New England Knitter

Review of 2011 projects

2011-12-30T23:25:00.002-05:00

Here we are again at the end of the year, a good time to take a look through the projects. See what I've done, and what I would like to do.
I almost wrote "review of knits" but this year my fiber crafting went beyond knitting.
I'll start with the knits. Some of my projects include multiple pieces, but I will lump them together.
In 2011 I knit:

1 baby bag
2 sets wash cloths
2 hats
4 shawlettes
3 slugs
1 pair baby socks
1 bunny
2 owls
3 baby sweaters
4 mini mittens

Incredibly--none of these items were for myself, though some were for my children. Hmm--I've got to work on this. In the line up for the new year is a new sweater for me me me. The yarn and the pattern have been purchased and are just waiting for me to get my act together. We'll see how that goes.

My other projects this year included weaving.
In 2011 I wove:

1 stuffed animal blanket
1 scarf
1 set of wash cloths

Among the woven items--well, I use the wash cloths (for the baby).

I also got some spinning done. Lots of little batches of things to test out, but my big project was about 700 yards of 2-ply lace weight bamboo merino, in winter of my discontent, from Sereknitty. One goal for 2012-- knit something (for ME) with this lovely stuff.

I also leave some things undone.
In the UFO pile for knitting:
2 owls
1 cowl
a pair of bunny slippers

All the knitting is done, just the finish work is left. I also just started a scarf, but that was just started, so I'm not counting that as a UFO just yet--it is still a WIP. Unlike the other projects that have been waiting around for me to sew things up.

And some weaving UFOs too:
a set of spa cloths--9 of them, on one long warp. Waiting for me to learn how to use my sewing machine, and
2 rainbow scarves, also waiting for finishing.

I've also got a spinning UFO--I started some nice silk merino blend. I've gotten through over half of it, but it got stalled for holiday knitting. This is also destined to be 2-ply.

So overall, lots of little projects in 2011. Lots of gifts. I'm glad I was able to get something done, but it would be nice to dig into some bigger projects. Also, I really should learn how to work this sewing machine. I've had it nearly a year, and I'm still scared of it. And of course, my child free time is limited, and learning how to use the sewing machine has just not made it to the top of the list of priorities.

But overall, 2011 was a pretty good year for fibery things. I have high hopes for 2012. Maybe I'll even learn how to crochet.

Slugette

2011-10-26T01:02:00.001-04:00

Anther slug. This one will travel eventually.

Goldie

2011-10-13T22:13:00.003-04:00

Another gift knit.
My friend's daughter recently redecorated her bedroom--an owl theme. Well since I have the power to make owls I thought I'd make her one.
Behold, Goldie

Pattern Owls Two Ways (knit) by Ana Clerc
Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted

She was well received, and I think she will enjoy living in a owl filled room.

Babies, babies, babies

2011-10-13T21:50:00.003-04:00

Much of my knitting time has been spent making smallish and tiny sweaters.
I made one for my little guy who is now 18 months old! So not a baby any more :( but a toddler now.

I loved the baby elephant pattern, but didn't want to make too many elephants (a bit too girlie) so I just used one. As I have stated elsewhere--live and learn. Do not put a garter ridge in your raglan decreases, unless you want a 1980's members only thrilleresque look. Luckily, babies (um, sorry, toddlers), don't have much say in what they wear.

Baby Elephant Vest by Melanie Rice
Needle US 8 - 5.0 mm
Yarn Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solids, Heathers & Twists

Next I went on to make a baby kimono, from Mason Dixon knitting.
One-Piece Baby Kimono by Cristina Bernardi Shiffman
Needle US 7 - 4.5 mm
Yarn Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash
I added snaps rather than ribbon to keep things closed. My only disappointment is that I had to leave the baby shower before my co-worker opened it.

On to another sweater, also made for a colleague (and fellow knitter, mellenknits). I used what I learned from the first baby elephant to make a tiny green one. I added some green beads for eyes.
Needle US 7 - 4.5 mm
Yarn Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash

I'd like to get my act together an make one more baby sweater for another colleague, due in November. We'll see what I can manage.

Four years of Ravelry!

2011-08-16T13:31:00.005-04:00

Just a quickie post here to say

I LOVE RAVELRY!

But you all knew that right?

Today is my four year anniversary of getting my Ravelry account.

What's new that I love about Ravelry? Well, I can now post a picture to a project page, or to a forum post directly from my iPod Touch or iPhone. Totally cool. With the iPhone I can take the picture and post it within seconds! This is a new service that Ravelry is offering. You've got to download a free app to make work, and you get a 2 week trial for free. Ravelry is asking $5 per year for this service, which I found to be very reasonable considering much of my current on line time is spent on the ipod or iPhone. When I went to pay for the service I found a gift coupon! Because I have donated to Ravelry in the past they waved the $5 fee!!

Happy Anniversary to me :)

ps had some technical difficulities--so this posted a bit late.

WWHD? Yarn bomb

2011-07-18T22:39:00.000-04:00

Yarn bomb cont.

2011-07-18T22:37:00.000-04:00

Here is the rest of that one.

Yarn bomb

2011-07-18T22:11:00.001-04:00

Saw some very nice yarn bombing in Northampton MA. Here is a peek.

Another Shawlette

2011-07-11T22:48:00.003-04:00

I did finished the latest Mezquita Shawlette, using yarn from Ellen's half pint farm. The yarn has been living in my stash for too long and I'm glad I found a project that worked well with the yarn.

So the mods for this are similar to the last one. Made wider by having fewer stitches after each decreases (3 instead of 4) and 6 rows of garter at the end just before binding off. I also slipped the first stitch after each turn.

Very straightforward pattern and I think it looks very nice. I made this in 2 weeks. Now to get it off in the mail.

Peas

2011-07-11T22:40:00.003-04:00

Ok--more food, but really just an excuse to post some pictures.

These peas were picked, shelled, cooked for 3 minutes and eaten within 15 minutes. I can barely describe how delicious they were. Even my 7 yr old who is not fond of peas admitted that they were good--though he would have preferred broccoli.

Yum

Escarole in Fish Packets

2011-07-04T14:17:00.005-04:00

More cooking.

I love escarole--but there is only so much bean and escarole soup my family will eat, though I could eat it every week. We like to make fish packets, especially in the summer when we can grill them, and keep the fishy smell out of the house. I added some escarole to my packets last week and it was great.

I usually buy approx. 1.5 pounds (for two adults, one 7 year old and one 1 year old) of firm white fish (often haddock). This is usually 2 pieces of fish, that I get with no skin on. I often make it two ways. One packet is Asian inspired, the other Mediterranean inspired.

First I mix up my flavorings in little prep cups. For the Asian fish I use minced garlic, fresh ginger, soy, sesame oil, and canola oil. I would add sesame seeds, but the 7 yr old doesn't like them. For the Mediterranean fish I use minced garlic, parsley, oregano, olive oil, and the juice of one lemon or lime. I am often told by the 7 year old that this is too lemony for him--but he eats it, and I like it that way.

For each packet: I wash and chop the escarole. On the heavy duty foil I drizzle oil (olive or canola depending on the packet), and mound up the chopped escarole. On top of that goes the fish, then I pour the sauce over everything. Seal tight and bake for 15 min in a 500 degree oven, or on the grill. I serve it with rice.

Summer CSA

2011-07-04T14:04:00.002-04:00

And now for some non-knitting content.

For years I have been intrigued by the idea of joining a CSA, but just never got my act together. Well, I can't say that I got my act together this year, but I did get a chance to join. My son's first grade class had a field trip to the local organic farm and I tagged along. While there I inquired about the availability of the CSA, and I left a message. Someone called back and let me know they had some unofficial openings, and that I could join. So we did.

The trick now is using everything that we pick up. We don't have to take everything and items can be donated to a local food pantry. It has been a good way to get out of my cooking rut and the veggies have been yummy. So occasionally I will post what I've cooked to remember all the yumminess--though I can't guarantee pictures, since these items don't stick around very long :)

Today we made Kale Chips. The recipe was on a hand out at the farm. Normally I saute kale with minced garlic, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar--but this was a big hit. Kale chips look a little weird. Surprisingly they do not stick to the cookie sheet. I think I oversalted mine, but they were yummy and they reminded me of toasted nori. The 7 year old loved them--while cooking the smell reminded him of spinach, which he likes a lot. Even the 1 year old ate them! They do not hold well, especially if it is humid. We were imagining using this as a crunchy component is an otherwise softish plate of food. Maybe on top of some mashed potatoes.

One important note if you make these. Put only one layer of kale leaves on each cookie sheet. Otherwise the kale stays moist and does not crisp up. If you try it I'd love to know what you think, and pass you comments on to the original poster (see link) also.

Surprise Birthday Shawlette

2011-07-04T13:51:00.003-04:00

Two of my good friends turned 40 in June, within days of each other. In late May I received an invitation to a surprise party for one of them. Though her husband let us know that no gifts were necessary, I thought it would be nice to make her something. So with three weeks to work with, I dug into my stash and started a shawlette.

I found Brown Sheep Wildfoote in blue blood red and decided on the Mezquita Shawl. I had never made it before, but it looked pretty and straightforward, so off I went. I was able to finish the shawlette in time, and I think the recipient really liked it. Not bad, considering how little time I have to knit these days.

I enjoyed making it enough that I started another one, for my other friend. Of course that one is late, but it is coming along and should get sent out pretty soon.

For the red shawl, my only mod was to make it wider. I did this by (eventually) knitting only 3 (rather than 4) stitches after the p2tog (or ssk), and before the turn.

