it just as much in person.  We do.

Isn't it great?  And that purple is such a great color.  Close up, you can see the nifty texture.  The yarn is made of kind of fuzzy purple strands and very, very fine white threads, which make it really interesting.

It's available in the new shop here.

Also newly listed in Fabric of My Mind are these photos:

The white Japanese peony I photographed in my own backyard in NJ.  These flowers are gorgeous, but the blooming season is so short.  The only way to hang onto them is with pictures.

These next two were both taken in Kinsale, Ireland, in County Cork.  This was one of the best parts of our honeymoon, and one of our favorite places in Ireland.

The Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare, Ireland, are really a sight to see.  I love how they don't quite disappear into the fog in this shot, taken on a cold and drizzly day in 2009, just before we headed to Shannon airport to return to the States.

And now?  Well, knitting addict that I have become, after I finished the purple scarf the other night at midnight and was headed for bed, I felt so wrong not having another knitting project in the works.  So I headed to the attic to that box of vintage yarn and started a black and cream striped scarf I'm doing in a stockinette stitch.

Stay tuned for news when it's listed in the shop!

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