More Yarn Please

Pot o' Gold Gussets ~

2012-01-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

I am making good progress on these bright and cheery socks for youngest daughter. Already on the gusset, and just cast on over Christmas vacation. This is the yarn that she gave me for Christmas, and how lucky she is to know that I will knit her socks with "my" gift. She is double lucky, as she already had a pair of socks going on my needles, in my beloved Jitterbug. My "deal" with my two daughters is that I always have a pair of socks for each of them on my needles. Such a deal, you say??!! I love this deal, as I know they love my hand knit socks and that gives me a lot of pleasure to knit for them. Oddly, my oldest daughter has not chosen yarn for her next pair, so we will do that soon....

Mango Blocking ~

2012-01-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the next shawl in line for blocking, my mango handspun! The thick and thin handspun makes a very different look than the smooth and sleek look of the Trillian, and I love the complete difference! Variety is a wonderful part of knitting! Choices in patterns and yarn, and needles and fiber.....love love love it all!!!! So beautiful!!!

Trillian Blocking ~

2012-01-26T18:22:00.000-08:00

Now that the snow and ice are not on our roadways, I was able to get the blocking boards that I share with the Jitteryknitter. Fun that I have three projects to block, yet not enough blocking boards...I have never had this issue before - see how wonderful it is to have a week of snow, ice and knitting ~ equaling three finished projects!!! Here is the lovely Trillian blocking. A beautiful shawl and one that I can knit while having a conversation too! A bonus during the time we had 10 kids and parents in the house for "after sledding" and "before snowball fights" cocoa and marshmallow consumption...plus dinner and lunch with so many snow bound happy people, I was happy to be knitting during the happy chaos! Now I can see how lovely it is!

Double Trillian ~

2012-01-25T18:14:00.000-08:00

I could not resist the call of the Shibui Staccato sock yarn, silk blended with merino. Oh-so-soft and a delicious mint green color. A beautiful contrast with the lovely red Signature Needles! I could not resist casting on another Trillian Shawl. Plus, I think my maple Knitting Buddy was lonesome for more Shibui, as they had a fabulous relationship! Look how happy the Knitting Buddy is with this Shibui.......very happy indeed!

Spinning polwarth ~

2012-01-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

As the thawing of the snow and ice continue, I am able to spin one more of my 1 ounce samples of polwarth. This is my last one, and once it "rests" I will practice Navajo plying once again. I hope that this plying technique will become easier and fluid, as for now I stop-and-start as I used to for drop spindling. I am enjoying the practice, and am looking forward to what to spin next, so I can practice Navajo plying again, and again, and again!

Navajo merino/tencel ~

2012-01-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Practicing my Navajo plying again, this time with the lovely purples of my merino and tencel blend. I love how soft this feels, and the plying looks fair. I still do not completely understand the finer points of how to Navajo ply, as looking in my Visually Spinning book as a less than satisfying description and two pictures where I cannot see what the spinner's hands are doing. There must be many spinners that believe this is easy-peasy and feel they don't need to spend time with the details for beginners. So I am muddling along, and having a delightful time, as the twist is lovely and snug, and I am reminded of my dearest jitterbug twist, and perhaps someday when I am a great spinner, I can ply a jitterbug twist....ahhhh, my fondest spinning dream!

Thawing finish ~

2012-01-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

Now our snow and ice is melting as our Pacific Northwest rain is coming back as if we could forget what life is like without the rain. No more sledding, no more snowball fights ~ just slush and puddles and grass peeking out on some lawns. Many tree limbs down as well, but our power is still on, and we are counting our blessings. As I was thinking of casting on another Trillian shawl out of my lovely Shibui Sock yarn, I made myself a deal that if I could finish one project on my list, I could cast on the Shibui....so......which project is the closest to being done? Yes, you guessed it...my scarf out of my handspun. This is the handspun I made with the drop spindle, before I received my Pocket Wheel. This is the BFL fiber given to be by Jitteryknitter for my 2010 birthday, to ensure that I would go into the "spinning rabbit hole" and never come out again.... and I did! (Thanks, Lisa!!!!)

Snowy finish ~

2012-01-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

Another snow and ice day, as the power just came back on but still icy on the roadways. We were an entire day without power, and we made the best of the situation by all the neighbors sticking together for meals and support and relaxing fun. The kids are still having a blast, and the adults are enjoying some down-time as well. I have finished Trillian, and I love everything about it! I love the yarn with the hard twist and the colors are fabulous. The Signature Needles are a dream with this yarn as well, plus the pattern is easy enough to work on while having a conversation (however be careful on the phone, don't drop any stitches!!!) Since the colorway is Zinnia, it seemed perfect to take a finished picture in my garden. I had to clear off one of my sweet pinkie birds for the photos. Aren't they lovely! As I was casting off, I started thinking about two other skeins of Shibui Sock that would make another lovely Trillian... would that be too obsessive to cast on another Trillian so soon??!!???

Power outage knitting ~

2012-01-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

Another snow day on our hill, but this one begins with no power - yes, lights out in the wee hours of the AM so we have plenty of time to get ready for the night. Well, we are still the hub for the neighborhood kids, sledding and snowball fights and lots of cocoa and marshmallow consumption. Also lunch and dinners, and we are having a blast. I did finish my mango handspun shawl, and as you'll note by the wee ball in the picture, I had just a teeny bit to spare! The thick and thin yarn makes it look rustic, and I'm excited to see how it will look when blocked. Very satisfying to knit with one's handspun! Even more satisfying to finish a project with one's handspun! Knitting with a headlamp worn as a necklace is the secret to knitting in a power outage. If you don't have a headlamp in your knitting bag now, I recommend you get one soon!!! Also took a picture out in the snow, just so you could see the shawl in more light...
Note: the power is now on while I'm posting this, as I am not yet clever enough to figure out how to post to the blog without power...my phone just won't do it!

Snow day knitting ~

2012-01-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

Since I had a bonus day home early from work, which turned out to include a bonus evening where I could stay up late since I didn't have to wake early... I decided to cast on with my hand spun yarn which is oh-so-soft mango, a blend of merino and tussah silk. The pattern, Chastain Park Shawl, is one I found on Ravelry, searching under the category of 150 yards or less, as I only have 149 yards of this lovely yarn. Since this is only the second (third if we count the sample Corriedale) that I've spun and plyed on the Pocket Wheel, it is still thick and thin, yet lovely and soft. The shawl has a rustic sort of look to it so far. I almost finished knitting it, as I was knitting into the wee hours, waiting for the snow storm to hit...by 2:00 AM the predicted storm had not hit...so I went to bed with only a few more rows left to knit....so I should finish this tomorrow, right?!!