In the current shawl the only additional mod is to slip the first stitch after the turn. The current shawl is also made from stash yarn--I'll get up some pics once it is done.

NH Sheep and Wool 2011

2011-06-12T23:01:00.003-04:00

So many wooly things to write about and so little time. NH Sheep and Wool was last month, and we had a lovely time.

The plan was to take the boys on Sunday and have a nice leisurely day to see everything. Our Saturday afternoon was fully booked. But as luck would have it, the weather for the weekend was iffy, with the worst of the rain forecast for Sunday. So I got everyone up and ready as early as I could on Saturday (which was not all that early) and headed up to Contoocook NH. I raced through what I could. My goal was to avoid buying yarn and see what interesting spinning fiber I could find. My older son wanted to see the sheep dogs.

We saw some cutie sheep and alpacas, and some sheep dogs trying to herd. One additional difficulty was in my rush I forgot to bring much cash, and I didn't want to use the ATM at the fairgrounds. So I was limited in my spending. I could only buy fiber from sellers that accepted credit cards.

In the end I found Dianne from French Hill Farm in Maine. They have Coopworth sheep and she had 3 one pound balls of roving in a basket. I debated whether to buy one or two. Dianne offered all three to me at an excellent price. I came home with three pounds of Coopworth. Here is what they look like with a business size envelope for reference.

My long term goal is to spin enough to make a sweater. I did a test run and spun up about 40 yards. My 2 ply is a light worsted and knit up surprisingly soft. I hope to start plugging away at this project, but I've got a few others currently in the works that need more immediate attention. I've got a lovely superwash merino/bamboo/nylon blend from Sereknity that I have working on. About 3/4 of it is singles in a plying ball ready to become 2 ply. I'm hoping this will be a light fingering weight. We'll see how it all works out.

Spin, spin, spin

2011-05-15T23:58:00.003-04:00

Very little knitting action, but I have been spinning. It is the sort of thing that is easier to pick up and put down at the moment. No need to count where I am or figure out what I've done. I can just pick it up and go, and put it down whenever I need to--no need to get to the end of the row.

So, I mentioned another spindle in the last post. Here it is.

This is a trindle!
In April trindleman was offerring a special--where I received an extra set of arms. Yes, the arms are removable from the shaft. You can change them up, and they come in different weights. The pair I ordered were a midweight (below), and I requested a lightweight (above) for the extra set. The shaft is nice and long and it spins very nicely.

Trindleman is offerring another special in May--who knows I may end up with some more trindle gear in my collection.

I actually even finished some yarn. Here is the Frabjous Fibers that I have been working on for ages! About 175 yards worth--please don't laugh at all the miniskeins, I'm getting better at all this, but slowly.

I have also finished spinning 4oz or so of BFL that I hand dyed with Kool Aid. While the fibers looked nice as fiber, the spinning of it muddled up the colors. Live and learn. If I do any more dyeing I will stick with a more tonal palette. I haven't set the twist on that yet. I'll get some picture up once I do that.
Also for a future post--NH Sheep and Wool 2011!

Down the slippery spinning slope

2011-04-30T09:15:00.004-04:00

I've had a couple of student grade spindles for a while and every so often I spin with them, but didn't get really excited about it. More recently I have been reading more of the spinning and spindling forums on ravelry and I got the bug to get another spindle. After a bit of searching around I ordered a Golding.

She is a beauty and a pleasure to use. Quite different then the clunky spindles I had (which are perfectly fine and weigh about 1.5 oz). The one I got is a 0.75oz carved in the tsunami design. She spins and spins.

Here I am giving her a test drive en plein air on the day she arrived.

For school vacation week we took a few days in NorthWestern MA/SouthWestern VT (where we drove through a snow squall by the way!). This was spitting distance to the farm where the Goldings are born and I was in touch with them about stopping by, since they have a showroom and open their workroom to the public. But alas, the baby was just not holding it together, and it would have added too much driving time for him. He seems to have a 2 hour limit before he loses patience. Maybe lucky for my wallet that we could not go--I'm sure I would not have walked out empty handed.

And would you believe I ordered another spindle since then. But I'll save that for another post, when I've got some pictures.

Brother Slug

2011-04-30T09:01:00.003-04:00

Well my first slug was so cute I just had to make another.

I also wanted to make Easter bunnies. I made one and didn't love it--but it did end up in an Easter egg for the baby. He just stuffs it on one of his toys (with the slugs) anyway.

And how do you like my tangled Easter egg?

Slug Love

2011-03-21T23:48:00.003-04:00

I don't knit softies. I can only remember having made one toy, a little bear for my nephew. It was so fiddly, and seemed to take a long time for something so small--though he was pretty cute. So I don't know how I got sucked in by the slugs!
Here is my first.

I've already started another!

What a fun way to use up bits and bobs of random yarn--of which I have plenty!

Garden Slug by Kahra Grae
from Cheezombie on Etsy

Baby Birthday Socks

2011-03-18T14:43:00.005-04:00

It has been over 2 years since I knit a pair of socks! I know, crazy. The last year has been light on knitting, but I don't know what happened the year before that. In any case, I've eased back into sock knitting.
I knit the baby some birthday socks--I did the same for my older son. They were infant sized and worsted weight and so were lighting fast, even without much time to knit.

I even got to use my new Knitpicks Harmony needle.

Needle US 7 - 4.5 mm
Yarn Adriafil Knitcol Trends

Yarn Crawl 2011

2011-03-18T14:38:00.003-04:00

Last week was the North Shore second annual yarn crawl. I had fun visiting some new (to me, and just new) shops and old friends. Got a few lovely goodies for knitting and weaving.

Last year I was way pregnant and did not venture far from home. This time I dragged a nearly 1-yr-old all over the place.

Today is warm and windy. I washed my winter sweaters--they really needed it--with my new Soak wash, and they are outside drying.
I even used some of my yarn--check out the next post.

More weaving

2011-02-20T14:23:00.005-05:00

I finished another project on the loom. Although this was supposed to be a stash busting machine, I find I am buying yarn and stuff to use for it. Another black hole of crafting.

I finished this scarf for J.

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool
2.25 skeins = 432.0 yards (395.0m)
Colorway: Thundercloud

And I bought a sewing machine to hem my ends.

The Cricket

2011-01-29T23:04:00.003-05:00

There has been some knitting here, but today I will be posting about another fibery interest of mine. Back in August I purchased a Cricket Loom at the Fiber Revival, from Loom with a View.

It took me months to find the time to put it together (assembly time less than 30 minutes), and then months again to get my act together to get a warp on (um, more than 30 minutes, because I need to watch the YouTube videos over and over because I must understand before I do), but we finally got a project going, and finished very quickly.

It is just a little blanket for Stitch.

It has all sorts of errors, mostly due to my tension issues putting on the warp, and the pattern and how that affected the tension on the apron--but it was a lot of fun, and I'm trying to find the time to get another warp on for a real project. This time a scarf, using Silky Wool. I had planned on using the yarn to make a scarf in linen stitch--but since I have the loom now, I might as well weave it. I'll keep you posted.

A Look Back at 2010

2011-01-06T12:55:00.003-05:00

2010 was not much of a knitting year for me. The biggest FO was a little human--and of course the delivery was only the beginning.

In 2010 I only finished nine projects (!)

1 sweater
1 hat
1 wrap
2 shawlettes
4 diaper covers

Three of these items were for me--33% (not to bad considering one was a sweater).

I'm slowly getting back in the swing of things, and at least planning projects. Maybe I will learn to crochet in 2011 (don't hold your breath).

In any case, looking forward to what the new year will bring.

Now it is time to clean Cheerios up off the floor :)

Remembering my Yiayia

2010-12-23T11:49:00.004-05:00

In late September my Grandmother died. Although she was very far away, she was someone I spent a lot of time with over the years, as a child and as an adult. She was 96 years old and in the nearly 39 years that I knew her I have no memories of her knitting, weaving, spinning or crocheting--and yet she did all those things, probably primarily before I was born.

The last time I saw her I was still in a cross stitch/embroidery phase and had only recently learned to knit. She could not believe I was wasting my time working on projects for others. She did not understand that for me, the craft was a way to relax, or to give my hands something to do. To her these activities were done to clothe her family, by necessity. If she did not weave her floors and beds would be bare. If she did not knit and spin her children would not have socks. Once these items became readily available and affordable at the local stores the hand work became less of a necessity. In this new world of washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and inexpensive clothing, etc. we did not have the same view of hand crafts.

And yet when my Mom looked through my Grandmother's things she found the following:

It is very possible they have not been used in 50 years, but there they were. My Mom has many memories of my Grandmother weaving and knitting, but she has only a few memories of her spinning. The shuttle is missing the part to hold yarn. The spindles are quite worn. But to me they are treasures. My Mom gave them to me because she knew I would treasure them--she doubts any other family members would even know what they are. Like my Grandmother's curved steel dp knitting needles (with a crochet hook on one end) they are a small link to my past and my family's history, and the history of fiber crafts.

I will remember all the funny stories she told, her wicked temper and the delicious bread she baked for me. And I will wonder about the yarn she spun and the items she made.

Traveling Woman II FO

2010-12-20T17:13:00.002-05:00

I finished the shawlette for my sister just before Thanksgiving, and promptly started another one for my other sister. Hopefully it will take less than four months to complete this time. I should try to take a better picture before I send it off.

