Knitting for Sanity

Tour de Fleece update

2008-07-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

The Tour de Fleece 2008 is complete. My goal to finish spinning, plying, and washing this roving purchased at OFFF 2007 has been obtained. The colors are stunning and the final yarn is in stash awaiting the perfect project.

Feeling crabby

2008-07-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Half a monkey

2008-07-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

Dead Monkey

2008-07-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes love doesn't last....

Big Socks

2008-07-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Finally, a photo of the huge socks I knit for DH who gets cold feet when he goes scuba diving during the winter in Puget Sound. Yarn - STR Heavyweight, one of the Raven colorways.

Blooming washcloths

2008-07-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Look what's growing in my garden:

Head on:

Pattern: Knitted Lacy Round Dishcloth (ravelry link)

Tour de Fleece and Shout Out

2008-07-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

There's a new button over in the sidebar, yep, I signed up for the Tour de Fleece. This is my first year entering the race, and I am off to a late start. However I feel confident in my ability to earn The Maillot Jaune (Yellow Jersey). My goal is to ply the red/gold wool silk I purchased at OFFF last year, and was just re-inspired to spin up at BSG. This is an attainable goal if I set the proper amount of time aside. Priorities!

I'd like to make a shout out to my friend Kerry, who when properly motivated by promises of chocolate, STR, and cashmere, has finished her koigu sweater over the 4th of July weekend. Doesn't it look great? Well done, Kerry!

Tag, you're it!

2008-07-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Annie, who was kind enough to leave a little yarn and fiber for me at Black Sheep, tagged me.

The rules: Are posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer. Play nice, children.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was counting down the days to the birth of my first child, and working for a large disk manufacturing company in Minnesota.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today- not in any particular order?
Play with my kids, do some gardening, start the laundry, go flower shopping and knit!

3. Snacks I enjoy.
chocolate chip cookies, raspberries

4. Places I’ve lived-
Gambrills, MD; Berlin, Germany; Odenton, MD; Columbia, MD; Eagan, MN; Minneapolis, MN; Hopkinton, MA; Bellevue, WA; Woodinville, WA

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
It would be my civic duty to open the west coast's best yarn and fiber haven.

6. What are some jobs you’ve had:
project manager, product manager, who wants to talk about work anyway?

People I'm going to Tag are:
Barb
Tina
Sam
Anyone else who has not posted this meme yet!

Tres Amigas

2008-06-27T22:46:00.001-07:00

Is my Spanish right?

clickety click to embiggen

clickety click to embiggen

Black Sheep Gathering 2008

2008-06-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Every one has already posted their photos, I am always the last to share. Friday afternoon Barb and I headed down to the rim of Drain for what has become an annual pilgrimage to artist heaven. At least what I envision artist heaven to look like. It is a place to relax and unwind...

to commune with nature...

to find hidden inspiration...

to see the beauty in the every day...

to leave it with the goddess to handle...

There was spinning...

from OFFF 2007, merino silk, dyepots

BSG 2008, merino silk

MSW 2008, merino silk

I really enjoyed the spinning time, even if I am slouching.

Barb made a feeble attempt at entering the ugly sock contest, but Autumn declared that nothing ugly would ever grace her head.

Someone had to work...

Thank you Sheila and Michael for a wonderful, rejuvenating weekend! See you next year?

Lucy socks

2008-06-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well, really, socks for DS#1 in Socks That Rock Lightweight, colorway Lucy. Saving for holiday gift.

Girl Scout Bridging, a medal worthy event

2008-06-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

June has been a busy month both at work and at home with the kids. DD bridged into brownies at a bridging ceremony. I was so proud of her speaking up so everyone could hear her name before she walked across the bridge.

The guest speaker at the event is a life long Girl Scout, local athlete, and Olympian! Lynn Colella spoke about her Olympic experience, what it was like to compete in a male dominated sport, and how growing up in the 70's was different than today. The best message she shared was one of independence, determination, and perserverance. She really demonstrated that if you want something enough, you can do anything.

Lynn was also gracious enough to pass around her medal. Her Olympic medal. Her silver Olympic medal. The one she won in 1972 in Munich. I have never seen an Olympic medal in real life, let alone held it. It was inspiring in and of itself.

clickety click to embiggen

But does she knit?

2008-06-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

That's the real question, isn't it? Does she ever knit?

This is what my desk currently looks like:

On the left, a blue surpise. On the right, a pair of socks for DS#1, destined to be hidden away until Christmas.

And my bag:

Jules, by Kate Blackburn. Yarn from Posh Yarn, because everyone needs a little posh in their life.

The answer evidently is:

ONLY WITH DOUBLE POINTS

I do have one FO to report. It is well received, even if it has no eyes and the ears are on backwards. Any guesses?

clickety click to embiggen

It is well loved.

clickety click to embiggen

And gives kisses.

clickety click to embiggen

On the canine front, look who I caught sleeping on the newly re-upholstered chair in the dining room.

I guess everyone needs a place to hide sometimes.

The Last One

2008-06-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

We are no longer a pre-school family. Sob. Sniff.

Clickety click to see the big boy.

Dye Day

2008-06-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Sam, Kim and I have been planning a dye day for some time now. There was a brief spot of limited precipitation, so although it was about 40* out, we dyed.

Sam had some shetland that she has been itching to color. In it goes, into a warm brown dye bath from Judith McJenzie McCuin's Miracle Dyes.

And here it is coming out of the pot.

It was then layered with a beautiful mahogony cushings dye. Click the picture to see the final product.

Sam's contemplating knitting Harriet from One Fine Fleece after seeing how gorgeous Kim's Harriet was progressing.

Kim has a gazillion pounds of alpaca locks. I didn't get photos of each of her marvelous creations, but doesn't this one just make you want to say, "MINE"?!!

I skeined and dyed a bunch of pale pink commercial yarn into more vivid colors using Cushings dyes. Not sure what they will become yet.

Button Selection

2008-05-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

DD chose the bottom button to go on her sweater. Sheila is right, the sweater will probably fit her for 3 years, so she will have time to switch out the buttons.

(clickety click to embiggen)

Button Stash

2008-05-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

First Emmy gets a yarn stash, and now Maggie has a button stash!

Sheila came through with a gorgeous selection of buttons which she made special for Maggie's sweater. Thanks Sheila!

The sweater is a little roomy and Sheila knew that Maggie will be wearing it for years, so she sent an assortment. Maggie can switch them out over time as her mood suits.

This one is my favorite, and the first one that will be sewn on, tonight, I promise!

A heartfelt thank you, dearest friend, for the beautiful buttons made full of love!

ps - see you in 20 days!

Knitting Pictures

2008-05-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

The sun is out so I did a photo shoot of the dog with my sock in progress. His winker was in all of the pictures. Don't you hate those male dogs? (not really, he can't help it, that's what I get for telling him to SIT!) This is the only one I could crop for this family friendly blog.

I have also cast on for a new project - the Victorian Shoulderette by Sivia Harding. I have knit this shawl before in handspun, this time I am using Brooks Farm Four Play, a wonderful silk/merino blend which is one of my all time favorite yarns.

I also took the opportunity to snap a shoot of DD in her new cardigan. DD is always up for a good photo shoot, and this time the theme was "where's my button?"

No pressure :-)

Blink and you'll miss it

2008-05-23T10:05:00.001-07:00

We had about 3 days of warm weather last week, enough to be inspired to go down to the local farmer's market. My kid came back looking like this:

He's ready for the sun to come back out! (Aren't we all?)