Snow day spinning ~

2012-01-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Lucky and cozy are we, as the snow falls around us and the schools get closed, and my job sends us all home early...my mind turns to what bonus activity I could be doing now that I have a snow day.... so we are safely off the roads, and cozy by the fireplace...and I'm spinning a new blend on my Pocket Wheel. This is a blend by Rain City Fiber Arts, the same company that I bought the yarn for the Track Star socks, and I love that yarn and I LOVE her color blends....So I've been thinking of this blend, as I bought three 1 ounce samples of 50/50 merino tencel when I was still drop spindling. It looks lovely spun as a single on my wheel! I am wondering how it will Navajo ply, but that will be tomorrow's project, since I'm hoping for another snow day at home!

Snowy knitting ~

2012-01-17T17:49:00.000-08:00

We have finally received our first snow. Much has fallen, and there are deer hanging out under our cedar trees to keep out of the falling snow. My youngest and I walked to the grocery store, but no driving on our hills, so that is a relief. The chickens have enough food and their water has not frozen. The cat is happily sleeping in her warm bed in the garage. My sweetie said he would "chain up" and drive me to work if the roads are still covered...so nothing to stress about....Just some knitting on this snowy day! P.S. I think I've fixed the two stinkin' dropped stitches, but they don't look perfect...so I'm not showing a picture of the "fix" but I am hoping that it "blocks out", right?

Heart stopping drop ~

2012-01-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have never learned how to weave a dropped stitch back up to the "live" stitches on the needle. I have never learned the difference of weaving a purled stitch from weaving a knitted stitch. I have never learned how to be calm and not freak out when I have dropped stitches. This nasty dropped stitch business happened while on the phone with my folks, I was reaching for a notepad and pen to write an address, and pulled out at least eight stitches of Trillian off my needles. Six stitches were easy to get right back on, but those last two stinkers... I may need an intervention....however, I am still breathing into my paper bag...trying to stay calm.....note to self: perhaps a good New Year's Resolution would be to learn how to get dropped stitches back into place...

Packers and socks ~

2012-01-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

As the Packers battle New York, I'm knitting away on these very bright socks. This yarn has a great twist and the colors are bold and happy. I had to switch to size 1 needles to get a snugger fabric of knitting, and I think that will be better for these socks... but it might take me that much longer to knit them with smaller needles!P.S. Dropped many stitches on my Trillian in an unfortunate event, and was able to get all the stitches back on the needles except one stinker...I may have to take them all off and reload them *gasp* to get that stinker back in line.....

95 at Starbucks ~

2012-01-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

"95 at Starbucks" is a text I sent tonight. In case you need to know the code translation of this text, it means that I have 95 stitches on my needles for my Trillian shawl. I need to have 191 stitches before I can start the edging, so I do have some knitting to power through before that time. No competition, but Jitteryknitter is also knitting the Trillian, and we are keeping each other posted on our progress ~ no competition, just a friendly Knit-A-Long. The good news is that I've started my second skein of this lovely Zinnia Shibui, and this yarn is such a twisty delight of plying...As you can see the extra bump of yarn at the top of my knitting buddy, that is the 30 yards I've separated for the edging...very exciting!!!!

Navajo polwarth ~

2012-01-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

As my spinning homework for this month, I needed to spin more singles so that I could practice my Navajo plying that Sam taught me this week. I spun one of my little 1 ounce samples of polwarth (beautiful fiber) so I could try to remember all the bits and pieces that Sam taught me.So far, so good, as it seemed to be working through the chain and keeping the chain going with the "live" loop and "live" single moving through it. Still have lots more practicing to do, as I still stop and then pedal the wheel, then pull more single through the loop and then stop...and then pedal the wheel. Almost like spindle spinning again! I am very happy I was able to practice so soon after the class, as I hope some of the good teaching will stick in my brain and finger/hand memory. I have another one ounce sample of the polwarth to practice with...Hurrah!

Yarnia done ~

2012-01-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, I have cast off the socks made from Yarnia's yarn. I am happy that I stuck with these socks, but the many threads that make up Yarnia "yarn" is not my favorite, as my true love is a twist like my beloved Jitterbug or Koigu.... splitty yarn drives me a bit bonkers...So, Yarnia is cast off, and I will be donating the rest of this yarn to a good cause, so that other knitters can try this interesting blend and style of yarn. For now, I'm happy to be done with these, and to give them to my oldest. She likes them well enough, and I've let her know that she can now choose some sock yarn from my stash for her next socks... Excited about a new cast on!

Navajo plying ~

2012-01-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

OMG. I have to start with that, as I had a most awesome spinning class on Sunday. I had looked at some of the Navajo plying tutorials on YouTube and couldn't make heads or tails what the ladies were doing with their hands or their fingers.. I needed a close up webcam of their fingers so I could see what they were doing with the single ply with each step... Thank heavens I have the best EVER spinning teacher, as she was ever-so patient with me, showing me and re-showing me how each hand works, and then pedaling the spinning wheel, and then the loops of the single and then holding the chain and pulling the "live" strand from my single as I put it into the loop that I'm keeping open... I asked her if she would do a YouTube with close-ups of her hands, as it made so much sense once I could see what she was doing. I still can't do it very well, as I could really use a few more fingers and hands and brain cells to get every piece and part to work together. Although some of my yarn looked like a horrible beginner, I LOVE IT as the twist in some places looks like my beloved Jitterbug and Koigu. My homework is to practice more more more! Hurrah!

Trillian and Tea ~

2012-01-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over, I sadly leave the eggnog lattes until the next season... and I'm back to Earl Grey tea...still knitting with my knitting buddy (made by my sweetie, with his roller blade wheel as the moving gizmo) on the Trillian shawl, up to 89 stitches on my needles.
As I recall from the Jitteryknitter, I need 190ish stitches before working through the edging (don't worry, I'll check the pattern before the next step...All I know is I need to keep knitting :) )

Yarnia heels ~

2012-01-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't recommend this Yarnia "yarn" for socks, as it is not plyed so it is very splitty while knitting. It is actually approximately 10 strands of assorted fibers wound into a skein... (If you've not checked out Yarnia in Portland Ore, I'd recommend a visit, as it is rather amazing) However...the sparkle and glimmer of the strands within the group of threads is such fun that I'm still enjoying this knitting project.I've turned the heels and now ready to begin a cuff pattern.I think I'll use my "favorite at the moment" cuff pattern from More Sensational Socks since it only has 4 rows and a fun mock cable look to it. I can't wait to be done with these socks! I hope the fiber wears well, too!

Spinning last year ~

2012-01-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

I realized that I forgot to post my last spinning of last year. Holidays were too busy to keep track of all the activities, and although I took pictures....they were never posted.....My homework assignment to have complete for my January spinning class is to have spun a colorful one ply so that I can learn to Navajo ply. I picked out a little bump of BFL/Tussah and started to spin. It turned out lovely and full of bright colors. I may check out some YouTube tutorials on Navajo plying, just to see what I'm in for at my spinning class this weekend! I'm so excited!!

