Say it with Flowers!

I hope everyone had a lovely long weekend. The weather here was perfect: warm and sunny. What a relief after a cold, dreary spring. Mr. S and I went to the greenhouse today to buy flowers for our window box. Actually, we went to 2 places because I was in search of these:
I can't tell you what they are because the tag is in the garage, but the color is so beautiful that they make my heart sing whenever I look at them. It doesn't show so well in the photo, but the purple centers just vibrate against the orange sherbet colored petals. Mmmmm. Happy little flowers.

I spent Friday through Sunday with my mom. We shopped (as usual) and ate bad food (as usual). Honestly, it would not bother me one bit if I didn't eat batter fried clams or onion rings for a long, long time. Bluh. While I wasn't committing sins of consumption, I worked on Surplice, and can finally say that I am almost done.
So naturally I started a new project. It's not my fault! I have been tempted by others into picking up my hook (you know who you are). Actually, Cara is the worst offender, what with her larger than life photos.

Yes, you've all conspired to wear me down; I started the Larger Than Life Bag last night. I was only going to make one block, just to test the waters. Now I have 3 finished blocks, and one more on the way. The last time I hooked, this is what happened:
Sorry. I know. It hurts the eyes. Despite Cara's success with the acryl-ick, I couldn't bear to touch the stuff again. Conveniently, I had plenty of Mission Falls 1824 Wool leftover from my Funky Chicken Pillow (Interweave Fall 2004, see photo with #5 under "10 Knittery Things" in this post).

I'm having so much fun combining colors that I can't seem to stop. Fortunately, or not, it's pretty painful for me to crochet very much at once (poor old hands), so the Surplice top is still at the top of the list.

Speaking of the list, I'm guilty of a little stash acquisition this weekend. In my defense, I've been sewing as fast as I can buy fabric, and it was on sale (you know). I found this embroidered cotton at Jo-Ann's in Brunswick (50% off!). It's exactly like the fabric I saw on a blouse in the Old Port last week. I was wondering where I could get that kind of fabric and it just fell in my lap.
In case you can't see the embroidery, here's how it looks against the light.

I also found the orange linen-like fabric below (a "Super Value" priced at $3.99 a yard!), which I am going to use in some combination with the brown or neutral in a skirt, as well as the coordinating ribbons. I have plans for several different ways to embellish simple skirts, with contrasting bands, applique, hand embroidery, and ribbons, and just need a good stretch of time to sit down and sew! Hopefully next Saturday. In case you are interested, I actually do wear what I sew, which you can see here and here.
As proof that I haven't given up on knitting, I managed to score some yarn for Sahara. I couldn't pass it up at $3.25 a skein, even though Yarn Tour is coming up (oh, you'll be hearing lots about that in the future). I bought 10 skeins which is WAY more than enough for the short sleeve version. What to do with 500 yds of worsted weight cotton blend yarn?
For those rare moments when I can't knit, or crochet, or sew, I'm reading Stephanie's new book, which I finally found at Barnes and Noble. Right now, it's in the bathroom. That says volumes about my down time.

Until we meet again, here's a little pretty to brighten your day.
Happy Week!