I also have more plans for projects. Also an improvement since I feel like I could barely think about planning all these months. Sleep deprivation will do that to you.
I bought yarn to make my older son a new sweater and yarn to make my younger son some diaper covers.

I also have a lot more of the MadelineTosh than I expected. The skein seems to have been 120 or 125 grams. I probably could have made another repeat of chart A. I have 40g left and I was thinking I could make a Traveling Little Lady for my 4 yr old niece. Then she can be matchy matchy with her Mom. We'll see.

State of the Traveling Woman

2010-10-21T16:31:00.002-04:00

I started another Traveling Woman in August--and it is still not done. I was dithering for a while about ripping back, I knew I didn't have enough yarn. Yesterday I finally found the time to do it--in the car while the baby was sleeping.

Here is what it looks like over the steering wheel.

Snapdragons

2010-10-21T16:27:00.002-04:00

I think these snapdragons know their time is short. They are giving a lovely end of the year display.

Scenes from the Fair

2010-10-20T11:26:00.003-04:00

No knitting content today--I didn't even take any photos from the ribbon winning fiber crafts. Just some sights from the local fair a few weeks ago.

pretty honey

a really big pumpkin

veggie art

early stages of the sand sculpture

How long has it been?

2010-10-08T23:07:00.004-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Time just slips away. Any every spare second I spend doing things that should have been done already--or sleeping. I should be sleeping right now--but I'm not.

My little bean is now 6 months old! Hard to believe. There are a few projects that I never got to blog about before he arrived.

I made 4 diaper covers, to be used by my friend, the photographer, for her sittings with newborns and infants. We went in at 4 weeks and had family photos--the baby wore the hats I made and the diaper covers--very cute.

If I can ever find the notes, I really need to post the mods that I made. I found the smallest size too large for a newborn--so I reworked it so it would be smaller.

Sorry about the poor quality shots. Some of them were taken with the computer's webcam. I never took any with the regular camera--and now they are gone, so that is all I've got.

Diaper Covers

by Marie Connolly

from The Expectant Knitter

The little pink one was completed hours before I went into labor.

And a good thing too--I didn't pick up the knitting needles again until August. I've been slowly working on another Traveling Women--but I'll save that for another post.

Full-term and FOs

2010-02-28T12:49:00.003-05:00

As of the middle of last week I am full-term. I would guess I've still got a couple weeks to go--which is good. I've got a few things to finish up at work before I take some time off to get acquainted with the newest family member.

In the meanwhile, call it nesting, or something, but I have finished a few projects.

First the Traveling Woman shawlette, which I could have finished a few weeks ago, but had a crisis about the amount of yarn. I ended up ripping back, and from then it finished off quickly.

Here it is:

And up close:

I also made a bulky little baby hat in one evening:

But the big finish is the Tilted Duster. I had to block the sleeves pretty hard--don't know if they would be tight anyway, or if it is due to the pregnancy, but after blocking they fit fine. Months and months sitting around in a bag waiting for sleeves--but I finally have something cozy to wear. I will probably wear it non-stop for the next 6 weeks or so :)

Baby Santa

2010-01-26T21:50:00.004-05:00

Here is a hat I finished off last month/year--though I didn't give it to the intended recipient until this past weekend.

Another prop hat for my friend's photography shoots.

Maybe we'll get the new baby to wear it for some shots next year.

This was knit from Sirdar Big Softie, using size 15 needles. Machine washable and super cute. I just love the pompoms this yarn makes!

The not quite-Colonnade wrap

2010-01-26T21:45:00.003-05:00

I finished off something else--though still not my Tilted Duster.

This started off as the Colonnade wrap from Knitty, but when I got to the lacey part I just wasn't loving it. So I continued on in stockinette until I felt it was long enough.

I wore it today, and it kept me comfy.

Happy Distaff Day

2010-01-08T15:19:00.001-05:00

Hope you are enjoying some spinning--maybe I will do a little tonight!

First FO of 2010

2010-01-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you just need a little instant gratification--and a new hat.

Pattern Icing Swirl Hat by Ysolda Teague

Needle US 10 / 6.0 mm

Yarn Knit Picks Decadence

Looking back on 2009

2009-12-31T23:12:00.003-05:00

Just a quick recap in this last hour of 2009. I thought after May I would have so much more time to do all sorts of things, like knit and write about my knitting, but somehow that just didn't happen. But even so, here is what I managed to complete in the last year.

4 sweaters
2 pairs of fingerless mitts
1 pair of socks (??!!??)
3 washcloths
1 neck warmer
1 afghan square
2 lace shawl/stoles
4 baby hats

Of these 18 items, 12 were given away--that is 2/3 of my knitted items. That said, the larger projects (3 sweaters, 1 shawlette, socks) were for me.

Let unfinished this year is the Tilted Duster, which for the past 4 months has needed nothing but the arms sewn on. I really could use this sweater in my state of expanding belly. Also, the Baby Surprise Jacket, which I had been thinking about for so long, but just could not get into. I really should finish it though. Also unfinished is the Colonnade wrap which I thought would be done in a snap considering I finished the Ishbel in 2 weeks, yet this one lingers. And also, the project I knew would be a long term one--and which I do work on sporadically, especially on cold winter nights, because now it covers my legs--the Moderne Log Cabin Blanket.

Hoping 2010 brings us all the time to do the things we really love.

Puff Mama

2009-12-03T22:03:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I knit and sent off a scarflet to the one respondent to my Pay It Forward challenge.

I made the Puff Daddy using about 1/2 skein of Big Softie, and got to use my pompom maker for the first time. A fun quick knit--I highly recommend it, especially if you are looking for some last minute gift knits.

I'm getting fond of the Big Softie. I'm not usually into (super) bulky yarns, but they work really well for certain things--and this wool blend feels really nice, and makes the best pompoms!

10 years, 24 weeks, 28 days 'til Christmas

2009-11-27T15:36:00.002-05:00

In the spirit of being thankful . . .

Today marks 10 years of marriage. With all its ups and downs, it has been a great decade.
This is the 24th week of my second pregnancy--so far so good :)
With 28 days to go, I ordered the perfect Christmas gift for my husband today. It took me less than 2 minutes on the phone, it will not take up any space or gather dust in my house, and it was on sale (bonus, bonus, bonus).

I am thankful for my family, my current state of good health, and the fact that I have access to everything I could possibly need (and more).

We are looking forward to a few days off before tackling the spare (soon to be occupied) room. The paint has been purchased, now to get cracking!

Photographer's Prop Hats

2009-11-18T21:35:00.003-05:00

Well here are some projects that came and went so quick I haven't even posted them on Ravelry yet.

I have a friend who is a family/child photographer. Some time in the past we had talked about hats that she could use with babies during her shoots. I promised to make her some cute hats, as I had seen some posted on Ravelry. Her request was that the yarn was "pretty" and machine washable. Hmmmm, lots of pretty yarn, but not so much of it machine washable.

After a bit of looking around I found a yarn that I liked--Sidar's Big Softie--purchased at my localest LYS, less than a mile from my house. I actually purchased this yarn for another, yet to be blogged, project--but that was a gift for someone, who I believe is a reader, so I will wait until she receives it before I show it off.

One of these little hats was clearly inspired by the hat I saw on Ravelry. One of them, I must have subconsciously remembered--I thought I had a unique inspiration to make it, but when I checked the patterns of the original prop hat there was one similar. One of them is a basic hat, all my own, but undoubtable made by generations of other knitters.

Here they are:

Playful Pompom

Pretty Petals

Plain Vanilla

I will write up and post the pattern for plain vanilla--though you can probably take a look at it an figure it out. Meanwhile, I will be checking my friend's site (Traci McCabe Photography) to see if she has had a chance to use the hats. If you live anywhere near Westford, MA, and are interested in having portraits taken, especially of children, take a look at her site. I think she does lovely stuff.

Ishbel

2009-11-18T21:23:00.003-05:00

I became obsessed with Ishbel a few weeks ago--and I just had to knit it.

I used the Alpaca Sox that I bought last year (I think) in hopes of making actual socks. Since I have lost my sock mojo, I decided over the summer to make a scarf. I can't even remember the pattern I was making--but it was a Knitty pattern that I believe actually called for this yarn (maybe)--but I got a migraine while doing it, and it just totally put me off the pattern. Never even took a picture--we were traveling at the time. I balled it up and put it away, and I'm pretty sure I did not even knit for the rest of the trip (weird, right?).

Then I just needed to make Ishbel. So out came the Alpaca Sox, and I think it was perfect. I have no pictures of me wearing it, though I have worn it around the house.

Needle

US 6 / 4.0 mm

Yarn

Classic Elite Yarns Alpaca Sox

How much?

0.82 skeins = 369.0 yards (337.4m)

I did a large stockinette section and a small lace section, adding beads to the D chart.

Here it is blocking.

This was made in exactly two weeks! I am considering making one for my Mom. She seemed to really like mine, and I have plenty of nice fingering weight yarn just lying around.

Phat Fibers

2009-11-18T21:21:00.002-05:00

It has been so long since I had time to write anything that the next set of Phat Fibers boxes have been sold and probably received by some. But I will post some pictures and talk a bit about what I got.

Here is what I found when I opened the box. The theme was masquerade--and I did wear my mask for the trick or treaters (all 5 of them) on Halloween.

Inside the box was a lovely assortment of fibers and some handspun yarns with a good amount of glitz.

The most substantial amount of fiber came from Desired Haven Farm--at the top right of the picture. It is wool, but I'm not sure what type. All it says is Batt made from Simi my black ewe. Plenty of glitz mixed in with this one. Most of the other samples were quite small, just enough to get a feel for the fiber, I guess. Something like 0.25 oz.