Trillian Progress ~

2012-01-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Trillian shawl is looking good. The yarn has a lovely twist, almost like my beloved Jitterbug, and that twist makes this Shibui a delight to knit with. The colors...ahhhh, the colors are so vibrant and warm.... When my daughter asked me to drive her to practice on this pouring rain evening, I thought I would take this sunshine "zinnia" brightness to the coffee shop and brighten up my raining evening.It worked. Although the rain kept pouring down and the wind kept blowing, my zinnia garden kept growing more lovely each row!

New Year's Heels ~

2012-01-02T20:02:00.000-08:00

I am slogging through these Yarnia socks, as I want to get them off my needles and on to my "done project" list already! The sparkles in the individual pieces of the fiber make me think of New Years' Eve fireworks, so that is keeping me going strong!Not the greatest picture...
*sigh* Starbucks is out of eggnog until the next holiday season

Auld Lang Syne

2012-01-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

As 2012 begins, and 2011 is in our rear view mirror, I'm happy to remember all the knitterly blessings I have enjoyed in 2011. The best knitting friends, ever, as they are creative, fun and the best friends one can hope for ~ I am very blessed!I picked up the Yarnia socks, for Auld Lang Syne, so I can get them finished. Seems like the sparkles would be a good New Year's project, right? Another blessing was being able to knit and finish 25 projects in 2011. Several of them were shawls, and I'm very happy about that! What new knitting projects await us in the new year!! What knitting resolutions should we be making!?

Knitting buddies ~

2011-12-31T13:05:00.000-08:00

There are others in our household that needed a few more days to finish Christmas gifts. Last night, I was presented with a hand made "knitting buddy" from my very talented sweetie. He made it out of maple, and it twirls on a roller blade wheel from his old pair that had been living in the attic. Very clever construction, and they sell for $40 in our local yarn shop. Lucky me to get a hand made one, and the promise of more to come! I thought it was a perfect reason to cast on another lovely knitting gift, Shibui sock yarn in the Zinnia colorway.
I cast on for the Trillian shawl, as it is written directions - not a chart as the original shawl I wanted to cast on... so someday I need to be more comfortable with charts... someday is not today...So far, this shawl looks lovely, and I have to remember to, "save 7% of the yarn" for the edging since I only have 400 yards, and not the 580 yards called for in the full shawl pattern. I think the zinnia yarn and the maple knitting buddy look like they are enjoying themselves!

Christmas gift cast off ~

2011-12-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

I would have only needed a few more days to finish all the Christmas gifts, as I cast off mum's lovely alpaca socks last night. Here they are earlier this week, with my peppermint mocha!Since her birthday is in February (leap day!) I will send them as birthday gifts! The socks are lovely and soft, and she will love them!

Christmas gift cast on ~

2011-12-29T13:45:00.000-08:00

I was very lucky to have some yarn as one of my gifts under our Christmas tree. My youngest was very clever in finding a way to get me some lovely yarn for Christmas, with the extra bonus that she knows I'll knit her socks out of this lovely yarn.The yarn company is Frolicking Feet, color "Pot 'O Gold"~ and I love it! I had to cast on almost immediately, the day after Christmas...

Holiday ply ~

2011-12-28T18:40:00.000-08:00

I finished plying the lovely mango while on holiday. It is looking so beautiful, and I'm excited to knit something lovely with it!First I'll give it a wash, then I'll measure how much lovely yarn I have....Then I'll find a pattern, and cast on! What a great adventure!

Holiday feet ~

2011-12-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

I am so very happy to say that both daughters loved their hand knit socks. I think they were both surprised, the youngest one had forgotten about these beauties as once I cast off, they were hidden...and the oldest daughter was surprised I had finished them in time to block and wrap them. Double bonus for me that they loved them! Here's the youngest, modeling her lovely new hand knit socks!

Peppermint mocha ~

2011-12-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

I am an eggnog gal. Once the holidays begin, I begin looking for that first coffee shop that will provide me with a perfect eggnog latte... there is nothing better to ring in the holiday season that an eggnog latte and Christmas knitting. I happened to be at Starbucks tonight, by a serendipitous set of events, and was happy to be able to be knitting after a crazy day-after-Christmas-at-the-mall. Going with serendipity, I announced to my barista that, "I'm going on a limb here, and ordering a tall peppermint mocha." She smiled, knowing I am an eggnog gal and said, "Do not be afraid, as you will love this."I did....wow....major yum....no one told me it has chocolate melty thingys on top too.....plus knitting on the last holiday gift.... many bonus points tonight!

Happy Happy Christmas ~

2011-12-25T10:41:00.001-08:00

Hugs and knitting to you all, and may all of your Christmas knitting be done!!!Happy Holidays to you all!!!!Happy Happy Happy!

Christmas Cookies ~

2011-12-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

While I am knitting up the last of the Christmas gifts, the girls are keeping up with our holiday tradition. They are making spritz cookies using my mum's spritz maker from the 1950's.The booklet that comes with it says, "Mirro, the finest Aluminum Cooky and Pastry Press" from Manitowoc Wisconsin....I found a picture of one just like it on etsy (but it already sold, sorry guys!!)...good memories!

Perfect Gift ~

2011-12-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

The perfect gift is one that is given for the total enjoyment of the recipient. For a knitter, giving another knitter yarn would seem to be very easy, and I would agree. Easy if that knitter loves the same colors and fibers as the knitter getting said gift.The most perfect gift is one that might not be so easy to pick out if those two knitters do not share the same love of colors... and that is why I am calling this the perfect gift....as I love love love these colors, as how amazing to have my favorite bright and happy colors all contained in one lovely color pallet!Jitteryknitter, the perfect gift giver said she picked it up as it "screamed" my name...gosh, not even a whisper...a scream!!! These would not be the colors she would choose for her own yarn.... Yikes - how lucky I am!!! It is so beautiful, plus being so soft is a bonus!!!! Thanks so much for listening to screaming yarn!!!

Holiday socks ~

2011-12-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

I have finished the holiday socks and they are now blocking!Here's the first one with the cuff bound off... once they are dry from blocking, they will be wrapped and put under the tree as another great hand knit treasure! Hurrah!!!

Christmas blessings ~

2011-12-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

The most special gifts by our tree are the sweetie daughters. One is going out with friends...The other is all sparkly for the Nutcracker Ballet.Both are at the top of my list of blessings!

Holiday Heels ~

2011-12-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

Well, one can't spend all one's time in the race up to the holiday by asking questions, can one? As Fred and George would say, "Get back to your knitting" and I did....So, here are the heels turned, and now we are on the straight-away to the cuff pattern! Hurrah!