I've been knitting on a sweater for my daughter, it's a Sirdar pattern and I used the recommended yarn. Of course I could not follow the pattern as written, because it is a raglan design knit in pieces. I modified the pattern to be knit back and forth in one piece, from the bottom up. I knit the body to the armholes, knit the sleeves from the bottom up, and joined the sleeves and decreased along the raglan lines. This approach reminded me of a lopi sweater I knit many years ago, with the exception that lopi sweaters decrease evenly around the yoke and this one decreased along the raglan. I have a green sweater that I have been knitting for myself with a modified pattern, which I think I will now rip back and attach the raglan sleeves in the same manner that this purple sweater was knit.

I'm still looking for the perfect button for this sweater, a dear friend is on a quest to make one for me, and Maggie is thrilled to have a custom made button! Stay tuned for a button report.

Sock Shelter

2008-05-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

OK, not really shelter for socks, but you know, pictures about socks and shelter.

Here's a photo of how I spent the gray, rainy winter of 2008:

The blue socks (Fleece Artist Merino) and blue and gold socks (Blue Moon STR lightweight) are for DS1 who has feet as long as mine.
The orange ones (Blue Moon STR lightweight color Cockarel) are for DS#2 who still has much smaller feet, thank goodness! This winter he was called "the good son" bccause of that.
The brown socks are my Monkey socks knit from Shibui yarn in the Bark colorway purchased at vyt. That Cookie A sure knows how to design a fun sock pattern!

Yesterday Teddy had a cub scout camp out, and they learned how to build shelters. This is Teddy's version that he built in our backyard.

The green stuff will help keep the water out, you know.

Bagel's checking it out for dog bone hiding potential.

Radio Silence Broken

2008-05-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well hello, and welcome back to the Knitting for Sanity blog. I can't believe that this is the first post of 2008. I mean, it is May already! Where did the time go? It seems that radio silence has struck many knit bloggers; I don't know if we have all been wrapped up in Ravelry, or just busy with every day living or maybe even actually knitting. I, for one, know that the tv writer's strike put a huge damper on my knitting time. I took up reading for a few months instead.

There is lots to catch up on now that I know better how to operate my camera and get the pictures off of the card. I'll start with the most recent and maybe work my way back, in my spare time.

The first weekend in May is always the annual Maryland sheep and wool festival. I was fortunate enough to be able to go again this year, sans kids, and spent a lovely whirlwind weekend at the show visiting with Mom and good friends Sheila and Michael. They had a booth across from the souvenir sales again ... it looked fabulous!

I really enjoyed spending the weekend with Mom, it was truely a girlfriends' kind of weekend! Here's Mom just warming up at the Brooks Farm booth

And here she is getting high on wool fumes at Tess's Designer Yarns:

It was a real treat not only to see Mom, Sheila and Michael, but also to visit with my best friend and her adorable little niece:

I also had a few minutes to hug and chat with Caroline and her adorable daughter:

Caroline, Sheila and I all met on an on-line chat group called FiberTraditions. We see each other a couple of times a year at best, but email helps us stay in close contact. Caroline entered several items in the competition, her bee fields shawl won a blue ribbon! Hooray for Caroline!

There were many amazing things to see at the show, I took a picture of this felted dinosaur head to show my kids:

This is the most amazing shawl, spindle spun to a cobweb weight:
I wish I had asked the woman if she has a blog so I could link to her, the shawl was stunning.

In the evenings we got to relax, veg, and knit in a local hotel room. Sheila had left her knitting in the van back in Oregon, so Mom set her up with an emergency knitting kit. One of my secret pals some years back sent me a bag with a red cross and emergency sock knitting supplies inside. I gifted it with new supplies to Mom when she was moving and now it was her turn to pay it forward. Sheila is a magic loop kind of girl, so here she is trying hard to work with dpns. I call this shot, "Sheila on double points". Original, 'eh?

I have lots of photos to share of Mom's new house, but will save those for another post. This one has already taken me all day to write. Here's one final shot of my stash from MSW.

Good-bye 2007

2007-12-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

The holidays are almost over, and a new year is about to begin. The family had great fun at Christmas time, Santa did find our stockings, and the kids are still playing with all of their new toys.

I received a lovely surprise from my friends Sheila and Michael: look at this lovely ornament that they made and how great it looks in our tree:

I will be a little sad to take down the tree this year, but I am looking forward to a fantastic new year 2008! Happy New Year to all!

The stockings are hung

2007-12-24T18:49:00.001-08:00

The stockings are hung, the reindeer treats are scattered in the yard, will HE make a stop tonight?

Must be Santa...

2007-12-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

Did you make your request?

Holiday Knitting

2007-12-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

It's done!

Short Row Rib from Magknits, 3 years in the making. Gift for our first au pair who now lives in Sweden. Yarn - Kipparoo Farms Lustre Spun, 2 skeins variegated for the scarf, one skein solid for hat.

Prime Rib (Mistake Rib over a prime number of stitches); Knitty's Calorimetry. Gift for MIL. Yarn - 2 skeins Malibrigo Worsted in Crished Grapes.

Cable hat and fingerless mitts for DD. One skein of superwash from Brooks Farm, purchased at Stitches West. (Yarn was in stash for less than a year - this must be a new record!)

Cable hat for DS's Teacher. One skein of superwash from Brooks Farm, purchased at Stitches West. Same stash record as above.

Good yarn day

2007-11-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

I literally snipped the yarn on the final bind off of the Short Row Rib Magknits scarf when the dog started bugling. I opened the door to not one but TWO boxes of yummy goodness. 10 skeins of O-wool from last week's Threadbear sale and 3 skeins of fabulous hand-dyed goodness from Spritely Goods. I am resisting the temptation to cast on tonight, for I have just a wee bit of holiday knitting left to do. Pictures of the scarf to follow once it is fringed, washed and blocked.

Paying it Forward

2007-11-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

I found this on Angela's blog, and decided this is totally my cup of tea.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Now you all know that I love to knit, and spin. Depending on who signs up, I can see lots of great gift ideas in my future. And let's face it, who doesn't love to receive a random, handmade gift? So leave me a comment if you would like to receive a suprise within the next year, and if you are willing to pay it forward.

Too happy to....

2007-11-04T12:50:00.001-08:00

When's the last time you were too happy to do something?

Last night around dinner time the little guy wanted to blow Halloween bubbles. Don't know what Halloween bubbles are? They are a teeny tiny black container of bubbles at the bottom of the candy bag. Go check your kids' haul. Yep, that's the one - right there at the bottom.

Anyway, back to the story. I am sure little guy was shocked when I agreed to go blow the bubbles with him - right now. After all, it was dinner time. We were heading out front to blow bubbles in the dark when the lightbulb went off over my head. We went into the garage instead (it's lighter in there), and since one car was gone we were able to use that space to blow bubbles. It took me about 5 min and much muttering and a broken nail to get the lid popped open. When I handed the bubbles to LG, he had the biggest grin on his face and said, trying to blow,

"I can't, I'm too happy!"

Wow. I was floored. I couldn't think of the last time I was too happy to be able to do something, if ever. How about you? When's the last time you were too happy?

Happy Halloween

2007-10-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

For all the Mom's out there

2007-10-23T12:29:00.001-07:00

I found this on Redhead Ramblings' blog. It's so funny, I have tears streaming down my face.

Stormy weather

2007-10-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

We survived our first windstorm of the season last night. We had high winds for sure, but not a lot of blown trees around our neck of the woods. They all came down last year when we were without power for 8 days. I was just getting ready to head out and do some errands today when I heard it pouring on the roof. The rain is coming down in buckets and we even had thunder. Wow, we never get thunderstorms in the PNWet. Usually, it's just gray and drizzly. So I will stay in for now and treat my dear readers to some photos. That is, if there are any dear readers left.

