Working on new things....

No, there are no pics again. I know I so bad at this part but I was cruising around the blogs today and found Yarnplayer (Marilee) had posted a new pattern for earrings, so this morning I like them so much I sat down and made a pair looking at the picture online. All I can say is beautiful. If you visit her blog they are the "Key earrings".
Yesterday I went by our new Joann super store and was looking for some very fine thread for a pair of celtic knot earrings I want to do but I am not happy with the size they keep coming out. I tried 30 and 80 but still a bit too big. So while at Joann's I happened upon heavy duty Gutermann thread. It has a nice finish to it and slides very easily. I was a bit skeptical because I've tried using thread like this before and have not been happy with the results. I got it home and wondered if it would be too small. But I tatted it up and the only draw back was that I chose black but otherwise they came out the right size! I think they are probably 100 weight. They are sort of stiff so I need to see what the iron will do to the thread. I hope it won't melt it! I'll have to put a cloth between and hope and pray!

Later that day went with my Dad to the Richmond Metro Zoo. Now you have to understand it is not a zoo like the one in DC or any other big city. But it happens to be right down the road (like 5 mins) from where I live and I have never been there. It is a privately owned zoo so there is an entrance fee of 10.75 plus food for the animals. Well, not having been there before and not knowing what I was about to see I thought hmmm $10.75??? All I can say is wow I would have paid more! This zoo and the people who own it are something else!
They have every kind of animal you can imagine except for an elephant. They have white tigers! Orangutans (he was beautiful) Galapagos turtles (you have no idea how big they are until you see them in person) penguins (too funny!), many more and too much to list here but the most wonderful thing, I got to feed and pet a giraffe. He was so majestic. Very clean and, he/she not sure which, had manners not to slime me with its tongue while eating the entire cup of food I had! BTW they have extremely long tongues and they are strong. It seemed to enjoy being pet and was so soft. I never thought in my life I would get to pet one. I had seen a documentary online about a giraffe being set free into the wild, starring the lady from Absolutely Fabulous (English comedy) and ever since I have been in love with giraffes. They are the most wonderful animals. They have (I think) 5 of them. But one was a baby so he was not in with the rest. Not tall enough yet to reach the area where you can feed them but it was very friendly when you went by its fence. Well all I can say is WOW you just had to be there! I could just sit out there with them all day !