Holiday Questions ~

2011-12-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a holiday question for you ~ What do you do when you have several projects still waiting to be finished before the Christmas deadline, and you have less than seven days to finish them?Here's another question ~ What do you do when you keep casting on projects in your sleep? OK, let me clarify, not "casting on while you are asleep" but dreaming about casting on projects, with yarn that you truly have, and patterns that you really like.....waking up and you are certain that you've cast on, and those projects are nearby....hmmmmm...Try this one ~ What do you do when you have 3 skeins of Natural Dye Studio yarn that have patiently been waiting to be cast on...plus Signature Needles that are empty and whispering to be used?These are the questions I'm asking.....

Happy Birthday ~

2011-12-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

There are some friends that are just the best, ever.... Jitteryknitter is one of them...and I'm so blessed that our paths crossed and now we are stuck on this crazy knitting path together!Here's to a happy happy birthday ~ let's go celebrate with some yarn and holiday fun!
(can you believe this picture we found from 2005!!!)

Holiday Sweaters ~

2011-12-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

As part of the last week of Junior High before the holidays, there was a "Tacky Holiday Sweater Day" which seemed like a great idea ~ except that my 13 year old asked if she could look through MY sweaters to pick one....*ahem* ... I don't have any tacky holiday sweaters, truly I don't.She picked out this lovely number by Michael Simon, and she said she had rave reviews at school - not a sweater, but a vest. No way could anyone think this is tacky ~ when I wore this to my kids' elementary school holiday parties, the kids all loved this vest!!! :)

Farewell Socks ~

2011-12-16T23:58:00.001-08:00

Dear socks at the corner of our high school and Starbucks. I will miss your whimsy and brightness. I wish you could have stayed. I loved you in all three phases of your creative loveliness, winter, with a news report, spring and this autumn scene below....Many thanks to Suzanne Tidwell, the creative genius behind this lovely art!! I will miss these lovelies!

White Elephant ~

2011-12-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

At holiday time, our office celebrates with a white elephant gift exchange. There are about 20 of us that participate, so it is my strategy to find something that will cause some "stealing" of the gifts when they are opened. Our rules are that the opened gift can be stolen 3 times, and belongs to the person that steals the gift the third time. A great gift is one that gets stolen three times!!! Since we have a major Packer Fan in our office, I found one of my daughters very small dresses that she wore when she was in preschool.... with big beads and fringe, very fun to dance in when you are 4 years old.... Nancy opened it first...(she is almost 5 feet tall) I wasn't sure it would fit Nancy, but it looked great!Then Mark stole it...(he is 6 feet 7 inches tall)I couldn't believe it fit him - but it looked great as well.I guess Jerry didn't think it looks so great - he was horrified!!!Very fun, indeed (and our Packer Fan did end up with it...a good ending, and we all lived happily every after!)

Spinning Silk ~

2011-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Now that I had success with spinning the merino, I've begun spinning a lovely blend of merino and tussah silk that I purchased from the Desert Charm shop in Sisters Oregon in 2010. I bought a 4 ounce bump for just $3.45 per ounce, so a great deal at $13.80 with no sales tax! The color is a lovely mango, and so pretty.In my first try, the spinning seems to be working out, although I still seem to have a bit more twist than needed....a tension problem?How could there be tension when working with merino silk that is so soft and beautiful!??Plus the color is so lovely! I love practicing with my sweet wheel and lovely fiber!

Mum's shawl done ~

2011-12-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

After blocking the peaceful alpaca shawl, there was a transformation into loveliness! What a lovely shawl this turned into!I think mum will love it, as it is pretty and will be cozy warm in all the chocolaty alpaca softness. I have woven in all the ends, and now it is ready to send to Michigan in time for Christmas! Hurrah!!

Birthday Star ~

2011-12-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

We celebrated another birthday at our favorite knitting shop, Serial Knitters! What a great place to meet up with our knitting buddies, share laughs and stories while surrounded by lovely yarn and great people!How special that the Deb, the shop owner, shares the shop crown and scarf for our Birthday Star!Plus there was cake! Hurrah!!

Basketball Star ~

2011-12-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

Now that basketball has started, we are having such fun going to the games. One daughter supporting the other is great, especially when she makes a "fan" sign to flash from the audience bleachers! Although it is on the back of her homework paper, it was still the only "fan" sign in the gym...so that is pretty exciting, right!Motivated by all the fan support, and the "fan" sign, our basketball star was awesome again. Not the 12 points she scored in her first game last week, in just the eight minutes that she played, but still an amazing performanceHurrah Foondie!!!! Go Foondie!!!!

Eggnog and Gussets ~

2011-12-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Motoring along with joy, I am knitting the gussets on these lovely socks. The colors are such fun, and the yarn is fun to knit.Since this daughter puts many holes in her hand knit socks due to lots of wearing love, she has asked if I can reinforce the heel and gusset, so I will try to add some nylon thread to the knitting there.... I hope this doesn't get into a big tangled mess.....stay tuned...

Love a Llama ~

2011-12-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

Instead of telling you that I'm not making a lot of progress on my moebi (is this the proper plural of moebius???), I am going to tell you about a great organization Heifer International. I believe that Clara Parkes also supports this great organization, so please check it out. My favorite donation is the knitting basket - an alpaca, a bunny, a llama and a sheep.... I think those are the main knitting basket animals. The stories and success from Heifer International are amazing and inspiring, so please consider donating as you feel appropriate. At least check their website to look at the adorable animals!!!

Eggnog and Toes ~

2011-12-05T14:56:00.000-08:00

Now that the knitting is finished on the alpaca shawl for mum, I am quickly knitting on the next deadline. Yes, the shawl still needs to be blocked and ends woven in, but must keep knitting!These are the lovely Koigu socks, using Sock Summit yarn from this year, and the knitting fabric is so cute - almost like polka dots! This yarn is the choice of oldest daughter, and youngest daughter calls the color a very very bad name....

Happy Birthday Dad ~

2011-12-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my Dad!!! I hope you are having a great day and a fun time doing fun things that you like!I think this picture was taken in 1971....That's my sweetie sister with Dad....lovely family!

Real Yarn, Truly ~

2011-11-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

You might want to sit down for this.... I was glad that I was sitting while I was plying, as when I peaked at the bobbin, my "lucky zebra" bobbin, I saw Real Yarn. Yes....seriously, there it was on my zebra bobbin...R-E-A-L Y-A-R-N just like real spinners make!Doesn't this look lovely? Doesn't this look consistent and smooth? Can you see that the thick pieces are much the minimum.....not the overpowering maximum in previous yarn attempts....Yes, you get another picture of this bobbin, as I can't stop dancing a happy dance for my Real Yarn! I can't wait to check how many yards I have so I can cast on!!!

Plying time ~

2011-11-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

I have spun all the Dancing Leaf roving this holiday weekend, and it looks pretty good to me! Since the great lesson from Sam, at my favorite knitting shop Serial Knitters, I am spinning more evenly consistent, plus not breaking the ply as it draws into the bobbin.I'm so very proud of my progress, as I've been practicing as often as I can. As my 13 year old said today, "It seems like just yesterday you were dropping that spindle on the floor!" Well said.. So, I put together my Katie-a-go-go, just as Sam taught me, and started to ply this lovely fiber...So far so good!!! How exciting!!!!