First up, we have "Where's the Bagel?" Bagel is the most understanding, composed model, as long as the USPS man is not at the door. Aside - thanks Mom - he LOVES it!
All knitting pictures in this post are clickety click to embiggen. This hat is the Utopia pattern from smarieknits. She's got some great hat and scarf patterns on her yahoo group if you are ever looking for ideas. This hat, once the daog hairs are picked out, is a gift for a lucky recipient this Christmas. Someone with a really cold head ;-)

Man, it's pouring buckets!

Next on the list of items to show is my progress on the Sonnet cardigan. I started this in a different color combination and there was just too much contrast. Lucky for me, Stitches East happened and SSJ (super shopper Jackie) was able to find me this decadent tonal blue to go with the blue/brown variegated. I cast on immediately when the yarn arrived and have been stockinetting ever since. Progress is smooth.

And finally, I picked back up the "A Cardigan for Arwen" while I was waiting for the new Sonnet yarn. Progress is exceptionally slow. I don't enjoy the cable which has a cable crossing every right side row. I'm more of a lazy cabler, the utopia hat had a cable crossing every 6th row! .

What else is going on? Barb and I are planning to meet at Village Yarn and Tea for a Louet trunk show tonight. Sam, will we be seeing you there?

This weekend will be filled with hopefully a trip to the pumpkin patch, weather permitting. If the weather does not cooperate, well, we have gone to the mud patch before to get pumpkins. I think the kids actually prefer it. Birthday parties, girl scout campfires, and a spin in at Kelsey Creek. I think DH has some time scheduled for diving or at least a class as well. Busy times.

I leave you with a picture of the cutest turtle ever, and yes, I am biased.

Ravelry

2007-10-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm knitting4sanity on ravelry. If I know you, please friend me!

I was showing ravelry to my husband last night, and he was not impressed. "That's a social engineering website" he says. OK, so I guess since I am not out there dating, I was unaware of the social engineering movement. I'm glad that I came out from under that rock.

Ravelry is the coolest thing since glass needles, in my book.

The arrival of Autumn

2007-10-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Fall arrived early in the Pacific NorthWet, and along with it came a cold. The entr fably hab been sik and now I thin I got it toooo. Achhoo!

It's been rainy and cold, as you have probably read about on other PNW blogs. The sun peeked its pretty head out for 5 minutes this afternoon, and DH was kind enough to snap a few pics of some FO's. He's never one to turn down a photo opportunity.

Here's a better picture of the Victorian Shoulderette, previously featured here. This shoulderette pattern by Sivia Harding is knit with yarn I spun from a roving purchased from the Artful Ewe.

Next up is a mistake rib stitch scarf knit from a singles yarn from Peru. Doesn't it look like reptile skin?

A birthday gift for my SIL is modeled by DD. The scarf is a free pattern on the web, and the head scarf is Calorimetry from knitty. I hope she likes it!

Finally, Ene's scarf from Scarf Style, more like a shawl, knit in the yarn called for, Blackberry Ridge laceweight.

Princess Feet

2007-09-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder what princess feet look like? Wonder no more....

Socks courtesy of Grandma.

Old Friends are True Friends

2007-09-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

While in Sweden, we were able to meet up with our very first au pair and her family for a lovely dinner in a traditional Swedish neighborhood. Their house and all their neighbors back into a triangular shaped lot that is open to the community and houses a playground. I really love this design, as it keeps all of the kids away from the street, and it makes it impossible for strangers to see the kids because you have to pass through a home to get to this shared park area. Lovely. The kids really enjoyed playing on the swings and in the sandbox. As the evening drew near and it started to get chilly, we moved inside to visit. Here you can see Linnea didn't miss a beat in getting down on the floor to play Playmobil with Alex. Linnea, you are such a sweetheart, thanks to you and your family for welcoming us into your home for the evening. It's so nice to renew old friendships.

Look at this beauty!

2007-09-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

The reason we planned the trip to Sweden is that it was my MIL's birthday. A significant birthday, but I am not at liberty to say which one. (wink) My good friend and fabulous glass designer, Sheila, picked out a very special bead from her collection and made it into a necklace as a gift for a very special lady. Doesn't she look great?!

The Month of August

2007-09-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

Whew - what a whirlwind! The month of August just flew by. Here are a couple pictures to show the events. You can also view Mom's blog to see more about what we did when she visited us in Seattle.

The month started with a very cold birthday party:

Then there was the intro to T-Ball:

And some fires that needed putting out:

Evidently some knitting was accomplished in between the TBall and the cold swimming:

Then there was the trip to Sweden which warrants it's own blog post. Suffice it to say that we met Pippi Longstocking:

And her horse:

And some wild cats:

And then finally, the day all parents have been waiting for since about mid-July - the first day back to school:

WooHoo!

IK Fall Preview

2007-07-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

It's up.

Tangled Yoke cardigan. Need I say more?

True Blue(berry) Friends

2007-07-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

When faced with reality, only true friends will help you out:

Barb is even letting me test out her new lazy kate. I am truely blessed to have wonderful, supportive friends.

Now, on to the plying:

Yummy blueberry yarn:

Did you get yours?

2007-07-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

As is often true with childrens gifts, sometimes the box itself is worth the price of the toy.

I've been bizzie

2007-07-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

1 finished sock
2 color blocks
3 good friends
size 4 needles
5 new books
6 restarts
7 weeks no blogging
8 not much longer
9 ?????????
10 days til Mom arrives

Maybe I will even post photos (tomorrow).

Meme and Dulaan-a-thon

2007-06-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

You know I am not much for meme's, especially after the "weird facts about yourself" meme. But a new blogger tagged me, and then Mel tagged me, and well, what the heck! Here goes:

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their blogs 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

Facts about me:

1. I stayed up way too late last night doing this.
2. It takes me 3 hours and a 16oz. non-decaf to knit a child size hat after 9pm.
3. I am not very sociable after 9pm. Good friends understand and forgive.
4. I never attended a Maryland Wool and Sheep festival until I had moved away from the area.
5. I have a very large ~~stash~~ retirement savings account.
6. I love all of my stash, and have a hard time selling or swapping any of it.
7. I still love to play in the sprinkler.

If you haven't done this meme yet and feel so inclined, consider yourself tagged!

Mitts for Mary

2007-05-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Read about it here.

I'll post the specs tomorrow, right now I have to get ready for a 3rd grade author's party.

Doggie Heaven On Earth

2007-05-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Bagel experienced a new kind of ecstasy when "I Don't Feel Like Blogging Anymore" Barb brought over HER fleece for a little demo in fleece washing. Please note this is HER fleece, not mine. Kim brought her lovely children over to ~~distract~~ play with mine, and to discipline the dog.

Barb: First you lay it out, and look for any second cuts or VM, and you pick those out.

Bagel: First you lay it out, take a gentle sniff, and then dive in!

Bagel: When you find a particularly smelly part, you roll around in it.

Kim: No more sheep for you, bad boy.

The fleece was a small 3 pounds, so we divided it into two laundry bags.

And gently dipped it into a steamy bath of hot water and Kookabura wool scour.

We wanted to test whether the wool scour worked any better than plain old Dawn dishwashing detergent, so we filled a second tub with hot steamy water and added two big squirts of Dawn.

Jen: I knew there was a reason we've moved this tub from house to house to house to house.
After about a half hour, we gently raised the fleece out of the water, and let it drain. Refilled the tubs with soapy/Kookabura wash, and repeated.