There was a good amount of merino fiber in an assortment of pretty colors, but I've had a go at spinning merino and I was hoping for some more variety--and I did get it.

Alisha goes around included some lovely blue merino/bamboo blend. Polyartgirl sent in some mauve 100% bamboo. Anzula send in some natural black, brown and gray alpaca. Dragonmaille sent in some milk fiber--interesting. Rule out: Fiber addiction, NOS send some superwash corriedale--in the color Pavarti Patil--pinks! The Sheepy Kitty sent some BFL, in a color called crushed velvet--lovely aubergines.

Of the yarns, the samples were just enough for a small swatch. Of the yarns there was some merino, and alpaca, but the two I particularly liked were blends. Mama Jude sent in some 50%wool/50% silk that had a lovely sheen (and color). Lampyridae sent 70% alpaca/20% cashmere/10% silk in a laceweight that was just beautiful--pinky browns--and ridiculously soft.

The box also held some non-fiber items (other than the mask). My favorite was a pad of graphing paper, but very special graphing paper. Each "square" is actually a knit stitch, with all the right dimensions, so you can create a pattern on your knit graph paper and really know what it will look like. Very cool. This KnitStitch Graph paper came from gingerbunny.com. There was also a beautiful, large, ceramic button from heartstone ceramics that can be used as an accent on a hat or one large button closure at the top of a cardigan

Now that I know what all the fuss is about I will probably hold off ordering another box for a while. I hope to get around to trying some of these fibers and deciding if I'd like to get to know them a little better. I'll let you know how it goes.

Interweave

2009-11-16T11:26:00.002-05:00

Not much blogging recently--though I have been knitting and I do have some FOs to post--just don't have the time (or the photos to do it at the moment).

On a bit of a rant. . .
I opened up my Knitting Daily just now to find that they are trying to sell me another magazine (hey, I thought only Tues and Thurs were for useless advertising). This one is Interweave accessories. Well I bought the Weekend issue (as a impulse), and found nothing jumping out at me and this weekend I bought the Holiday issue, and found nothing exciting. Damned if I will be buying the accessory issue, unless I see a whole bunch of good stuff in there.

They still get my money--I still subscribe, and clearly I've been buying these extra issues, but I'm feeling let down. I know their job is to make enough money to keep things going, pay the bills, etc. But I'm just not feeling the Interweave vibe.

Shopping list

2009-10-23T14:38:00.002-04:00

On my shopping list today:

eggs

police officer costume

bra extenders

An eclectic list!

Oh, and my Phat Fibers box arrived this past Wednesday!! I have taken some pictures and I will try to post soon. It is truly a box of samples. Unlikely that I can actually make anything from it (though spinning a little bit with the fiber should be interesting)--but oh, they are some nice, soft, sparkly, squishy samples!

Phat Fibers

2009-10-17T10:06:00.003-04:00

I think I actually just purchased a Phat Fibers mystery box!! I'm very excited!

Looks like everything went through. I was on there (logged in) before the specified time (refreshing and refreshing). When it came up at 10am I picked a box and went through the process of buying/paying on Etsy. By the time I got back to the Phat Fibers site, at 10:03, all the boxes seemed to be gone!

This was my first time trying for this, and I chose a box with a mixture of fiber and yarn. I can't wait to receive/share the goodies!

They will be putting more boxes for sale later in the day--sending good luck out to those trying to get one!

Makes me feel a bit better about missing out on Rhinebeck (again) this year.

Dyeing fiber

2009-10-16T12:32:00.005-04:00

Although I haven't been doing much knitting, I thought I would share my dyeing. A few nights ago I spend some time dyeing up approx. 4oz of Bluefaced Leicester and 4oz. of South African Fine Wool.

Out of the bag the SAF seemed much fluffier (this is a technical spinning term, right?), and seemed to stick to my clothes more than the BFL. Although I was a bit scared that the combed top would just float away in the water, it seemed to hold together just fine when I put it in for a pre-dye soak.

For the SAF I was going for the color of autumn leaves and for the BFL I was going for some muted blues, reds and greens that I have done in the past. Here are the results.

SAF

BFL

After squishing the water out and pressing the remaining water out with a towel, I was concerned that the roving would be a flat mat of fiber, but after letting it air dry on my clothing rack it did fluff up.

If you look closely you can see the wavy curliness of the BFL. The waviness of the SAF is much finer so it looks smoother.

I'll be passing the SAF along to someone else, and keeping the BFL for myself.

Breaking out the wool

2009-10-13T14:04:00.002-04:00

Yes, time for the big guns. Yesterday afternoon I finally switched out the summer/winter clothes and today I am wearing my EZ fair isle cardi. And guess what? It still needs a clasp! The clasp has been sitting on my dresser for months! The sweater is a bit rumpled, and could have used a soak or at least a steaming, but it was just too chilly and rainy today.
As I was shuffling the clothes, I realized that there are many many things that I won't be able to wear for a while. I only have a few sweaters that will take me through the winter--and I guess I should put the pullovers to use earlier rather than later. I put away quite a few winter clothes that just will not fit me this winter, and that was depressing. I really need to get the Tilted Duster sewn together.
On non-knitting/clothing issues:
We had a lovely time at the Fair a few weeks ago. We only went once this year, but I did get to see the giant pumpkins and the sheep. The pictures are on the other computer though--will get some up soon.
We also did a bit of hiking in Purgatory Chasm--very cool. I'm still a bit achy from it actually, but in a good way.
We also enjoyed a day of Fire Safety with the Beverly Fire Dept. We watched a demonstration of how they use the jaw of life to rip open a car--impressive. And got to climb all over the fire trucks--always fun.

Knitting funk

2009-10-07T11:16:00.002-04:00

I've been in a knitting funk lately, and just can't get out of it.
I haven't knit socks in months--maybe because I was so disappointed with the last ones I tried.
The knitting of my Tilted Duster is complete, but I just can't whip up the energy to get those sleeves sewn in.
I have a few small knitting commitments that I just can't make decisions about (small gifty items).
My Baby Surprise Jacket is just sitting there about 1/2 done--some how I just can't count, and I'm having trouble keeping the increases and decreases in the right place. I do have time for that one though, as the little energy sucker is not due until March--but it would be nice to see this looking like something other than a weird rag.
What I have been working on the last few nights--my Moderne Blanket. Ah, so mindless and soothing. But last night I finished a skein--time to pick a new color and pick up some stitches.

So long September, I hardly knew ya

2009-10-02T14:25:00.002-04:00

As work keeps piling on at the office, and team members are dropping like flies (lost one person last week to indefinite medical leave--we are again 3 short on a team that should be 12), I try my best to keep my sanity.

My Tilted Duster is still armless--but I really should get cracking, it has gotten chilly and I could use a cozy cardigan.

My Baby Surprise Jacket is coming along, but of course still looks like a badly made washcloth. We'll see how that all goes.

What has been keeping my sanity is the spinning! It is mostly mindless and that is pretty much what I need these days. I've been working some more on my Stained Glass merino, and I'm about halfway through that bunch. I also bought 2lbs (!) of undyed combed top from Hello Yarn. 1lb of BFL and 1lb of South African Fine wool. I haven't done anything with it, but I will give dying it a shot and let you know how it turns out.

Otherwise, this household is looking forward to the Fair tonight--have a good weekend!

World Wide Spin in Public Day

2009-09-18T16:57:00.005-04:00

I just found out, through Ravelry (of course), that tomorrow is World Wide Spin in Public Day. I don't know if I will get a chance to spin in public--I'm not sure that the waiting room for my flu shot is a good place, but maybe at (our first) soccer practice!

In the meanwhile, I thought I'd post pictures of my latest spinning results.

Here is the second half of the green merino. I'm happy with my progress.

The boy would like me to make him something with this first bunch of yarn that I've made. Once I do a bit of swatching, I may look into using it for some color work--maybe mittens.

And I've started the new stuff.

A little more brown than I would have liked--but pretty nonetheless.

I'm looking into sources for my next fix :)

100 days until Christmas

2009-09-16T12:30:00.002-04:00

. . . and I don't think I will be doing any Christmas knitting this year--though I seem to toss in a hat or two somewhere near the deadline.

The knitting for the Tilted Duster is complete. Now I just need to sew in the sleeves (it has been a long long time since I did set in sleeves) and weave in the ends. I'm also planning on putting in some snaps so the collar overlaps where I want it to. I didn't add button holes--I plan to use a pin to keep it closed.

I finished spinning all of that first batch of fiber and the 2nd 2oz definitely came out better than the first. I've told the boy I will make something for him using the first yarn that I spun. I was thinking a hat or mittens--but I wonder if I should use this yarn for some color work. I need to check it to see what kind of gauge I get with it (mostly). Is it fingering, sport or dk? Either way, I'm sure I've got a single skein or so of some complimentary yarn that I can use.

Last night I started spinning the Frabjous Fibers merino--and this one is a bit different than the other merino--interesting. The colors spin up quite dark. I will take a picture soon. I find it funny reading blogs and hearing podcasts about being able to control your spinning so you get the yarn you want. I am at the mercy of the spindle. Pretty much what it wants to do, happens. I have been trying to get thinnish yarn though, so I predraft everything to get it close to what feels right.