Moebius Mishap ~

2011-11-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

I mentioned yesterday that my first moebius was not as expected, and I ripped it out. Sad as I was over this moebius mishap, I realized with a *gasp* that I needed to rip out my lovely Koigu Destiny too, as I'd cast on the same amount of stitches for this lovely moebius. Thankfully, I had an inspiration before ripping out the koigu, and I counted how many stitches I had...as I thought I'd cast on 200 in that wonderfully magical way taught by Cat Bordhi. Well, another surprise for me, as there were a total of 360 stitches on the Koigu Destiny needles. This means that when I thought I was supposed to count the "up" and the "down" motion in Cat's cast on, this was an error.Using this knowledge, I cast on (again) the Rio yarn and the Koigu, and using the cast on count I used before, I cast on "only 50" to see what would happen. After the first knitted round on each, I counted stitches and had 200 on each...no idea what happened, other than it must be that magic that Cat talks about...

Half Marathon Stars ~

2011-11-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

Here are the four stars of our local half marathon!Hurrah!! Hurrah!! Hurrah!! Hurrah!!

Cat's Moebius ~

2011-11-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

Perhaps this is meant to be a learning experience. I'm sure that's it... When I cast off my first moebius in the wee hours of Thanksgiving, the many many "almost 200 stitches" of the glorious first moebius......I had quite a surprise.Big....really big......super deluxe big...twice as big as the hand knit one we bought at our church bazaar a few weeks ago....Perhaps if my cat was Cat Bordhi (although I do love our cat, but she's not much of a knitter) she would have warned me not to cast on almost 200 stitches...soooooo, I guess I need to rip back and cast on only 100 this time....*sigh*

Beautiful Koigu ~

2011-11-25T11:14:00.001-08:00

While spending most of Thanksgiving day being thankful with family, I was able to knit a bit on the lovely Koigu Destiny moebius.It is lovely to knit and lovely to watch it grow!!!

Koigu Destiny ~

2011-11-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Riddle: What do you get when you find Koigu in the most luscious deep green, and then find Lantern Moon Rosewood "Destiny"needles in a size 9, 40 inch....less than 1/2 price...and these two extra special yarn and needle pieces come together on the night before Thanksgiving holiday, marking several days away from work....Answer: Cast on another moebius to celebrate the conversion of holiday, Koigu and Destiny... Plus being thankful for my family, my friends, my job, my health, our home, our neighborhood. My best wishes to all of you, and may you spend some of the holiday counting blessings and knitting! I hope you are able to cast on, too!!!

Pocket practicing ~

2011-11-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

After the greatest spinning lesson I've had since bringing my wee Pocket Wheel home, I've been spinning on this "Wool Roving: wool from Merino Sheep!" is what the label says. It is from Dancing Leaf Farm and was one of the deals at Sock Summit this year. It had some issues, as it was sort of compressed and mushed, almost looked like it had been a bit felted... so I took it to my great spinning teacher and she started to pull and fluff and put air back into the roving, until it looked much better.The roving still shreds a bit, and probably isn't the best for a beginner to work with...but I keep thinking it is good to practice with, since I love the colors....pictured below with one of our pumpkins.I get a little better each time I practice, and hope that soon I'll feel like I'm a bit farther along than "beginner status" but for now I'm happy to be spinning away!

Real swatching ~

2011-11-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I'm pleased with my first yarn spun and plyed from my wee Pocket Wheel. After soaking and drying, then measuring how much I have from that first sample, I have 65 yards of Almost Real Yarn. Not sure what can be knit with just 65 yards, the Jitteryknitter said that fingerless gloves would be a good project. She said I should swatch to see what size needles, since my Almost yarn is still thick and thin....(but lovely, don't you think so?)So, using her size 4 needles, I am knitting a swatch...and this Almost yarn is behaving a lot like real yarn (imagine that!) and I'm having fun with this wee swatch!Not sure if 65 yards will be enough...now I have to find the pattern she was using for those fingerless gloves, as I can't recall how many to cast on....such fun!!!

Mum's Christmas Socks ~

2011-11-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

When the gentle rhythm of K1 P1 of the Peaceful Shawl puts me to sleep, or at least yawning so much my eyes begin to water, I need to put down that project and pick up mum's Christmas Socks. I'm at the gusset, knitting two at a time and toe-up, as I always do.Again wondering if these can be completed and sent to Michigan before Christmas....

Peaceful Knitting ~

2011-11-20T12:56:00.000-08:00

I write that title, I must say the knitting on mum's alpaca shawl may be peaceful, but I can't help wonder if I can get it knitted, blocked and on its way to mum before Christmas. Why does Christmas seem to come earlier each year?I added the third (and last) skein of yarn last night, so I hope I'm on the last big slog...If it was any other month but November or December I'd really be loving all this alpaca growing so lovely with my Signature needles...

More Moebius ~

2011-11-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Knitting on the moebius has been very interesting. Although the needles are 40 inches long, they are in a double-curl-of-the-moebius shape so it feels more like knitting a hat. Well, except there are almost 200 stitches in one round.It looks good and the yarn colors are blending well. I can imagine that this moebius knitting could become addictive....I'll let you know once I've cast off....

Almost Real Yarn ~

2011-11-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

I had the greatest spinning lesson on Sunday at my favorite yarn store, Serial Knitters. I had my great teacher all to myself and was able to ask many many questions and get lots of tips and techniques on how better to spin with my Pocket Wheel. I also learned to ply using my newest spinning gadget, the Katie-a-go-go which is a traveling "lazy Kate" and it worked like a charm!Here is my first attempt at plying my first attempted singles with my Pocket Wheel. Look, this almost looks like Real Yarn!!! Way to go!!! (very very exciting!!!)

Library Love ~

2011-11-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

I am blessed by being part of the best library system in the world, well perhaps in the U.S.A. but I'd bet our library would be a contender for a Class A World Rating! After waiting patiently, these two books showed up "on hold" for me just before this holiday weekend.There is so much inspiration in these two books, it could tilt the world of an unsuspecting knitter. However, being a fan of Clara Parkes from 'way back, plus following Wendy Knits for many years as well, I fully expected my world to tilt a little, once I had these books in my hands. BE WARNED, they will both pull you into the delightful vortex of patterns, techniques, yarn and the yen to cast on some lovelies....

Veterans' Day thanks ~

2011-11-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

I would like to take today to thank my dad for his service to our country in WWII. I called him today to thank him again, as I call him every year on Veterans' Day and Memorial Day to thank him. I call him and mum many other times in the year, of course, but I always call dad on these special days of remembrance.I can't imagine what it would have been like to be shipped across the world to fight in a strange place, with service people I've just met. All of us fighting a terrible force that defies the human values that we have been raised with. All of us missing home, fighting a terrible terrible menace that caused such heartache in the world.Thanks dad, for fighting for us, and for future generations. (I love these pics from 1965 & 67!!)