After two washes, we did a rinse in the laundry tub and then tried to spin the fleece in the washer. This is where Jen realized she needs a new wash machine, as this one cannot spin without a rinse cycle, which is what you need to do when it comes to fleece spinning.
At this point we abandonded all hope, left the fleece in a tub for Barb to take home and spin, and we moved on to the next experiment - Mike's Hard Lime drink. Oh, and someone got a lesson in drum carding.

What A Day! Thanks Barb and Kim for a fun afternoon!

Imagine this

2007-05-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

The server's down. The one that hosts my blog photos. But that's ok, because I have a totally awesome husband who will get the thing back up and running, I know it. I am very lucky to have that kind of confidence in my personal computer engineer's abilities. Plus, the same server hosts his dive photos, so you know it will be working soon . The server's back up!

Imagine this:

A freshly spun skein of a lovely natural colored gray yarn, blowing in the breeze on my back deck. Now for the close up - oh - there are two skeins! One is a beautifully spun two ply, very light and lofty. The other is a fat single, or at least is trying to be a fat single. Hey, I suppose I wouldn't want to be a fat single either. Badum bum.

I bought a pound of this lovely gray roving at the Whidbey Island spin in, from Heidi at the Artful Ewe. At first I thought it was BFL, but the more I think about it, it could be Shetland. I'll have to send her a mail and ask if she recalls what she was selling. Anyway, my goal was to practice spinning a two ply worsted weight yarn, and a fat single. Mom gifted me with some lovely roving in MD that I will spin and return to her to be knit. Plus, I have some Great Balls of Fire that I'd like to spin into a fat single, ala Manos or Malabrigo, and knit myself a cooshy scarf. Practice, practice, practice.

Spinning

2007-05-21T13:55:00.001-07:00

Wow, that's an inspiring title, isn't it?

This weekend I went to the NWRSA group 2060 spinning meeting with friends Barb and Sam. I was inspired to finish up 6 oz of merino/tencel purchased at the Whidbey Island spin in. The problem is I forgot to bring the bobbin with the first 3 oz of spun fiber. So no plying for me.

Last night I was able to ply, and this morning I wound the yarn onto the niddy noddy. 225 wraps on the niddy noddy is about 375 yards. The yarn still needs a bath and then to hang to dry. I'm thinking about making a Gothic Lace Scarf with this.

Summer in Seattle

2007-05-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Blink and you will miss it.

The Shetland Triangle shawl, in it's unblocked glory.

I am waiting for my blocking kit from knitpicks to arrive.

MSW - the recovery

2007-05-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I did not post about MSW - Day 3 (Sunday). As it turns out, I left my camera back in WA and was using Mom and Sheila's cameras. Since they need their own blog fodder, I decided to wait until I got home to post about day 3.

Day 3 started off a little quieter. Everyone knew their setup jobs, so we did not need to arrive as early as Saturday. When we got there, the barn doors were locked, so we would not have been able to set up early anyway. Once the doors opened, we quickly set up and started showing the product. I expected the crowd to be small, but it was amazingly steady and busy all day. So busy that I did not recognize some friends that stopped by. This makes me sad to find out after the fact.

I did break away from the "work" a few times during the day on Sunday. Mostly I was too tired to focus on additional shopping. I walked through all the barns a second time, but the only addition to my stash was a pound of alpaca/wool from the Barefoot Spinner.

Now, what you have all been waiting for, on to the goodies:

A wood hat/vase/thingamajig that Sheila gifted to me. So silly! Progress on the Shetland Traingle shawl, mostly knit on the flights home, and a new set of glass knitting needles in Brilliant Blue, size 7. Also notice the glass stitch markers, purchased from Sheila, but made by my good friend Barb.

A close up of the shawl, along with another set of glass knitting needles in the Spring Luster colorway, size 6. These are the most perfect lace knitting needles. The joins are just about perfect, the yarn slips right over the join and up onto the needles, making these the best needles for lace knitting.

The big picture. The roving in front, from left to right: 1 pound Blueberry wool/mohair blend from Persimmon Tree Farm, purchased by Mom with the promise that I will spin it for her to knit with. Half pound Lichen from Tintagel Farm, wool/mohair blend. One pound yellow/red alpaca/merino blend from The Barefoot Spinner. Moving up the table, the pink bag is from the souvenir stand - it is backpack style. Not shown is a pink hooded cardigan with the MSW logo for me, 3 kids sweatshirts, and a series of gifts for friends that I cannot disclose just yet.

Close up of two skeins of wool/mohair yarn (dark blue and brown) from Persimmon Tree Farm - destined to be a scarf and hat. Two skeins of wool/mohair blend from Tintagel Farm, destined to be another scarf. And a close up of the wood thing!

Gorgeous glass buttons from the Ernst duo. The set of smaller buttons is made from a glass called unobtainium. I know this, because the same buttons were unobtainable at Stitches West - they all sold out!

I had a lovely, quiet day on Monday, sitting around my childhood home, catching up with Mom, Sheila and Michael. I left for the airport around 4pm and arrived home in Seattle at 11:30pm (which is actually 2:30am). Back to work the next morning, early to bed that evening. My body is almost back on schedule now.

Tuesday morning I had to be at my best right away as there were tea parties to attend! The kids put on a little show and serve tea to their mother's every year at preschool. Here are my two little chickadees.

You can see that DD dressed up right away in her W&S finery complete with lamb ears. What a good girl she is!

New Girl on the Block

2007-05-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

There's a new girl on the block, and she's working on her first blog post even as we speak. Give her a few minutes, and then check out Musings from the Palm Room.

MSW Day 2 - Too tired to be witty and charming

2007-05-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is a baaaad picture.

Quote of the day - it takes a village to raise a man.

MSW field report

2007-05-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

Whew. Now I know why they call it the red eye. I arrived in MD at 8:30 early this morning, lugagge and all. I slept about two hours, but never fear, the adrenaline kicked in as soon as the blue minivan with K1P2 decal pulled up at the curb.

The weather in MD this year is perfect - almost 70*, sunny, and slightly breezy. We drove to Mom and Dad's house to pick up Sheila and Michael who had arrived the day before. We packed up the car(s) and headed to the Howard County Fairgrounds via way of good java. We arrived at MSW around noon. Vendor parking was still available, which is always a good sign. In fact, we were able to pull the cars up to the building to unload which was a huge help.

Sheila and Michael's booth is in building 1, which is where the t-shirts and other souvenirs are sold. In fact, they are directly opposite the t-shirt booth, so please stop and say hi after purchasing your souvenirs!

I met Janel from Chameleon Colorworks and Spindlicity fame, she is sharing the booth. Mom and I helped all 3 of them get set up. Of course we forgot the camera, so you will have to envision how beautiful the booth looks with all of the new glass needles and button designs, as well as Janel's colorful fiber.

The souvenir booth opened at 2 for vendors only. The line was as long as it is at any time during the festival, and a line remained outside until 5pm when sales closed. Wow. The logo this year is printed onto a beautifully colored assortment of t-shirts, bags, and accessories. You can see how great it looks on Sheila and Micheal.

We are getting up VERY early in the morning to get up to the festival, finish setting up the booth, and then take a first peek at the other vendors. As Mom said, "Tomorrow is for shopping."

All work and no play

2007-05-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

makes jen cranky. I am so looking forward to having a long weekend to spend with friends and family. And wool, sheep, yarn, beads...what more could a girl want?

I've been afflicted with startitis.

Specs:
Krista Tee from White Lies Designs, in Webs' Goshen yarn, a cotton/modal/silk blend new to them this year. Pattern and yarn purchased at Stitches West this year.