On a less fun note--tonight will be my yearly stash reorganization night. Less fun because it was only at 7am this morning that I realized the necessity of running downstairs and moving all my yarn. For months we had on the calendar the annual check up of our burners (yes, plural, we have two, one for each floor). The cabinet that holds all my yarn, as well as my letterboxing stuff (papers, cutters, carving supplies, binding supplies, etc.) blocks one of the doors to access one of the burners. So this morning I unceremoniously dumped all the yarn into plastic trash bags so that we could move the cabinet. Just as soon as I moved the last bag, the burner guy showed up. I did find stuff that I had been missing for months--one good thing about being forced to do this. I just wish I hadn't been stressed out and rushing. Tonight I will sort through it and put it all back--though who knows, I may put some in a pile to give away.

Spinning

2009-09-03T11:39:00.004-04:00

I was hoping to get a post in before the end of August, but September snuck up on me. Around here we are busy saying goodbye to preschool and getting ready for kindergarten!

There has been very little knitting in the past few weeks, but I have done a bit of spinning. One of the neighborhood boys came over to play with my son the other night and I was so surprised to hear my son say, "And this is my Mom's spindle". He is paying attention to what I do :)

So I started playing with the lovely green merino I bought at the Fiber Revival. I was as bad as you would expect the first few times, but I think there has been some improvement. Here is my first yarns--from left to right. See, the right-most one is a bit better!

I plied it with the Andean plying technique that a friend showed me years ago--with a refresher course via the web.

I've got some now that is waiting for the twist to be set, but I want to do it all in one batch, so I'm waiting to finish this bunch of roving. Which brought me to the point that I'm running out of roving! I've only got about 1 oz left. What will I do when that runs out?

Then yesterday I got the weekly (I think she sends it weekly) newsletter from A Loom with a View in Newburyport--and they are now selling handpainted roving. Hmmmmm, interesting.

So, we went out to dinner the other night, conveniently right next door to the yarn shop, and I just had to pop in and see what they were selling. And here is what I found. Yummy.

That will keep me occupied for a little while.

Meanwhile, on the Tilted Duster. . . I had bound off the bottom edge, and it was curling like you might expect if you actually thought about it (like I hadn't), and this bothered me. I looked at people's pictures to see if the curl could be blocked out. I was suspicious. So I let it sit there, not snipping the ball. I thought about it and looked at pictures, and I finally decided to do what some others had done--add some ribbing to the bottom. So I ripped out the bound off edge and went back a row and started added a bit of ribbing. I need to do another few rows before I bind off again--but hopefully this will keep the curl away. Then on to the collar.

Fiber Revival

2009-08-17T21:52:00.010-04:00

On Saturday the boy and I braved the heat and headed out to Fiber Revival in Newbury MA. We saw some lovely alpaca--and I really did want to take one home.

I met Julia Farwell-Clay and Alison Green Will--both very nice. I also bumped into my knitting pal Paulette, just as we were leaving.

We saw lots of spinners.

And some weavers.

And I did not leave empty handed.

Later that afternoon we went to the pool. Some dragonflies really liked where I was sitting and kept coming to rest on me. Some nearby kids were super impressed and wanted to know how I called them :)

For number one, you've got to sit still!! Which these kids had a hard time doing--but they finally got the hang of it, and the dragonflies came to them too. They must have thought it was some sort of magic. I'd sit there knitting for a while, then stick my hand up and a dragonfly would land on my finger. It was fun.

I'm back

2009-08-14T12:10:00.003-04:00

The cicadas are buzzing, the sun is shining, there is a cool breeze and I won't have to cook dinner--what a great day, if only I wasn't so swamped at work.

We were away for a while, resulting in the lack of posts recently. We tool a road trip of the northeast where we spent time with family and friends. It was great.

I stressed out about what knitting to bring. In the end I brought two potential scarf projects. I tried to start one early in the trip, promptly got a migraine that night, and put down my knitting for the rest of my travels. So, I lost about 10 days of knitting time, but it was such a good 10 days it hardly matters.

I'm back to working on my Tilted Duster and here is how it looks now. Just two more repeats of the skirt before I start thinking about the collar.

In the mail came a lovely package of Kool Aid dyed yarn from Destiknit.

Lovely stuff--but my favorite are the tiny little "hand made" hands. I'm looking forward to using those!

Tomorrow I hope to get the boy out to the Fiber Revival to check out some spinning. If I take any pictures, you'll see them.

Results of the Re-dye

2009-07-29T12:07:00.003-04:00

Here are the results of my overdyeing efforts last week. A bit better than before, but now due to felting, I guess this yarn will be used for felted projects. I've already gotten a request for kid sized felted slippers.

The Tilted Duster is moving along--sorry, no pictures. I have completed the 6th (out of 10) repeats in the skirt, and I think it is looking pretty cool. I will redo the shoulder seams, since I'm not happy with them. I already did those seams 2-3 times each, but I'm afraid that bad seams will totally ruin all the work for this sweater. I'm not looking forward to putting in the set-in sleeves. I haven't done that in a long long time, and I never particularly liked doing it.

And finally, can you see this little guy? His body is about the size of my thumbnail. He has been hanging out near the light at our front door during rainstorms. Eat up the bugs, buddy.

Tilted Duster progress

2009-07-20T22:10:00.002-04:00

The Tilted Duster is coming along nicely--but I've hit a snag--I've got to do some sewing to move on. I can't believe how many years it has been since I've made a sweater that needed sewing!!

Dyeing instead of Letterboxing

2009-07-20T21:45:00.004-04:00

The plans for Sunday were to meet up with a bunch of people and go letterboxing. It was a glorious day here in New England, so of course the boy woke up with a fever--sigh.
So instead I spent the day dyeing.
This is some yarn I dyed for a swap. I started with this:

I learned that Louet Gems fingering weight Merino is WAY overspun, and when it hits the water it twists up on itself.

But I think the color (Kool Aid) turned out nice.

I also did some color correction on the yarn I tried to dye green a few weeks ago--it is now greener. Unfortunately, by the end of it all, I was so tired I tossed it on a delicate laundry bag and tried spinning it out in the washer. Well, guess what, Knit Picks Peruvian Highland Bulky felts very very easily. Another 2 minutes and it would have been unusable. As it stands, I was able to rip it apart and ball it all up, but I think this wool is destined for felted projects--maybe some kiddie felted slippers or the Lucy Bag. I didn't take any pictures though--will try to do that.

Dream catcher

2009-07-15T21:31:00.004-04:00

This post is not about knitting, but there was some crochet cotton involved and certainly plenty of crafting.

For quite a while my son has been asking me for a dream catcher. He doesn't seem to have many bad dreams, but he seems to think he does. And I'm not quite sure where he learned about dream catchers.

I went looking around. What I found was not to my liking; too gussied up, too much stuff, too sparkly or just not my thing. So I decided to try to make one--that way too I could customized it, my son's favorite color is green. I found only one good site with info on how to make one. There might be more out there, but once I found this one I knew I had hit the jackpot.

I found this site with good information:

http://www.native-languages.org/dreamcatchers.htm

which led to this site, with directions:

http://www.nativetech.org/dreamcat/dreminst.html

I needed some dried grape vine and some feathers. I found the feathers at AC Moore--but no grapevine. I found the grapevine at Michael's. I used a mini grapevine wreath--the kind you take home to decorate yourself, and soaked it and untwisted it. I can probably make several dreamcatchers from this $0.59 wreath. I bought a smaller one because you really need rather thin grapevine--dream catchers should not be bigger than an adult hand (who knew). Oh, and I also bought some nice beads, since I thought the seeds beads I had might be too small. So for approximately $5 I bought enough materials to make a whole bunch of dream catchers--though so far I've only made one.

Here is what it looks like.

It is currently hanging above my son's bed--I hope it is doing its job.

ps I just noticed the bird poop next to my front door--sorry about that, guess I need to do some cleaning up. Can you tell from our door knocker that we have a lot of birds around.

A good laugh

2009-07-09T16:52:00.001-04:00

OK, this is not about knitting--but a blog that I wanted to share, in case you don't already know about it. I've been following it for the past year or so, sporadically--but more frequently in the past month. If you haven't yet heard of it, go to
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
Most days there are posting of wrecks, but one day a week she posts the opposite of wrecks, and those are pretty cool too, though not as funny.

I started the Tilted Duster the other night. So far so good. I have completed the back and the right front. I hope to finish the left front tonight, leaving the arms for the weekend.

February Lady Complete

2009-07-06T11:11:00.003-04:00

I'm on a role with the sweaters here. This was a particularly fast one--I got to wear it over the weekend and I'm wearing it again today.

February Lady Sweater by pamela wynne
Needle US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yarn Valley Yarns Longmeadow 4.8 skeins

This sweater was a lot of fun to make. It was one of those patterns where I just wanted to complete one more row--keeping me up past my bedtime. For some reason I thought this yarn was machine washable--but it is not. No matter, it blocked really well (I have very little experience blocking a cotton blend), and it is just the right amount of negative ease.

My only complaint is the slight bulging under the arms. I do plan to make a winter version of this sweater and I will need to think about how to fix that.

This was another bargain sweater. I bought 7 skeins of this yarn during the recent Webs anniversary sale--grand total, just over $17 dollars. So this sweater cost me approximately $12. I think I have enough yarn left over to make my niece a matching February baby (or in this case February Toddler).

I've already started swatching for another sweater--this one for the winter. I've had the Tilted Duster in my queue since it was published in 2007. Getting gauge is proving to be tricky, but I think I've gotten close enough, and should be able to start tonight.