Moebius first ~

2011-11-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

I may be the only knitter on earth that has not done the famous Cat Bordhi moebius cast on. I checked out the beginning of the youtube video (only the beginning as I was interrupted several times by a multitude of teenagers...perhaps there were only two teenagers, but they are busy busy busy and it seemed like more than two....). I did the cast on Sunday night, and waited until Monday afternoon to knit that first row.The cast on and first row are a bit awkward, but I do hope that I've done both correctly... stay tuned...P.S. Love this yarn, as it is another from the $10 bin at Sock Summit 2009 - Rio de la Plata sock yarn

Eggnog and Alpaca ~

2011-11-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, the season's first eggnog latte.....yummy yummy for all knitters. So I was able to knit on mum's alpaca shawl with the leaves, and enjoyed this very yummy drink. (can you see the leaves?)Did I mention this alpaca is very yummy as well? Plus these Signature Needles make all projects yummy!

Bitten again by Jitterbug ~

2011-11-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Do you have a certain yarn that you can't resist? (silly question, eh?!!) No matter where to see it, you have an almost visceral need to have it in your stash. Most of the time, there is some of that yarn on your needles, in a wonderful project that gives you such joy.... plus you have several finished objects in that yarn, yet you never tire of knitting with it.Jitterbug is that yarn for me....but not the "new" colors that are tonal and muted...oh, no...too tame... it is the older, vintage colorways that I love (Jitteryknitter is now shaking her head and saying, "no, no no!"). The colors just sing with happy sunshine, and the twist is the most excellent I've ever knit with - tight and even....oh, I do love this yarn!!Lucky for me, I found another skein of that vintage Jitterbug...just when #2 daughter had asked me to cast on my last of this Popsicle colorway....Isn't it so lovely?

Cast on Koigu ~

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here is another cast on from Sock Summit 2011. Although I should be knitting on my Christmas projects, I was feeling very frustrated since I wasn't finding any time for knitting, so I decided I needed to cast on some socks. Even as I write that last sentence, I know it doesn't make any sense at all. Wouldn't I be farther with my Christmas knitting if I kept knitting on it, even if I only have a few minutes? Well, perhaps.........however.......casting on feels so good, like a battery recharger for the knitting soul....Plus I kept wondering what this yarn would look like in knitted fabric....the lady buying some next to me at Sock Summit says it looks great and polka dotted, so there is that mystery solving piece going on here, too...When number #1 daughter saw them (she knows they are for her, as she "called dibbs" on the yarn when it came back from Sock Summit) she said, "Oh, Yea! I can't wait to have a new pair of your knitted socks!"

Happy Halloween ~

2011-10-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

We had a spontaneous pumpkin carving event in our garage... with very scary results.This event took about a half hour to plan and get some of our neighborhood kids over.We took this 45 pound pumpkin from our own pumpkin patch, and set up the kids and pumpkins in our garage.plus took the other, smaller pumpkins out of our pumpkin patch...and fired up the power tools.....After three large pizzas, the results were wonderful!The kids had a blast, carved with little saws and power tools and danced around to Pandora's Halloween soundrtack - what a blast we had!!!Bonus, there was a visit by our very own Super Chicken!

Bosses Yarn Bomb ~

2011-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Since there are three knitters in our office, we thought it would be a lovely show of affection to yarn bomb our bosses office for Bosses Day.Given that we don't have a knitting machine like our famous yarn bomber here and here and here, we did some fast knitting by hand.Although it seemed like we were knitting forever, it did not give us the complete coverage of his office plants as we had hoped, but it still looked very cool.Plus, he loved it!!!

Say Yah to da UP, eh!

2011-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Quick knitting interruption here, as I saw this bumper sticker today and couldn't believe it.For those of you that many not know, the U.P. is the upper peninsula of Michigan. A lovely place where I went to school and met my mountain man - not a lot of people in this area - mostly rural and lovely. Although technically part of Michigan, it has many loyalties to Wisconsin...such as there are many Packer fans in the UP that feel that the Detroit Lions are not their home team.... This bumper sticker, outside Seattle, is very far from home, so I was so curious that there might be a Yooper in the immediate area! Yes, Yoopers are what those that are local to the UP are called - my mountain man is a Yooper.....and he kinda talks like dat....:)

Steph in Seattle ~

2011-10-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Celebrity siting in Seattle this week. We were again lucky that Stephanie appeared at a local book store for her book tour. Unfortunately I had a night meeting I had to attend, so I missed it. Our group was represented beautifully with babies, knitwear and three generations of knitters (well, we're sure baby Annika will soon be a knitter)You many recognize Marion as she has two very lucky grand kids that you've met before. You met Sawyer here and here and here and here and here, and Annika here. Many thanks to the Yarn Harlot and her blog for documenting the event so well that I almost felt like I was there. This picture is from her blog, too. Did you hear that her book began at #24 on the New York Bestseller list?!!!

Silk socks done ~

2011-10-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

I was able to finish two projects on our ocean weekend. That feels so great! Plus knitting on so many projects in one weekend feels great too - wouldn't it be grand to be able to knit on such a variety every weekend! I love the yarn for these socks, and love the pattern in the cuff. Jitteryknitter noticed how the yarn pools in the feet and heels, but stripes in the cuff pattern. Very interesting, and I had not noticed that!All the projects make me remember what great projects they are, and I wonder why I'm not knitting on them more, and then I remember all the busy times...and I strive to get more knitting time...

Ocean Knitting three ~

2011-10-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

The sunshine came out on Sunday at the ocean, so I was able to take a picture outside with mum's shawl. This is knitting up very slowly due to the k1 p1 in the middle, and I do not knit that combination very fast at all... so I am hoping I can finish this before Christmas. It is beautiful, plus on Signature Needles, so the alpaca knitting is wonderful!Funny picture below, as my youngest went walking on the beach in her swamp boots and was swamped by a big wave that went up and over her tall boots, and soaking her Christmas Socks. Here are her Tropicana socks drying out in the wind and sunshine. Aren't they lovely!

Ocean Knitting too ~

2011-10-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Still pouring rain, and still knitting on everything I brought with me. I did a few rows on the shawl in the Panda Wool curry color, and was surprised how well it was knitting. This is the one where we had an intervention at Sock Summit this year.... and it must have worked, as I have the correct amount of stitches! Hurrah!Also knit on the sweet pea silk shawl from my I Knit London skein, and it is so lovely, even in the rain rain rain of the ocean weekend!The colors of this yarn are amazingly beautiful, and I wish the pattern was easier so I could knit while talking or listening to the goings-on around me...but this is another brandywine type where I need to concentrate....but still beautiful! Plus both these projects are on Signature Needles! Bonus!