Specs:
Evelyn Clark's Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style, in handpainted Sylph fine fingering weight yarn, 100% superwash, color "Spring is here!" from Spritely Goods. Aren't the colors lovely?

Blankie

2007-04-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

I finally finished a blanket for my DD. I used 5 skeins of Paton's Classic Merino in the Regency colorway. DD loves it!

I washed it by hand in the kitchen sink, and squeezed out the excess water as best I could. It still took 3 days to dry. It was not as warm outside as the photo makes you think. I did bring the blanket in overnight. The owl is there to keep any little birdies away from the blanket. The strategy worked, as the blanket did not have as much as a dog hair on it once dry.

Thanks for all of the comments on my "Fudge" moment. And yes, fudge was not the word that I screamed inside my head. I have young children, so I am getting pretty good at screaming inside my head. To answer Kathryn's question, yes, it is (was) a Crystal Palace needle. It is no where near new, though. I am going to research their replacement policy, if there is one.

In response to LisaK's question, that is the Wool Peddler's shawl (oh, how I love this pattern!) in Lisa Souza's Black/Purple Baby Alpaca/Silk. It is destined to be a gift, but not until August so I should be able to finish by then.

Fudge

2007-04-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

No, not the yummy, send me into lactose induced shock, kind. It's much worse than that.

I should have been using my Ernst needles. I had switched the needles out to travel back from California. You know, I wouldn't want to have my Ernst needles taken away. The shawl is all better now.

Where did April go?

2007-04-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, where did April go? And March for that matter. It has been a busy spring here, and I have lots of photos to share, all safely stored on my digital camera. Someday I will download them and share - promise.

Did you see that the sneak preview is up for the Summer Interweave Knits? My favorite item is the syncopated caps. I am sure some of the sweaters will catch my eye once the mag hits the newsstands, but for now, I am planning on some new hats. Based on my experience over Spring Break in Maryland, my east coast relatives could use a few more hats. We were all fighting over the hand knits as the easterly winds blew. I heard it was 70 and sunny back in the PNW. Wouldn't you know.

I'm heading back east for THE sheep and wool festival just in time for Jesper's birthday. Serendipity.

TTFN

Seeing Green

2007-03-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a very happy St. Patrick's Day. March 17th will always hold a special place in my heart, because it is my best friend's birthday. Not only is it her birthday, but her favorite color is green. Last May, at Maryland Sheep and Wool, I found the perfect green yarn for her. It's true, I have lots of other greens in stash, but this one was the perfect compromise of a wonderfully soft yarn that I would enjoy knitting, and the perfect shades of green.
My best friend's clapotis scarf hanging in the (will she ever clean that?) window:

This picture is a truer representation of the colors. They are not as gray as the first photo appears.

I have about a half a skein left, perhaps she will have some fingerless mitts in her future. Who knows?!!

Quote of the Day

2007-03-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

"Mom, I'm not just a little brother, I'm a SUPER HERO!"

The little guy found M's knitting!

What I knit in February

2007-03-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Catching up on some FOs that you missed during February's Radio Silence.

The "I Told You So" Socks

Toe up stockinette socks in the Pink Granite colorway STR from Blue Moon, medium weight.

Pomatomus Socks

Second sock completed in time for the Stitches West big reveal (sorry Cookie).

Thanks to Sam who made me buy the Pink Granite, Barb for challenging me to show Cookie the P-socks, and Maggie for taking time out of bike riding to model the socks.

PJ Party

2007-03-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

Village Yarn and Tea hosted a pajama party last night, the purpose of which was to knit wristbands to hand out in support of The 3 Day which is coming to Seattle in September. I believe this is my first charity knitting, or at least the first I have done in a long time. Let me tell you, it feels good.

Good friends Sam and Barb, always up for a party, came along and we knitted wrist bands in our pj's.

I know Barb has some pictures of me in my sheepie nightgown that I am sure she will post to her blog. Maybe she will even send me one!

Amy was there providing demos on how to make buttons from Sculpey clay. Going into the baking oven, my little flower had three dots. Coming out it had two. (insert pout here).

By the time I finished sewing the button onto the wristband, there was only one dot remaining.

Between the three of us, we finished five wristbands last night. Do you see Barb's moon and stars button?

The shops' goal is to collect 3000 wristbands by the end of August. I know that I have some Cascade Fixation in the stash, which I am now planning to donate to this worthy cause. We should make a blog button, Knit for the Cure!

Clapping Again, or a Taste of Humility

2007-03-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

I knit a gorgeous green Clapotis for my best friend's birthday, which is coming up on St. Patrick's Day. Lucky me, her favorite color is green! I finished the knitting several weeks ago. Yesterday, national handwash your handknit socks day, I decided to throw the Clap into the already prepared Eucalan bath. But first, I still needed to drop down those endless rows of dropped stitches. Those of you who have knit this wonderful scarf know what I mean. Endless hours of laddering down, all for the sake of getting a crick in your neck. I even enlisted the two wee ones for assistance, but they lasted about 5 minutes, or half a row, each. Do you know where this is going? I found two, that's right, TWO sections where I had neglected to drop the ladder stitch. I was trying to make a design element out of it, but I knew in my heart that something drastic needed to be done. I consulted the FT wizards, but evidently piles and piles of snow, publishing books, and humongous yarn markets have driven them all crazy. Yep, I finally found a problem that the FT ladies couldn't resolve (not an award I was hoping to receive). And so I ripped. And ripped. And ripped. 2/3rds of the scarf was ripped.

The silver lining (yes, there is one) is that I get to reknit this wonderful scarf using the smoothest of yarns (Four Play by Brooks Farm) and the most amazing Ernst needles in the color Amber Passion. So the reality is that although the scarf may become a belated birthday present, there is no pain in reknitting. Steph, you are so TOTALLY worth it!

Sockret Pal Reveal

2007-03-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

My sockret pal surprised me with another package today. The swap ends in March, so this is her reveal package. Look at all the fun goodies she sent:

There's a bar of soap called wild rose that is freshening up my office, the almost argyles sock pattern from knitpicks, a box of Trader Joe's chocolate tea (perfect on this wintry day), an adorable sheep craft, and an emergency sock knitting kit.
Inside that emergency knitting kit is this:

That's a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in a pretty turquoise solid, a set of dpns, and 4 cute sheep stitch markers! I love the sheep stitch markers!
My Sockret Pal is Jennifer at CraftyLilly. Thank you, Sockret Pal. You have been an extremely generous spoiler!

Snow Days

2007-03-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

Now there is a title that has been used more than once this winter. Who sent this last batch of snow, anyway? Didn't they get the message from the groundhog? Spring is on it's way!

I am one of the fortunate few who can work from home, and schools are closed, so I do not need to go out. I just need to sit at my computer and do my work, sipping on a steamy mug of chai tea from my favorite LYS.

Yes, Mom, you can expect a "surprise" when we come in April!

Too much fun

2007-02-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok, there's been enough nagging going on around these parts that I will finally post. I've been just swamped at work, plus having camera issues, so I've just not been in the mood to blog. But I have been in the mood to knit!

Keeping with the theme of no UFOs, the following have been accomplished in the new year:
- Dad's birthday hat
- Steph's birthday surprise (shhhh)
- Pink Granite Socks That Rock for myself (ooooooh aaaaaaaaah)
- a single Pomatomus sock to make a pair!

