Pumpkin heads ~

Happy Halloween, from all our pumpkin heads to yours...

I hope you get to knit while waiting for the kids trick or treating!

Clapotis advances ~

I've used up one ball of yarn already on my clapotis. I think it is coming along nicely, as I'm almost to the place where the increases stop, and I begin knitting the body of the shawl. The thought of all those running stitches at the end makes my stomach a little jumpy, what if I've done something wrong with those stitches, and they don't run....

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the knitting and this yarn...Plymouth Royal Llama Silk Splash...as my mum can't wear wool, so this llama silk should be wonderful and warm for her.
P.S. This yarn is really black and grey...not green as seen in this picture...this was taken in low light....

Second to last knitter ~

Just when I thought I'd be turning heels this weekend, I get a challenge from dear Jitteryknitter that I should just cast on the clapotis....just do it....so what if I couldn't figure out the first part when we had our knitting vacation last year.....so what if I'm the only knitter on earth that has not knit the clapotis (thank heavens for my dear reader who is also in this group, bless you for admitting you are in this club, too!!) so, I wound the new yarn, and packed the pattern and needles...and when we arrived at the ocean, I sat by the window seat, took inspiration from the crashing waves... and thought, "What the heck is a pfb?" Yes, after "CO 2" there is the instructions to K1 and then pfb....it must have something to do with a pretzel, as when I tried to purl in the front and back my stitch looked like a pretzel.....so....not having a reference book (shame on me) and not having a video tutorial (shame on bad Internet access at the ocean) I kept going with my pretzel increase at the end of the purl rows.... and it seems to look ok....

what do you think????

Ready for heels ~

Starting our weekend road trip and I've knit all the way to the heels with this great yarn. I'll have to wait to turn the heels until we get to our destination, so I can follow along in my Queen Kahuna book...just to get started...

You would think I would have memorized it by now...but I don't want to chance it!!!

Day Care Gussets ~

These beautiful socks are knitting up very fast. I cast them on Saturday at Starbucks with the Jitteryknitter, and by Sunday evening (at Starbucks, not with Jitteryknitter, but waiting for my kids) I was into the gussets.

I love this "instant gratification" knitting!

7th Chart Brandywine ~

Can you believe that I was able to knit another chart on the Brandywine this weekend? (I can't!) Since I need complete silence so I can count out loud...it is very hard to find the time in my hectic house, so I was looking at the next time my hubby takes the kids to his folks' house....next year......

Well, my lucky time came early, and I found myself in a quite house, on the back sunny deck, with my sweet Brandywine in my lap....counting for that first row...and the garage band at the house behind us started up. They are a few 40+ year old guys playing 70's & 80's rock...and I typically don't mind...except when I have a chance for a quick fling with Brandywine...I dashed inside, chanting the count I was on when the drums and guitar first blasted, "12, 12, 12, 12" until I could get established at the kitchen table to continue the row....whew...that was too close to a lace disaster!!!

Malabrigo Hats ~

The Jitteryknitter is also having some fun with Malabrigo these days. This purple beauty will be turning into a Grumperina hat, Yulie.

Very beautiful, indeed!!

Day Care Cast On ~

I bought this beautiful skein of Malabrigo in Portland, at For Yarn's Sake. Great store, and great yarn ~ how could I refuse the calling of Malabrigo?

Well, I show it to #2 daughter, to gauge how much she likes it (get it, gauge how much....hee hee) and she says, "It looks like the colors of Day Care." My #1 daughter says, "It looks like an aquarium." Well, I think it is beautiful, and it is knitting up very fast, indeed!

Christmas Yarn Shopping ~

While visiting my folks last weekend, my mum let me know that she loves the Multnomah Shawl and blanket I knit for her, and she would now love a rectangle shawl that would keep her arms warmer than the triangle "corners" of the Multnomah...

So I went shopping at Webs to get some Mirasol Qina yarn in a deep green. I'm going to try to knit the Clapotis with this yarn, just like Jitteryknitter knit with her Noro silk garden... I think I am the only knitter alive that has not knit the Clapotis... please wish me luck!!!

Wool on ice ~

Suzie found a treasure while going through her mom's housewares this past month, as her mom moved into a smaller place. Suzie knows I knit, so she brought the treasure to me.