Ocean Knitting ~

2011-10-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our relaxing weekend at the ocean. Since I was sure I would have hundreds of hours to knit, I took all my projects and vowed to knit some rows on each one, plus make major progress on mum's shawl that I'm knitting for Christmas. We arrived late Friday night, and by Saturday morning it was pouring rain and I was knitting.Knitting on the sparkle socks with the interesting yarn from Portland's Yarnia. I'd forgotten how fun these socks are, and how amazing it is to knit with many strands of fiber all put together into yarn...it brought back fun memories of visiting Yarnia on our Portland trip last year!Also knitting on the silky socks....so close to being done...and the pouring rain didn't stop the lovely beauty of watching the ocean while knitting!I'm sure I'll finish them this weekend! They look bright and sunny, even in the pouring rain of the ocean weekend!

Run for the record ~

2011-10-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Before I tell you about more knitting, just wanted to congratulate our xcountry runners for an awesome County meet. My runner rocked the course by setting a PR - doesn't she look happy!Way to go, girl!! Look at all those gals you've passed!!!!!Fast to the finish!!! On to Boise!!

Pocket practice ~

2011-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

I finally had some time to practice on my Pocket Wheel. It is much like learning to drive a stick shift vehicle, looking for that sweet spot of letting out the clutch while easing into the accelerator as you glide into first gear.....famous theories....when actually there is that letting out of the clutch too fast... and stalling, or bucking-then-stalling ..... letting out too slow... and stalling.... that sweet spot ever elusive....as we stall yet again.....I'm getting a little better, but looking forward to getting past first gear and cruising!!! (Isn't she a lovely wheel!)

Birthday fun ~

2011-10-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Debi's birthday on Saturday, complete with knitting and dinner. Complete, too, with Signature Needles as her gift from us. What a great tradition this has become, as it is almost worth it to get a little older just to get a pair of these amazing needles!Here we are on the beach before dinner, walking along by the ferry dock and having a whale of a time!

Cross country pack ~

2011-10-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Great xcountry meet today. Four high schools and four races, - girls varsity, girls jr varsity, boys varsity and boys jr varsity. Our kids stayed in their running packs and won the meet.Here's a great picture of my daughter's "pack" as they are about to take the turn into the woods. Look closely to the left corner and see the kick of who they are chasing! Hurrah!

Perfect Pocket Day ~

2011-10-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

The day had arrived when my pocket wheel was ready to be picked up. I first tried one at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in September, 2010 and ordered it in November, 2010. At that time it was scheduled to be done in July, 2011. Life happens, and the handcrafters took more time, so I ended up waiting patiently for 11 months. Jitteryknitter and I took the ferry over to Whidbey Island to pick up my wheel, and had the most enjoyable afternoon with "Mr & Mrs Pocket Wheel" They introduced us to their sheep (Violet and flock) and their chickens, plus their angora bunny (can't believe we didn't take any pictures - too excited!). Then we toured the wood working area, and the finishing area, and then into the house to get a spinning lesson. Ahhhhh, the spinning!My zebra wood bobbin seemed to have some tension issues, but I had a blast learning all about my wheel. Their living room was a dream, several pocket wheels to sample, several big baskets of all sorts of fiber, and several big baskets of handspun ~ what a dream! I started getting better at the spinning, and we would have stayed all night! Now there is not so much tension in my singles....(See how one side of the blue has a lot less tension than the other?! Hurrah!)The zebra bobbin still has tension issues we are working out!!!Stay tuned for more fun with the Pocket Wheel!

Peaceful Tea ~

2011-10-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

I made progress on mum's Peaceful shawl while waiting to pick up kids at youth group. The pattern seems to be working well, and the yarn and needles are a dreamy combination!I just need to keep up the Christmas knitting so I can finish on time to send to Michigan...(lots of time, right?)

Christmas cast on ~

2011-10-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Now that is it October, are there any knitters out there wondering how to get all your knitting treasures finished for Christmas? I've scaled down my Christmas knitting plans this year, so I hope that I won't be so frantic in December...famous theories for 50, right? Here is a lovely cast on for mum's shawl/wrap, a fun pattern called Peaceful Leaves Yoga Wrap. I'll knit it and not attach the buttons, as my mum would just use it as a shawl.I'm using my Cascade Eco Alpaca, from our wonderful tour of their warehouse (when was that?), as mum has wool issues, and the alpaca is knitting up very sweet, indeed. Using my birthday Signature Needles helps make this a lovely knitting adventure! Not sure if this picture shows off the knitting best, as it was wonderfully sunny when I snapped the picture...now the sunshine is rumored to be gone for this week....

Salmon Days' Success ~

2011-10-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

We interrupt the knitting to bring you this news flash. Our 13 year old, still coughing from the remnants of her cold, begins the Salmon Days 5K with a smile and a kick!She finishes with a major spurt of speed, rounding the last corner to the finish with flying feet!Plus a personal PR of 23:28! Hurrah!!!!!! Go Girl Go!!!

Twilight Success ~

2011-10-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

We interrupt the knitting to bring you the news flash from the Tomahawk Twilight xcountry race.Yes, she did really well, wore her new 'half inch' spikes for the first time, and they are still full of great golf course dirt and grass! Plus she earned an awesome blue ribbon! Hurrah!
(P.S. The "Twilight" in the name is because they run at dusk ~ no vampires were running)

Silk cuffs ~

2011-09-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm using the same pattern on these cuffs as I did for the Hazel Knits socks for my oldest daughter, as I mentioned here. Since this silky malabrigo is not plied, it is a bit trickier to do the knitted stitch TW2R, which I just learned for the other sock cuff. When I knit 2 together, then leave them on the left needle and then knit 1 stitch from those two, I sometimes catch part of the other stitch in this K1. I didn't think that a no-ply yarn would have some downsides, but only for this stitch!Otherwise, they are looking lovely, and I'm still dazzled by the colors. Seems this is the only knitting I've done this weekend, with small bits on a few other projects, just to see them in the daylight...Do you ever feel like casting on all your favorite yarns at one time.... just to see how they cast on, and how the colors work with the pattern? I'm having troubles not casting on everything...I think that means I need to knit a bit each day so I'm not crazy in knitting withdrawal by the end of the week...

Tosh glowing ~

2011-09-24T14:45:00.001-07:00

As I took the blocking pins out of this Tosh shawl, I marveled again at the lovely colors and how the pattern seems to show the colors to their best advantage.So I put this lovely shawl outside in our sunny back deck... loving how this shawl turned out, how the points look so great, and wondering what I can make out of the leftover yarn... perhaps 198 yards of Tosh Heaven? (do I have that much left?!!)