And the current WIPs:
- wool peddler's shawl in alpaca/silk from Lisa using Sheila's beautiful glass needles
- Dad's birthday scarf (better finish that one soon!)
- Mars Quake socks in Lisa's new supertwist

This girl did have the opportunity to have some fun recently:

Starting in the back left and going clockwise, that's Barb, Sam, Sheila, Lisa and myself. It was so wonderful to see both Lisa and Sheila and their husbands at Stitches West. It was a pleasure to meet Tinkerbell in person, she is every bit as sweet and efficient as the name implies. I picked up her Twist and Lace scarf pattern. It is ever so beautiful and will be knit up in some of Lisa's sock. And the shopping, oh the shopping. I will reveal in small bits, just to keep you in suspense. Until next time...

The P Sock Challenge

2007-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

Barb challenged me to knit the second P sock before Stitches West because Cookie will be there. I'm giving it my best.

Charmed

2007-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

There's a new book on my Amazon wish list

I am sure this book will inspire some pre-HP new movie release knitting!
Congratulations, Alison, on the new book!

Green Hat

2007-01-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

I've been super busy at work. So busy, that I haven't had the time to show you a WIP (work in progress) which is now a FO (Finished Object).

This is the start of a green hat knit from some handspun fiber purchased at MSW2005. The fiber came in a batt curled up into the cutest shape. I fell in love with all the shades of green, and this was one of the first things I spun from MD that year. The yarn has been sitting in my stash for some time, waiting for a purpose.

I was looking for a project that would require the use of lots of cute little sheep stitch markers. Aren't they sweet? My friend, Barb, made them for all fiber friends at Christmas. I'm such a lucky girl!
And someone who has a birthday coming up will have a nice, warm head this winter!

Socret Pal strikes again

2007-01-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

You may recall that I joined the Sockret Pal exchange some months back. I lost the button on the blog upgrade, so I will have to make a point to get that added back to the sidebar.

My sockret pal must have super powers, because she(he?) somehow knew that it would snow again here in the PNW and I would need another pair of socks - TODAY! Aren't I the luckiest girl in the world? Two secret packages in two days!

The sockret pal exchange differs from the secret pal exchange in that in the sockret pal exchange, you have to knit your pal a pair of socks!

These are the bluebell rib socks from Sensational Knitted Socks in Shelridge Farm 3-ply, color Sand. Sockret Pal, I put these babies on my feet as soon as I opened the package! They are warm and squooshy and fit GREAT! Thank you so much!

And because us knitters like to pad those priority mail boxes with a little something extra, my pal included 2 batts from Spritely Goods in merino/firestar blends. These batts are so pretty and coordinate well. I'll have to ponder a bit to decide what to make with them. 4.4oz total may be enough for a pair of socks, if tightly spun, or maybe I will make myself a luxurious scarf? Hmmm, something to think about.

Did you notice the dark chocolate in the photo? And the yummy bar of soap? Mmmmm, it smells so nice! Into the kitchen it goes. (with 3 little kids in the house, we do A LOT of handwashing!) Sockret Pal also sent a historical fiction novel, Patrick, Son of Ireland. S/he's been reading my blog, and knew that I am a fan of the historial fiction. The book came from a used bookstore, which is fine by me. I am all for recycling and freecycling of good stuff like this! Thank you so much, Sockret Pal! What a lovely surprise!

Snow Days

2007-01-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hmm, seems like I have used this title before! The kids will be going to school until July. *sigh*

The kids are enjoying the long weekend, at least.

There has been lots of outdoor time building snow forts and dragon lairs. After all, we have to keep our backyard dragon warm, you know!

DH has been working from home with me, and he got out a bit to capture some of the spectacular light we do not expect to see in January.

I do not have 4WD so my arse is not leaving this house, but the mailman does have a Jeep and some days, you just have to love the USPS.

I received my reveal package from my SP9 and all I can say is, WOW! And, THANK YOU! My SP9 is Lucy from Costa Rica. Her blog is Dimples Designs(how cute is that?). Lucy was an exchange student in the US during SP9, and her blog shows many of her adventures. Lucy, safe travels back to Costa Rica and thank you so much for being a great secret pal! Now - for the goodies. Lucy sent me the most gorgeous set of straight needles. I need to get out a needle gauge to check what size they are, but I know they will be perfect for the scarf knitting plans I have for 2007. Think warm and fuzzy! Then Lucy also sent a knitting pattern a day calendar. I love the concept and have always envied bloggers who have created knits from the calendar patterns. This year, it will be me! Finally, there is a package of cute tissues in pink. It's that time of year and those will come in handy. Thank you again, Lucy, for all the wonderful surprises!

You will also note that Bagel is recuperating nicely in "his" chair. His dogonality is returning, he is "protecting" his food from Mocha and belting out the occassional ahhhoooooooo! I wonder if his hearing or barking ability was somehow injured in the altercation, or if it just hurts his ear to bark, because he stops quickly. I can handle a quieter dog :-) We have taken to feeding Bagel in the living room, a room which Mocha does not go in, and bagel knows that, so he should feel some peace when he is in there. We are looking for a new home for Mocha, which is so sad for DH and I, but we realize that these two dogs have a love/hate relationship and cannot coexist. Mocha is a beautiful girl who plays nicely with the children and loves her humans. If you know of a beagle-free home that can accomodate a large labrador, let me know.

Weird meme

2007-01-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

Laurie tagged me with the weird things meme. I'm supposed to tell you 6 weird things about myself. The problem is, I don't think I am all that weird. You can decide for yourself.

1. I am a knitter. (but most likely, so are you)

2. I use my kids as background for stash shots.

This is some yummy sock yarn from my FT friend, Jen, in CT. Thanks, Jen! The label says "J. Knits". How appropo!

3. I knit and knit and knit and knit and forget to blog about it.

Arwen, from IK Winter 2006

4. I buy cheese just because of the label.

5. I don't blog about most of my stash purchases because I thinking blogging about knitting (or spinning) is much more interesting.

6. I have a dog with one and a half ears. (eww, ok, so that is probably weird)

You can decide for yourself if I fit the weird bill or not! I'm not tagging anyone since I think some of this falls into the TMI category.

Wallace and Gromit Fans

2007-01-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

Get yee to the Central Market in Mill Creek for your very own...

Wensleydale cheese!

St. Distaff's Day Celebration

2007-01-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, January 7th, was St Distaff's Day, the day which traditionally marks the end to the Christmas festivities and the return to work; for women, spinning. The NWRSA holds a spin-in to celebrate this day, and for the second year in a row, I was in attendance. Over 150 spinners attended, and there were at least 20 local vendors selling their wares. My small group of friends grew this year: it was a joy to see Lo and Sam in attendance, and this year we hooked up with Annie and Terri as well. Of course, my good friend Barb was there as well, it was so nice to see her spinning something other than the gray fiber for her husband's sweater. Go give her a shout - out because she finished spinning 6 pounds of this stuff! Now if that does not show devotion, then I don't know what does!

Here's a few shots of the gym to show you how crowded it was:

Annie and I, I'm talking to my Mom on the phone so she could be a part of the celebration!

Terri, Barb, and Sam spinning away!

Barb, Sam, Lo, and Tammy, having a great time!

I haven't taken pictures of all the great things I purchased yet, so I will save those for another post.

On a sad note, my Baby Bagel is not the big dog he imagines himself to be. We spent several hours in the emergency vet clinic getting his ear sewn up. He's on pain killers and antibiotics, and pretty groggy. Send healing thoughts for my poor baby!

Actual knitting content

2007-01-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have been knitting, honest.

First finished object of 2007: a mistake rib stitch scarf out of handspun wool/mohair blend from Persimmon Tree Farm M$W festival 2006.

shhhh.... it's a gift for my Sockret Pal, who has a January birthday.