At first glance, I see that it is fingering weight wool from Edinburgh, Scotland. Its not as soft as alpaca or merino, but is not scratchy. There are six hanks...Suzie said they were packaged with fabric and buttons, but Suzie pitched those and just kept the wool.


The tags have no gauge, or yardage.



Just the weight....In searching the web, I found this interesting post on this yarn.... and I promptly put the wool in our freezer, just in case there are any little beasties that have made homes in this yarn...not sure what to do with this yarn....

Fair Isle deux ~

I finished the second Fair Isle hat for the church bazaar this week, out of stash Manos. Very good use of stash leftovers, and I think the colors worked out well.

Instead of adding a third color, I stuck with the two blues, and it worked out well....

only four more weeks until the church bazaar....not sure if I'll get all my projects done in time!!

Christmas socks ~

Shhhh, don't tell mum, but I've finished her Christmas socks...another part of the great trip to Portland was the road trip knitting in the back seat!

They turned out great ~ and not blurry, that's just the picture being taken while we're still driving!

Yarnia Experiment ~

One of the yarn shops we went to in Portland was Yarnia. I've never been to such a shop, and I'm not sure if more than one shop like this exists. They advertise that one can make one's own yarn here, but I didn't realize how exactly until we arrived. The shop is small, yet bursting with many colors and textures of fiber threads, cotton, wool, rayon, alpaca and the shiny stuff called lurex. Debi was very brave and creative, and made great choices to create yarn of green and grey reminiscent of a forest canopy...very inspiring!!!

After being overwhelmed by all the choices of fiber and colors and thickness available, I chose four spools of "ready-made-red" that was supposed to be fingerless gloves...When I arrived home, I wound two spools together, and the other two spools together, and cast on a pair of socks for my daughter, as she requested some red socks...

This yarn is entertaining, as it is new and different. It is very splitty, of course, as it is at least eight strands of merino, lurex, rayon and other threads that are not plied together. After the cast on and increases in the toe, I'm not having any splitting problems...perhaps I'm getting the hang of it, finally!!!

Portland ~

We had a blast in Portland, and not just at the Fiber Festival.

We went to For Yarn's Sake and found great yarn....

and cool signs.....(wouldn't it be great to have a skein of yarn that big!!)

We went to Costello's World Cafe and had great coffee

and looked at yummy ramekins (I do love saying that word!)

I can't wait to go back to Portland!!!! (We also went to Dublin Bay, Twisted, Yarnia, Happy Knits, and there were more....)

Pocket Spinning ~

I was able to try out the Pocket Spinning Wheel. A beautiful spinning wheel that weighs only 6 pounds and seems to be fairly easy to maneuver. The crafters that make the wheel seem to be serious about perfection in their hand crafted wheels, and it shows in the beauty of the wheels.

Click here to read about the Pocket Wheel ~ I would like Santa to bring me one...although there is a very long waiting list...click here for the Ravelry group link for the Pocket Wheel.

Flock and Fiber Fun ~

The day of Oregon Flock and Fiber was great ~ here are some highlights:

I can't recall the name of this blonde sweetie.... She was with Hummer and.....

Here are the Knitmore Girls, Gigi and Jasmine, at Abstract Fiber's booth. Great visit and great inspiration from all around. We were so glad they were here!

Kate's booth, the Woolgathering, as she was a very warm and welcoming spinner at the only spinning Saturday I've been to...(thanks, Kate)

Here's some fleas that Debi bought... or is it fleece?

We couldn't be sure, as we were all itching after she told us the story.... what a great day!!!

Flock and Fiber bits ~

There was so much going on the weekend of Oregon Flock and Fiber, I'm not sure where to start, or which details to include....

Here are a few of the many many highlights...

Tattoos from the Naked Sheep Yarn Shop....

They were a hit at Flock and Fiber....

Plus the owner had the greatest little bug... and we had the most fun together!

Buckles and Valentino ~

I fell in love at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival a few weeks back. I've not been the same since. It was serendipity that we attended the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, as the weekend in Portland was intended to take the place of the Sock Summit which was so fabulous last year. We had a blast, and it was pure luck and good karma that our weekend was the same as Flock and Fiber.

Meet Buckles and Valentino. Have you ever seen two cuter little alpacas? I wished I'd taken a video of them scampering around their pen, playing and dancing and getting lots of love from all of us....*sigh* I wish I could have brought them home to meet my chickens....