February Lady, in June

2009-06-30T15:41:00.002-04:00

After finishing my Deep Breath sweater (still haven't had the right weather to wear it) I promptly started a February Lady sweater. I'm using a lighter weight yarn than the pattern calls for. Some friends have done it this way, so I thought I would give it a shot. Here is my progress so far:

I'm really in a groove with this sweater. The lace is a 4 row repeat. Two of the rows are essentially just purl--those are kind of neutral to me. One row I really like to do (row 3 for those who care) and I'm not loving row 1. But over all this works out for me. I get through row 1 because it annoys me and I want to get it over with. Then I relax with a purl row. Then I am rewarded by row 3! Then another purl row, and I'm ready to deal with the annoyance of row 1 again. It really does keep things moving.

Contrast this with the Spring Forward socks, where I'm essentially neutral about all the rows. It makes me just not care. And since I'm not loving the way the way the color is working out on these socks I think I'm working towards frogging them, something I hate to do, but will ultimately free up the yarn for something that I will have fun with.

I don't know if I have posted pictures of the socks before--they are knit with a merino/tencel blend from Ellen's half pint farm, purchased at the NH Sheep and Wool festival last year. I put them down ages ago and I just haven't wanted to pick them up again. I'm at the gusset of the first sock--but these pictures were taken before I got to the heel. See how there are dark splotches of color (pooling). Every time I see them, they look dirty to me--add that to the fact that I don't enjoy knitting the pattern--well you see where this is going.

Meanwhile, even though I think we have had a grand total of 6 hours of sun in the past 2 weeks, I still have a few flowers popping up.

The day lilies started opening yesterday.

And my nepal cinquefoil is not dead after all!

Knitters against MS

2009-06-19T11:58:00.003-04:00

I just want to give Claudia a bit of advertising here. If you don't know about Claudia and the MS ride she does every year, you should go check it out. For the past several years she has worn the number 1 bib--being the top fundraiser for the event!

By donating to her team you are also in the running for tons of knitting goodness donated by knitters, spinners, dyers, and designers that support her. Last year I was lucky enough to win a prize (skein of Socks that Rock) donated by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

So if you have a minute run over to her blog and check it out. If the cause does not entice you to give, maybe the yarn will! I will admit it again--my neighbor also does the ride--but I always give Claudia a bit more--he's just not dangling yarn in front of my eyes.

What's blooming, mid-June

2009-06-18T11:43:00.003-04:00

My poor poor mountain laurel--total chewed to bits over the winter, but it still gave me a few flowers. I hope it can bounce back next year.

My blueberry bushes do make a few blueberries (not many though), but I never see them ripen--somebody always gets to them first.

And here are some of the violas I planted a few weeks ago--not dead (yet), that is a good sign. Still nothing with the giant pumpkins.

On knitting news, I have started a February Lady Sweater. I'm using Longmeadow, and it will be short sleeved. I'm currently at the second button hole--but no pictures yet. Ah, but here are the buttons I will be using--purchased at Black Water Abbey--they have some great buttons.

Deep Breath--Complete

2009-06-17T13:58:00.002-04:00

I finished my Deep Breath sweater the other night, and I'm lovin' it.

Needle US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yarn Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk in Dahlia
0.56 skeins = 972.2 yards (888.9m)

Now really, if it would just warm up a tiny bit, so I can wear it without being chilly--can't complain though, today is lovely.

Impulse buy

2009-06-16T13:41:00.003-04:00

A Full Year of Interweave Knits magazine, now available on CD!

I got the above message today from Knitting Daily. Usually I skip over those Tues/Thurs posts, since they are just trying to sell me something I don't really want or need. But today, they had something I wanted.

I've had the Cardigan for Arwen in my queue for a while--since I saw my friend Erika's completed cardigan. But the pattern was found in an issue of Interweave that I didn't have. I could have purchased the pattern itself, but I just never got around to it. I could have tried to find a back issue of the magazine--but I just never did. But today I find out that I can get all 4 issues for that year (plus the holiday issue) on a CD. So I go over and order it.

I actually thought about this for a few hours before I did it, and I've been thinking about this pattern for months (years?) so that really isn't the impulse part. The impulse part is when I realize the CD will be physically shipped to me (not just a downloaded file, like I originally thought), and I would have to pay shipping. That is when I decided to not only order the CD for 2006, but also the CD for 2005--because the shipping cost would be the same.

Well, I'm sure there were lots of lovely patterns in 2005 also--in any case, I will find out.

Rainy day

2009-06-12T11:51:00.003-04:00

I bought myself some flowers to combat the gloom of a rainy day.

I'm also on my second cup of Irish Breakfast tea, which is modestly more caffeinated than my usual oolong or green tea. Some days you just need a little extra something.

Here is a peek at the plants I finally got onto my pots. My town now has a mandatory water ban on outside water use, so I've been shuffling the pots out from under the overhang when it is rainy. I also dump my dehumidifier water into them when that fills up. It is actually easier to move the pots than it is to get the hose out around the house anyway. I also planted some others in the beds--I'll get some shots of those soon. I also tried my hand at some giant pumpkin seeds. I'll let you know if anything grows.

This weekend is our town's annual strawberry festival. As usual, my strawberries are growing nicely but I never get to see one ripen. I always blamed it on the bunnies--but this year we've only had one bunny sighting. What I have been finding on my hill of strawberries when I park my car in the driveway are some very plump chipmunks and today a squirrel munching away. Why they are eating all of mine and not my neighbors? Who knows.

And, for a change, here is some knitting.

Since graduation I've been able to take a deep breath--and make a Deep Breath! This is a laceweight sweater, with a few modifications. My gauge is 5 stitches per inch rather than 4 stitches per inch, and I've added the Hanami cherry blossom pattern. The sleeves go just past my elbows.

I'm using Valley Yarns Alpaca Silk, right off the cone, and I'm really enjoying it.

Just a few more inches to go. Maybe it will actually be warm enough to wear by the time I am done.

Dyeing disaster

2009-06-07T23:29:00.004-04:00

I tried to dye up a sweater's worth of yarn today. My goal was to have a yarn that was semi solid in a light olive green. What I got was this:

My pot was WAY too small for the amount of yarn. By the time I jammed all the yarn in, the yarn to hit the pot first has essentially sucked up all the dye in the water. I knew enough to hold the yarn so that each skein entered at the same time, so each skein is similar, but I've got one end that is a darkish browny olive and the other end a very pale green. Live and learn.

Maybe I can salvage this and make it usable by over dyeing. In any case, I don't think I will be using this for the project I intended. C'est la vie.

Relaxing Saturday

2009-06-07T00:45:00.003-04:00

I've been knitting, but I haven't taken any photos of my current project. So instead, here is another poppy, up close and personal. It doesn't look like they will last very long, several have already lost all their petals. I finally managed to get my (very few) annuals into the pots and/or the ground today.I've been swatching! I'd like to finish the old project before starting a new (my socks are on hold)--but I've already even ordered the buttons for the new!

We spent the afternoon at Windrush farm, where we had a pony ride, hay ride, and spent a lot of time checking out the ambulance (for fun only). And we saw this guy.

What's blooming, early June

2009-06-03T21:32:00.002-04:00

The poppies have arrived!!

What's blooming this week, Memorial Day weekend

2009-05-22T11:30:00.004-04:00

My poor azaleas have some flowers.

A shrub with flowers I always look forward to--no idea what it is.

My first columbine of the season.

Waiting for my poppies!! So far I count 15 potential flowers! I wonder if they will open this weekend!

And here is some yarn.

Three cones of Alpaca Silk lace from Webs--could not resist the sale, and I have been wanting some of this. It is a great value even at the regular price.

Also on sale, I picked up enough Peruvia to make a Tilted Duster.

And from the NH Sheep and Wool festival, some lovely 100% Tencel, in a fingering weight. Just enough to make a scarflet of some sort.

Done!

2009-05-18T10:43:00.001-04:00

What's blooming this week, mid-May 2009

2009-05-15T11:07:00.004-04:00

Here is an effort to bring more frequent posts, with pictures of pretty (or interesting) flowers/plants and the latest yarn acquisitions. I have a whole bunch of new yarn--but I haven't photographed it all yet, so I will spread out the yarn over the next few posts.

First, in the yard, the rhodies are blooming and looking lovely, even though the deer ate a good chunk of them over the winter.

The peony is starting to unfurl. I wonder if I will get any flowers this year?

And for yarn.

I bought this lovely skein in Newburyport.

Itata Solid
by Araucania
Fingering / 4 ply Wool, Silk, Bamboo

And this was prize from a contest I entered--so pretty I had to put it on display. Maybe I will keep this basket out as a rotating display of my yarn collection--hmmmm?

Happy Feet
by Plymouth Yarn
Fingering / 4 ply Nylon, Merino

NH Sheep and Wool 2009

2009-05-13T23:33:00.003-04:00

I spent a lovely Saturday in NH checking out some lovely yarn and some cute animals.
We also has some celebrity knitters sightings!

I only bought one skein of yarn, and I have taken a picture of it yet. It is 100% tencel, and I think it is destined to become some sort of scarf.
I did buy a little loom, and lots of yummy food.

The alpacas were so cute.
But I wanted to take this little goat home.

Peek at completed Dashing

2009-05-11T22:34:00.002-04:00

Just a quick peek at the Dashing. This was taken while they were still wet. In fact, they were still damp the next morning. I had to take the blow dryer to them.

In fact, here is a funny story.
Funny as in, yes my brain really is/was jello, not really funny, ha ha.