That's a wrap

2007-01-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I started this blog is to stay in close touch with family and friends. I was warmly surprised on Christmas Day as I made my phone calls, to have numerous extended family members tell me how much they enjoy my blog. I am so glad that people are reading and enjoying it. I would say that is one goal accomplished.

Another reason for blogging is to keep track of knitting accomplishments throughout the year. Last January, the Purling P's suggested 2006 be renamed 200Socks. This sounded like a fun adventure and I happily signed up. In 2006, I completed 6 pair of socks. That's a pair every other month. I'm pretty pleased with this!

Now, for the list (drumroll......)

SOCKS
Sockapaloooza Socks
Little Blue Socks
Sixth Sense Socks
Little Guy Camouflage Socks
Hallowe'en Socks
Sockret Pal Socks

GLOVES/MITTENS
Koigu Gloves for the Peaceful Palms KAL
DS2 Mittens, from handspun

SWEATERS
Koigu T-shirt with Long Sleeves
Decade Aran
Block Sweater
Cece, a Chicknits design, never photographed in its final state, gifted to Sam's daughters as it came out WAY too small
DS2's black sweater from LMKG, which he will not wear :-(

SHAWLS AND SCARVES
Diamond Fantasy Shawl
My So Called Scarf - gift for ISE3
Lucky Duck Scarf, from handspun
Ernie's scarf, from handspun

BABY BLANKETS
Diamond Fantasy Baby Blanket

HATS
DS HAT or would that be Dear Dog Hat?
Dad's Hat, from handspun

THE LIST OF SHAME
or what I did not finish last year
Single Pomatomus, Looking For Mate

WOW!!!!! I cannot believe I finished 5 sweaters last year! Sure, 3 of them were started the year (or 10) before, but still, that's pretty impressive for me! I really tried to focus on finishing what I started, and ripping what wasn't working, which leaves me in a much better place this year than last. I only have one single sock in search of a mate. I enter 2007 with a clear conscience and clean needles! What fun!

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T23:30:00.000-08:00

We never did have time to make Christmas cookies because of the power outage, so we passed the time this evening waiting for midnight, making cookies.

We've been watching a lot of Ice Age 2 - The Meltdown, so the acorn cookie cutter was a big hit. Tomorrow morning, we will be icing these babies!

It's 11:32pm and I have two kids yawning ar my side, and another quiet on the couch. I wonder if they will make it?

Happy New Year!

We hope you had a happy holiday

2006-12-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

DD drew some really awesome pictures for Santa, so he was extra good to our family (grin).

DS2 actually stopped whining for a while.

Did I mention that I knit DS1 a hat while in MA?

DD loves all things pink.

Even the dog got in on the action.

What it was like

2006-12-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

I'm going through the Christmas photos and found a bunch of pictures DH took from the aftermath of the windstorm that left us without power for 8 days. You can click on each to embiggen.

The streets were littered with branches and leaves:

Trees were down everywhere:

And what wasn't down, was laying atop a power line:

Roads were washed out:

Traffic lights were out, the city looked like a ghost town:

I hope it was empty:

What did we do to pass the time?
We ate out A LOT.
We found a McDonalds with the two P's: a playplace and power.
We visited with friends who let us stay for hours on end:

And we played A LOT of tic-tac-toe.

We made it through, and hope never to have to go through this again!

Catching up

2006-12-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

Between the business travel and the power outage and the holiday, I am way behind on reading e-mails, reading blogs, and knitting. I still want to share with you a few completed objects from the business trip to Massachusetts:

These were knit on the flight cross country. I hope the hat fits, Dad!

FINALLY

2006-12-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

DH just called to say the power has been restored. It may be a merry Christmas after all!

Still no power

2006-12-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

Blogging from work, knitting by candlelight. Sure wish I had knit myself some of those fingerless gloves. :-(

Brrrrrrr....

2006-12-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

A major storm hit the Pacific NorthWet late Thursday, and we have been without power ever since. Five long nights and five even longer days. It is so cold in our house that DH is allowing the dogs to come upstairs where we are all huddling by the heat of the gas fireplace in the evenings.

When you are without power, and heat, and decent light, you get a kick out of the strangest things. Last night it was the Dance of the Pillow, whereby the lab licked and rolled on my eldest son until he curled up in a fit of dog slobber, and the lab gained control of the pillow. DS slept hidden in his sleeping bag.

I am blogging from the Tully's at the bottom of the hill, which finally has power today. Maybe we will be next?

Please send warm, electric thoughts our way.

It's a big country...

2006-12-13T21:40:00.000-08:00

especially to fly over. How big? One adult hat (reknit) and a Bathtime Blossoms washcloth. That's how big! Photos will have to wait until next week as I forgot the cable thingie.

Time flies...

2006-12-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

...when you are having fun. And in the blink of an eye, bam, you are a year older. Thanks to all of my family and friends who sent birthday greetings and gifts. My SP9 sent a very special package with lots of goodies. Look at this lovely Schaeffer Anne:

My SP9 knows that I love the browns and pinks! I already sent you an email, SP9, but thank you again for thinking of me and sending such a nice birthday package!

Since I last posted, I knit a hat out of handspun merino/silk, and a scarf out of handspun biffle. They are not meant to match.

Each of these will be a holiday gift for someone special. The hat came out rather large, and I asked the recipient to do some special exercises to increase his brainage, but since that may not be feasible, I ripped the hat and re-cast on for something of normal size.

In the name of science

2006-11-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

I supported a poor, starving grad student once. Heck, I was a poor starving grad student once. I was just lucky enough to not have to do a research project (I have my ways).

Support the efforts of a researcher in determining how fast a meme travels by creating a blog post linking to this one. You can read more about it here.

And where did I get this meme from? Emma.

Snow Days

2006-11-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

When you live in the PNWet, you play in the snow as it falls. If you wait a half hour, it may turn to rain and slush and then you would have missed the snow.

May I present, "Sledding In The Dark".

It was only 4pm.

Once it got really dark out, dark enough so you cannot see through the reflection of the lights in the window, Old Man Winter got serious. We woke up to a gorgeous winter wonderland. Look at the background.

I love how crisp and clean everything looks after a fresh snowfall. The kids built a snowman, Bob. He is wearing the Lucky Duck scarf.

As always, clickety click to embiggen the pictures.

For a sockret pal

2006-11-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

Wild and crazy Socks That Rock:

The yarn is crazy, wild, in a very fun loving way! I did check with my Sockret Pal to make sure that she was loving the wild and crazy socks and she confirmed. So I am a happy socker to have these off my plate. I'll be saving them to send along with a little holiday surprise because we all need more holiday surprises in our lives!

Thank you, Grandma

2006-11-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

During the fiasco of the missing scarf, Grandma had been secretly knitting her own princess scarf. Lovely!

Spinning from Stash

2006-11-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

I've been working away at the spinning stash, trying to spin up some of the great hand-dyed fibers I have picked up this year at various festivals. The current project - 8 oz Biffle (that's Blue Faced Leicester to the uninitiated). This fiber is hand-dyed by Angela at A Swell Yarn Shop. You may recognize it as a purchase from OFFF. It's the blue and brown one draped around Alex' neck.

I wanted to make a two-ply yarn, and try to keep the color patterns even so they would make sections of solid colored yarn when plying instead of the funky barberpole. I started out by splitting the roving lengthwise in two. I weighed the two sections, and was 10g off. There goes the plan ;-) How much is 10g anyway? Enough to make a difference.

Do you see that small ball of fiber on top of the wheel? That's how much was left over after plying from the two bobbins. I wound it into a center pull ball and plyed it back on itself.