Heels and braces ~

2011-09-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for our youngest teenager. I turned the heels on both of her silky merino socks, and they look so very lovely! I was knitting them in the sunshine again, and loving all these colors that burst from this yarn ~ cranberry, gold, deep green, and lovely orange. Now I can cruise up the cuff, probably knitting the same pattern as I knit for the strawberry lemonade socks, taken from More Sensational Socks. You might ask how I was able to spend this much time knitting on sock heels today...I was knitting while waiting for her to get her braces on.......so I thought I should be knitting her socks while I waited! Lovely, lovely!

Silk heel #1 ~

2011-09-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I can't cast on more socks until I turn the heels on these lovely silky socks for one of my teenagers. This yarn is so vibrant and so lovely that I was enjoying knitting them outside so the full power of the sunshine could light up each and every lovey shade.One heel almost turned while waiting for church youth group. I think I'll be knitting on them tomorrow as well!

Tosh Blocking ~

2011-09-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! I have finished knitting on the Tosh shawl, even adding another repeat of the chart to make the shawl larger.The yarn is lovely and the pattern is also lovely with this yarn. I think I could have knit another repeat of the chart to make it even bigger, as I still have a bit of yarn left. So scary when one is not sure how much yarn it would really take for another repeat, and I knew there was no way to get more of this very old Tosh colorway. So I knit safe and cast off!

Sweet Pea Silk ~

2011-09-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Sweet Pea silk from The Natural Dye Studio is lovely to work with. The colors are amazing and the yarn is oh-so-soft and smooth. Knitting this silk with the Signature Needles is a lovely matching, and I'm enjoying this Birthday Shawl knitting.The directions for this pattern are a bit trickier for knitting in a group, but so far I've done OK...but I do not want to mess up on this one!

Tosh almost done ~

2011-09-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a lot of Tosh yarn left for this shawl. The pattern is basic for knitting in a group, not one that I need total silence. That is good, so I've been knitting on this a lot, especially since it includes my Birthday Signature Needles. This combination of pattern, yarn and needles is a great one!So I've decided to knit another set of repeats to use more yarn and have a larger shawl - it is looking beautiful! When asked, "Could you pose with this beautiful shawl?" I get the scary teenager picture....*sigh*

Church visit ~

2011-09-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Look what showed up at church today? What a delightful surprise when one of my knitted items shows up in public, on one of my family members! Especially a project that seemed to be a backwards journey in my knitting!This doesn't happen very often, now that I have teenagers, so I am very grateful and delighted!

Are you happy now?

2011-09-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

I was sooooo pleased with my Shibui cloud progress, knitting the mohair did not seem to fiddly although very thin, but I was happy to get the beads on with no sweat...knitting up this cloud of lovely greens... I was so excited to show this to Jitteryknitter, as I knew she would be excited, as she's the one that found this yarn on sale in Oregon.... I new she would be excited about a new cast on, and I knew she would be excited that yet another project was on the needles....the first thing she says is....."Those beads don't match".........*sigh* then, "You need to get different beads," Well, I made her go with me, as I would just pick out the same beads...because they looked fine to me.......but nooooooooooooo.....So we (she) picked out new beads and I ripped out and cast on again..... Are you happy now????

Secret Pal Surprise ~

2011-09-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

Our Secret Pal program ended this past week with a "revealing lunch" when we all get to reveal to our Secret Pals who was giving them special treasures...and find out who had been our Secret Pal. After getting all the wonderful knitting goodies each month, I had visions of exactly who my Secret Pal would be...not by name, but by sight.....She would come to our lunch wearing a cabled cardigan, and a light weight summer scarf, perhaps out of some Shibui Cloud.... or perhaps a summer shawl....I knew she was my kindred spirit, as who else would buy me beaded ArtYarn.....really....who else would? I had used the message board to send Thank You's to my Pal, even sending the YouTube of the Flashmob where I danced with the ArtYarn...I knew she would know how much I loved all these gifts, and that we were kindred spirits....Well, at the lunch there were transportation engineers, life guards, recreation leaders, police officers, police dispatchers, city planners, and even the Chief of Police.....which was my kindred spirit? Who bought the beaded ArtYarn just for me? A police officer....OH MY GOSH....there was no way....All I could say was, "You must have had help!" "You could not have walked into a knitting shop and purchased beaded ArtYarns" His reply, "This was super fun, and your reactions were a hoot - and you really took that yarn to Portland?" Live and learn.... and I hope he is my Secret Pal next year...look at the darling gift he gave me at lunch - even a knitting travel case...I love this guy!

Cast on Shibui ~

2011-09-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Once the beads were threaded on this lovely yarn, I had to cast on right away. I was curious how knitting with this cobweb would be ~ worried it might be very tricky and cumbersome to knit with something as thick as a thread... oh, but how lovely it is!Not sure how easy or difficult it will be, but it is reminding me a bit of my qiviuk scarf yarn, but not quite as soft :) With these Signature Needles, the color contrast is so beautiful, and the knitting is such a delight so far!Do the beads look as if they are matching a bit better? (not so much, you say?) Well, they look fine to me....:)

Cast on handspun ~

2011-09-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of casting on, or perhaps not knitting for 5 days straight after my birthday gave me this pent up itch that needs major scratching....so....there is some casting on this week to ease that itch... We have the lovely handspun here, much better than the Horrible Handspun of my first learning.I think it is very lovely indeed, paired with the lovely Signature Needles!!Using Yarn Harlot's scarf pattern that I am fond of...it is looking great!

Shibui and beads ~

2011-09-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Since this was my birthday week, and I had to work on my birthday...I decided to do something reckless and dangerous. Yes...I did.... on my lunch break, after walking through the park, I walked to the bead store and picked out beads to match my Shibui Cloud....you might be thinking, What is dangerous about that? (although Marion and Lisa are already saying, "Noooooooooooo, don't do it!!!!")but I did anyway.... I picked out beads from a very very small selection (only 3 shades of green) and I picked out the closest match, which (of course) doesn't really match.....(*ahem*) but I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to match the colors...(so, does that make them match better?)as that is dangerous ground for me, as All Colors Look Good To Me (except mixing browns and pinks - Eeew!) from these pictures, the beads and yarn look like they match....but Marion will tell you....."not so much"

Cross Country Varsity ~

2011-09-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

Just had to break into our regularly scheduled knitting blog to say that we have a varsity cross country runner in our household. She is now wearing the varsity "white uniform" and it fits her physically and mentally.She's raced twice this week and ran her Personal Best each time. Hurrah!!! Bravo!!!!

More Secret Pal Delight ~

2011-09-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned about my out-of-this-world secret pal? This kindred spirit that gives me beaded mohair ArtYarn (yes, that yarn! Can you believe it?), and cable knitting books that I get out of the library every time I visit (yes, that book! Can you believe it?) Well, last week's gift was very cool, indeed, as it was a knitting book I've not seen before.I'm thinking of casting on the last pattern in the book - Ha'Penny loop cowl...it is so lovely! I can't wait to meet my kindred spirit secret pal soon!