The night before my defense I was rerunning a few analyses. While I waited for them to run, I knit one thumb. After that I decided to do a dry run of my presentation--65 slides I did not want to fumble over. This really left no time for knitting. I got home at about 10pm and went to pull out the Dashing to finish that last thumb. Where do you think they were? Why, in the office I was working in!! After beating myself up for a few minutes, I decided I really needed to drive back and get them. After all, I was giving them, and the other knit items as gifts the next day, and it really would not do to give a rain check. So off I went, 25 miles there, found them on the floor of the office (could I have dropped them?) and 25 miles back. Made it home by 11pm, where I knit the thumb and washed them. Just the kind of stress I didn't need.

But the defense went well, and we celebrated with some champagne at 11:30am. I took the afternoon off and wandered the Isabella Steward Gardener museum, and went out to dinner at Dali. A good day!!

Pay it forward

2009-05-04T19:17:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I swiped this directly from my friend Julia (who I think swiped it from Annie Modesitt).
Read on and see if you are interested. See how I might be spending all my new found free time.

The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. (No refunds... no exchanges!!!!)

2. What I create will be just for you, with love from me.

3. It'll be done this calendar year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. I may even create something totally unbelievable and surprise you!! It will be handmade and may be any medium I choose. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange...or awesome...or lovely!

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note/post of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to it.

7. Send your mailing address if you don't live close to me!

Wish me luck

2009-05-04T17:33:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow morning I'll be standing up in front of everyone (well, anyone that shows up that is--I know there will be at least 5 people there) and describing what I have been doing, for fun, in my spare time, for the past decade.

I still have a bit of work to do before I can say I am officially done, but by noon tomorrow, I will be 99.5% done (give or take a few tenths of a percent).

I see so much lovely knitting time ahead of me.
But, I'm still not done with the dratted Dashings. Must finish those thumbs tonight!!!

Friday night view

2009-04-27T01:17:00.001-04:00

This was the view from my front door on Friday night:

Seascape complete!

2009-04-27T01:10:00.003-04:00

Done done done!

Pattern Seascape Stole

US 4 / 3.5 mm

Yarn Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud 1.2 skeins

I did 7 repeats of the center chart, but otherwise made no changes to the pattern. Once I got into the groove I enjoyed it. It took me just over 2 months to complete. I was working on some other projects, but this was my main (knitting) focus. I also had a lot less knitting time while working on this project. This was my "keep me sane" knitting.

Thinking of Kay

2009-04-21T12:14:00.003-04:00

. . . who has shared lots of laughs and some lovely books with us knitters, and sending her strength.

Where did the weekend go?

2009-04-20T00:49:00.002-04:00

I heard it was nice outside.
I spent it staring at my computer, just like last weekend and the weekend before. On the plus side, I just sent off a (final?) draft of my thesis to my committee. There is still much to be done--like the appendices, and the dreaded formatting, oh yea, and the presentation, but I'm hoping the bulk of the brain bending work is done.
Oh, and I did manage to waste 3+ hours driving into Boston to pick up my graduation gear--must be properly attired. Nothing like a squishy velvet cap. The driving and parking around Kenmore square is hellish as ever.
On the plus side, since I really haven't been able to sleep with all these thoughts I've been sorting in my brain, I've gotten a fair amount of knitting done. I finished all but the thumb on the first Dashing, while waiting for analyses to run yesterday. Since I couldn't sleep at night, and woke up way too early, I managed to knit 30 rows on the Seascape shawl yesterday, which should make up for the fact that I haven't touched it today. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this pattern :)
And it is Patriot's Day tomorrow. We used to have it as a holiday, but as of this year, it has become a floater. We can take it if we want, or save the day as a personal holiday to use at another time. Since I've got child care coverage for the day (since it is J's day off) I'll be working. I need to focus on my current report anyway. And then . . . the appendices sigh

I'm still here!

2009-04-17T22:04:00.004-04:00

Though I have been neglecting the blog and my knitting buddies (hey, Monday night gals, I miss you), I have not been neglecting my knitting.
Though the vast majority of my "free" time is spent working on finishing up my dissertation (defense coming up fast), I have been working on my Seascape and Dashing projects--mostly because I plan to give them as gifts on the day of my defense. This is an excellent excuse to get in some knitting time, which I really need to relax my brain.
No pictures at the moment (just look at the last post and imagine the projects a bit longer), but I promise to take some before I give everything away. I'm looking forward to test driving my new Knit Picks blocking wires on the Seascape!
And I have all sorts of plans for what to start once I am done with all this madness!

April Progress

2009-04-10T18:28:00.004-04:00

Well, first I here is a picture of one of the cute lambs we saw and Woolapalooza--finally got those pictures off the camera.

Meanwhile I have been doing some knitting.

I've been working consistently on Seascape. I have an impending deadline. To meet my deadline I need to knit at least 7 rows a day for the next 24 days. I think I can manage this.

But I also need to finish Dashing by the same deadline. I should be able to finish these off in less than 4 days. So if I cut the Seascape deadline by 4 days, I need to knit at least 8 rows a day. Still manageable. My goal is 10 rows a day. It is a manageable goal, and should leave me plenty of time for other things, including blocking and finishing off Dashing.

I'm not usually so structured about my knitting goals--I've actually got a spreadsheet set up so I can fiddle with the calculations--but I've got these firm self imposed deadlines, and I don't want to miss them.

Roseville String Ensemble

2009-03-30T19:53:00.003-04:00

I feel serious guilt about being a lapsed viola player. Maybe when I'm done with my current time/life sucking project (can you tell I'm in the home stretch) I can consider focusing on something like music.

Meanwhile, Orinda5 still plays her viola! She is currently holding a drawing on her blog. The drawing is free to enter, but she is hoping to raise money for the Roseville String Ensemble, the community orchestra that she plays with. Leave her a comment to enter her drawing, and consider making a donation to the RSE.

Woolapalooza

2009-03-28T22:15:00.002-04:00

My son and I went out to Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, MA to check out Woolapalooza. It was a great event for kids--but I was hoping for a bit more vendors selling their fiber/yarn.
We got to practice our hand carding skills. We saw a bunch of spinners with a variety of spinning wheels and drop spindles. We saw some yarn dyed with plant material that was very lovely, and we also got to play with a loom. We missed all the sheep shearing. The baby lambs were very cute.

It was a lovely warm and sunny day--but by the time we got home the temperature had dropped and it was overcast.

My crocuses are starting to open up though.

Wollmeise!

2009-03-28T22:04:00.003-04:00

I received such a lovely package from my sock yarn swap partner Amy. Snuggled amongst the lovely tea and chocolate and other goodies was a hank of Wollmeise merino sock yarn. Here is a picture of the contents of the package.

The yarn is a beautiful colorway called orient and it smells delicious.

The hank is 150 grams and had 574 yards! I'm thinking this yarn might not end up as socks, but rather something shawly or scarfish.

I also really love these buttons. I'm wondering if I will need to do a February Lady Sweater so that they can be shown off properly.

Sock Blank

2009-03-24T21:15:00.003-04:00

I'm participating in a sock swap. We create a package for our partner and the only thing we need to include is enough yarn to make a decent pair of sock--all other things are optional and for fun.

After much thought about whether I would find some nice yarn in my stash or purchase some new yarn, I decided I would send new yarn, and I would dye it myself. I wanted a certain look. Big blocks of color with a transition to another color--only 2 or at most 3 colors. To achieve this look I decided what I needed was a sock blank.

Having never used one before, I only had the info I had heard about them. I ordered one up from Knit Picks (as well as some other goodies for myself), and I went out and picked up some Kool Aid.

Here are my results:

I used:
2 Lemon Lime
2 Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade
1 Black cherry

A splash of the black cherry was put into the lemon lime and the ice blue to mute those colors a bit. Normally I would use grape, but I was surprised to find that I didn't have any--must have used it all the last time I dyed. But I was pleased with how the black cherry worked.

I mixed the colors, the poured the green in to a small pot with some just boiling water. I held the sock blank and dunked it almost all the way into the pot, pulling it out slowly and putting the hot yarn into a Pyrex dish that I had next to the pot of boiling color.

When all the dye was absorbed, I pulled all the yarn out. I then put the blue into the boiling pot. I put the other end of the blank into the boiling pot and repeated the process. When I was done I found that the blue was a bit paler than I had expected, and I still had a good amount of black cherry left. So I put the black cherry in the boiling pot and dunked some of the blue end back in the pot.

I was pleased with the how the color turned out. As I was rinsing I found that some of the end to knit from had come unravelled. Taking a closer look I found that the dye had not completely penetrated the yarn.

I think this look might have interesting results though, so I chose not to overdye.
I hope my partner likes the yarn as much as I do.

Monkey complete

2009-03-21T09:43:00.003-04:00

Proof that I could knit a sock a week, if I were so inclined. I started the second sock last weekend and I grafted the toe this morning. They are now taking a soak.

Last week I was asked how many hand knit socks I possess, so I just had to count. Really, not very many. This is my 8th pair. I have also made some as gifts for others, mostly infant and children sizes, and one pair for my husband.

Could it be?

2009-03-19T14:30:00.004-04:00

Just when you think it could never possible arrive. . .

Spring pops up and surprises you.

Fetching complete

2009-03-13T11:46:00.003-04:00

What a great instant gratification project. This was my first time knitting with Malabrigo, and I really enjoyed it. I will have a hard time giving these away--but I know how quick and easy it would be to make more. Maybe everyone will be getting them for Christmas next year (maybe not).

Needle US 6 / 4.0 mm
Yarn Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted

I used just 1/2 a skein. The mitts weigh 44 grams (with ends for weaving snipped) and I have 50 grams left--should be enough for another pair.

Fetching

2009-03-09T17:19:00.004-04:00

I still have not looked at the lace--it is in the naughty corner until I cheer up, or the snow melts--we'll see which comes first.

In the meanwhile, I decided I could not slack on the gift knitting, even if the lace has to take a break. So I started with Fetching. Over 10,000 knitters can't be wrong--what fun this pattern is. In a few hours you have a lovely fingerless mitt. I made a few minor modifications, but now that I have a feel for it, I may make a few more the next time I do this pattern--next time I hope to make it for myself! I've got one done, but I expect the second will go quickly enough.

Shawl pins

2009-03-07T10:27:00.004-05:00

I was looking through completed projects a while back, and hannah8ball's office cardigan caught my eye. It wasn't just the sweater, but the closure that made me stop and look. I have trouble with buttons--finding just the right ones, making button holes just right, etc. The funky flower pin that Hannah had used worked perfectly with the chunky sweater. Lucky for me, she also posted a link to where she had bought the pin. So off I went to check out Nicholas and Felice on etsy. And I didn't leave the site without a few purchases.

My pins arrived a few days after I placed my order, and they were just as advertised. I liked the flower, but I decided to go with the dragonfly. I have my hand in the pictures to show the size.

I also bought a hair pin, even though my hair is still to short too use it. I will use it when my grows longer, but I can also use it to close a chunky cardigan too.

I'm really happy with these, and I may have a chunky cardigan in my future.

On lace progress. . .

A few nights ago I was on a roll. I had gotten the hang of the pattern and I was nearing completion of chart A. It was midnight and I just couldn't stop with row 22 on a chart that has 24 rows. I start row 23 and at one of the last markers I realize my count is off. I tink back and knit forward for an hour before I give up. The later it got, the worse I got. It is likely that my mistake happended on the last pattern row, row 21, but I just couldn't tell without tinking all the way back, and I just didn't have the brain power. So I put it down, and I haven't looked at it since.

Where is my last lifeline? Rows 1 and 2 are repeated 16 times. My lifeline is at row 3. So I will try the tinking back--but those "slip 2 as if to knit, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over knit stitch" are tough to undo. So we will see. I may just need to rip it all back. This is what happens and you don't put a lifeline in often enough.

Fair Isle closure

2009-02-27T15:10:00.003-05:00

I have been keeping my Fair Isle cardigan closed with a lovely cameo my sister gave me--but it wasn't quite right. I have been looking for some type of closure for this cardigan since September. My friend Mary posted a cardigan with some lovely buttons. When I commented on the buttons she told me she got them at Black Water Abbey. I went over to take a look and I found they had some lovely buttons. They also had some clasps that I think will work well with the sweater.

I found the customer service to be great (soon after placing the order I received an e-mail letting me know that the owner was at a trade show, and she would process the order when she returned, she then let me know when the order was shipped). And I really like the clasps. Here is what it will look like when I get around to sewing them on.

New stitch markers

2009-02-27T14:48:00.003-05:00

The mail brought me some lovely goodies yesterday. A new book, my Piecework magazine, and some lovely stitch markers from a swap.

My partner's goodies, my interpretation of her favorite colors, will be posted today. I will be sending the Kool Aid dyed yarn in sunset colors, as well as a little mini watercolor.

I have ordered more goodies for myself. It is a little dangerous to go on Etsy. I will post more as they arrive.

Lace

2009-02-25T16:51:00.003-05:00

When working with laceweight yarn don't knit:

1. in public

2. when someone is talking to you

3. when the TV is even mildly interesting

Here is the current state of the lace--after having to cast on 3 times.

Channelling my inner Spring

2009-02-25T16:45:00.003-05:00

I'm looking forward to seeing these in the wild.

Circles Yoke Complete

2009-02-23T12:34:00.002-05:00

I finally wrapped up the Circles Yoke Pullover over the weekend. Plenty of ends to weave it, but I did them while watching a movie. I am happy with the sweater, but if I make it again, I will make it a bit smaller. It is a nice comfy sweater, but I think I would like it better if I had made it more fitted. Also, in my fear of making the arms too short (every store bought sweater I have is too short for my arms) I ended up making them too long. I need to remember that for the next sweater.

I have been scared of using my front loader to spin out wet handknits, but I thought in this case, if the 12 minute spin shrunk the sweater a bit, I would not be upset. So I hand washed it in the sink with Eucalan, then spun it on high in the washer. It came out practically dry. I set it out to dry flat--it didn't really need blocking, just some patting into place--and I found that it was dry within 12 hours.

Needles US 6 / 4.0 mm and US 8 / 5.0 mm
Yarn Valley Yarns Northampton

I am pleased with the yarn and will definitely use it again (assuming it holds up well). The color did come out a bit in the water when I washed it, but it did not bleed into the other colors and it didn't change the color of the sweater.

Finished just in time for this latest round of snow and ice.

Meanwhile, I finally started the Seascape shawl. I'm only a few rows into it, but I did use the same beaded cast on that I used with the Hanami shawl. I had the perfect beads for the yarn and I just couldn't resist.

Soft and Fluffy

2009-02-18T18:21:00.002-05:00

My niece turned two this past weekend. Some time last week I decided that I really should knit her something. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I thought about a baby surprise jacket, but worried about the sizing.

I have been helping a coworker with a top down raglan and I thought I could work out a sweater/dress with some soft and fluffy bulky yarn I've had waiting for me to make a sweater. I finally decided the sweater for me, with this yarn, would not be happening.

So I made the little sweater--and I think it is too big. I tried it on my 5 year old. It fits him around, but it is too short. So, if the bulky, slouchy, pseudo 80s styles I've seen around are really going to happen, she just might be the trendiest 2 year old around.

I finally got around to weaving in the ends and washing it. Now I just need to get myself to the post office.

Size 26 inch chest

Yarn Patons Divine

Needle US 10½ / 6.5 mm

Malabrigo and Kool Aid

2009-02-16T21:01:00.004-05:00

I bought a bit of Malabrigo the other day. Butterfly Yarns got some in and I managed to get over there before the worsted weight even hit the shelves.

I found a nice manly color for that pair of Dashing that I am planning (Black Forest) and I picked up some sock yarn too (Archangel).

Meanwhile, I had been thinking about dyeing some yarn for a color swap I am in. My partner has stated that she likes fall colors as well as pink and blue. Well to me that says sunset. So I dyed up some yarn for her. When all was said and done I took a look at it and realized, hmm, I guess I like those colors too.

On the left in my Kool Aid yarn, on the right the Malabrigo. The color are a little richer in real life (as my son would say).

Time to defend

2009-02-10T15:56:00.004-05:00

Today I scheduled the date and time for my doctoral thesis defense. It is in less than 3 months and afterwards I expect to have a lot more time to knit.

In the meanwhile, I'd like to knit thank you gifts for my committee members. I've got some ideas (lace shawl for my advisor, fetching and dashing for the others), but I haven't started any of it yet.

Instead I have 4 WIPs--that is actually a lot for me. I usually try to keep it to 3 or less. One is a gift for my niece's 2nd birthday and so really needs to get finished (it will be late anyway, but I'd like to get it in the mail this week). Another is a nearly completed monkey sock--I will need to work on the other sock--it is dangerous to leave only one sock completed. The moderne blanket can wait--it was meant to be a long term project. My cirlces yoke sweater is one I would like to finish. I just joined the body and the arms last night. Maybe tonight I will do the short rows and then temporarily put it aside. I would like to wear it this season.

I leave you with a view of that nearly completed sock. This is yarn that was Kool Aid dyed for me last summer by my swap partner in Sweden.

Silent Poetry Reading

2009-02-02T13:43:00.004-05:00

the great advantage of being alive
(instead of undying)is not so much
that mind no more can disprove than prove
what heart may feel and soul may touch
--the great (my darling) happens to be
that love are in we, that love are in we

and here is a secret they never will share
for whom create is less than have
or one times one than when times where—
that we are in love,that we are in love:
with us they’ve nothing times nothing to do
(for love are in we am in i are in you)

this world (as timorous itsters all
to call their cowardice quite agree)
shall never discover our touch and feel
--for love are in we are in love are in we;
for you are and i am and we are (above
and under all possible worlds) in love

a billion brains may coax undeath
from fancied fact and spaceful time—
no heart can leap,no soul can breathe
but by the sizeless truth of a dream
whose sleep is the sky and the earth and the sea
For love are in you am in i are in we

e.e. cummings

I'm back

2009-01-31T13:35:00.003-05:00

We're back from a fun time in Florida, where we had a lot of fun. Not much time to knit, except on the plane, where I started a new pair of Monkey socks using the Kool Aid dyed yarn Kariola sent me.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled ice and snow.

Moderne Log Cabin

2009-01-19T18:27:00.004-05:00

It has been a stressful few days. I'm glad I started the blanket last week because it is all I have the brain power for. Here is what it looks like at the moment.

That green square is one whole skein of Encore. The pale yellow is about 1/2 a skein. The blue is not done yet--just a little bit more and it will be a whole skein. I think I might save an entire skein for the edging. This will be a good size blankie.

I will be taking a vacation soon (can hardly believe it!!). I'll be flying for the first time since I became a knitter--yes, it has been a long time since I took a proper vacation. After this Wednesday I should have some time to consider which project to take with me. Socks, I think. Small and portable is the way to go.