Lovely yarn on a niddy noddy:

300 yards (230 + 70)

That 10g did make a difference!
Destiny = scarf.

Uno

2006-11-15T22:57:00.000-08:00

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

No.
Explanations.

1. Yourself:
happy

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse):
brilliant

3. Your hair:
flat

4. Your mother:
addicted

5. Your Father:
supportive

6. Your Favorite Item:
roving

7. Your dream last night:
sleep

8. Your Favorite drink:
drip

9. Your Dream Car:
fast

10. The room you are in:
favorite

11. Your Ex:
non-existent

12. Your fear:
windstorms

13. What you want to be in 10 years?
proud

14. Who you hung out with last night?
kids

15. What You’re Not?
thin

16. Muffins:
blueberry

17. One of Your Wish List Items:
stairmaster

18. Time:
flying

19. The Last Thing You Did:
laughed

20. What You Are Wearing:
jammies

21. Your Favorite Weather:
crisp

22. Your Favorite Book:
outlander

23. The Last Thing You Ate:
m&m's

24. Your Life:
complete

25. Your Mood:
content

26. Your best friend:
enabler

27. What are you thinking about right now?
spinning

28. Your car:
hot

29. What are you doing at the moment?
rejuvenizing

30. Your summer:
GONE

31. Your relationship status:
partners

32. What is on your TV?
dust

33. What is the weather like?
wet

34. When is the last time you laughed?
tonight

One lucky duck

2006-11-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

clickety click to embiggen

Her brother found it, lost in the depths of the toy room. He's my hero!

Every ten years...

2006-11-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

I get the urge to sew.

My mother just fell off her chair. We'll wait Mom, while you get back up. Need a sip of water? OK then. Yes, that is the foot pedal that was lost during move #2 AND I NEVER KNEW until you helped us unpack from move #3. LOL.

14 patches later...

He isn't kicked out of cub scouts (yet).

While I am at it, "HONEY, where's that sweater with the ginormous arms?"

First, you pick the seams.

Sew the excess.

Can you see the line?

Start trimming. Note to self, next time use contrasting thread.

That's a lot of excess.

Re-attach the arm.

One down, one to go. Maybe next decade, dear.
And that covers it for the next 10 years. Maybe I will cast on an aran now.

Lost

2006-11-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

She had it for less than 12 hours. I think she lost it at pre-school. Grrrrrr.

A touch of sun

2006-11-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well, not really sunshine, but at least a temporary abatement of the monsoon. DD and I skipped outside for a quick photo shoot:

clickety click to embiggen

clickety click to embiggen

Mistake stitch rib in handspun fiber from Blue Moon. She's happy, I'm happy.

The week in review

2006-11-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite websites is the weekly photo essays featured on MSN.

I would like to present my own version of a week in review:

We had a princess (no surprise there), a green power ranger, and a dragon ninja. Between the Power Ranger and the Ninja, I knew my daughter was safe walking the streets in the dark.

Proof that you are never too big to be a lap dog. I had to check Tina's bag at the door to make sure she wasn't smuggling a pet home. I did offer to trade her a dog for a wheel....

And last but not least, a yummy package from my SP9! She sent lots of local goodies including a candle and candy from her town, plus the yarn, matching beads, needles and a crochet hook plus pattern to make a beaded scarf! Not only did she put together this package, but she had also knit the scarf herself and sent me a photo of her FO so I would get the idea of what the scarf looks like. I can tell that my SP put a lot of thought into this package, and I want her to know that I really appreciate all of the effort! Thanks SP!

Happy Halloween

2006-10-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

THIS is why it is fun to knit for knitters

2006-10-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

My husband couldn't believe that I was shipping off a scarf to a complete stranger, when he is in such desperate (not) need of a new handknit sweater. I explained to him that not only did I get to knit for someone who would appreciate the effort, but that I would also receive a scarf in return. When he is done knitting me two sweaters, I will be happy to start knitting for him again.

I was so thrilled to receive a box from my ISE3 pal, Deb, and show it off to my husband. "See", I said. "THIS is why I knit for knitters."

The Swallowtail Scarf pattern, knit in Lavold's Silky Wool, is a perfect addition to my wardobe.

A huge thank you to Deb for knitting me this very special scarf. And thank you for all of the goodies you sent us from MO. In the pretty box were assorted chocolates and teas, and honey sticks from a local farm. My daughter, the official photographer for the evening, insisted on having a tea party right away. There's also an adorable tape measure and a great postcard from Deb's state in the box.

Thank you again, Deb. The scarf is lovely!

Thank you, Sockret Pal

2006-10-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

I received a surprise package in the mail yesterday, from my Sockret Pal!

See that skein of gorgeous red yarn? That's a skein of Lisa Souza Sock! Merino in garnet. Did I mention that she's my favorite color artist and a personal friend? SWEET!

The cute sheepie on top is a Pez! I heart Pez! I didn't know they were making cute stuffed keychains. I'll have to keep an eye out in the stores and pick some up for my kids. Because this one is all MINE, baby.

There was another key chain of sorts in the package - pictured on the far right. It's a mini sockblocker attached to a keychain, and instructions to knit a miniature sock! What a great use of all those teeny leftover skeins of sock yarn. Just think, one could have a keychain to match every outfit! LOL.

My Sockret pal also sent a small notebook which is going right into my purse, and a very pretty card introducing herself. It was such a nice surprise to receive this package, that it inspired me to wrap up the Halloween treats I have been collecting for my Sockret Pal. USPS, here I come!

Pines Farm Spin-in

2006-10-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Sam, Barb and I spent the day at the Pines Farm spin-in. This was my first farm spin-in, and I didn't know quite what to expect.

There were sheep

And a mascot

It was cold, and wet. We jokingly asked for a fire. They obliged.

I tried to convince Sam to wrestle a sheep. She did not oblige.

The farm is mainly Romney sheep and angora goats. There was a manual apple press, and anyone with enough upper arm strength could make cider. And a barn full of fleece. And some dyed wool. And some hand cards. My wheel was empty, but not for long.

Answers to your questions and BFO

2006-10-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Lorinda asked the question, what is your BFO (Best Finished Object)? My BFO, and biggest accomplishment, is the finishing of the Decade Aran last winter. This aran cardigan was knit in a silk-blend yarn (think harsh on the hands), was my first cabling project, was knit from the top-down with saddle shoulders, and took me almost 10 years to complete! Looking back at the photos, I can't believe the crappy quality that I was posting at the time. I'll have to get DH to take some new photos for me. I'm planning to wear the sweater soon, as it is rainy and cool here in the PNWet. Fall is here.

Vanessa asked how the orchid is. Or isn't. I can take a new photo, but really, why bother? Two of the leaves have turned black, and the flowers, although still attached, look like if I touched the plant, that they would fall off. The last time it was watered - probably Oct 4th.

And because I know you all care (grin), the second Halloween sock is progressing. I started the heel flap last night. I am quickly losing steam, though, and it's all Sam's and Barb's fault. Notice Barb's Oct 14th post about Pine Farms spin in? Think sheep, wool, combs, and the intoxicating smell of lanolin. That's just a teaser, pics will come eventually. Suffice it to say that my hands are a lot softer this Fall. HA!

Where's the kid?

2006-10-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

My favorite model, LG, is showing off the handknit scarf I knitted for the ISE3. Can YOU see the kid behind the long scarf?

The yarn used comes from Persimmon Tree Farm and is a hand-dyed merino/mohair blend. The scarf is super long (it's shown doubled in the LG picture). I used about 250 yards. I love this scarf so much that I will be making another to keep for myself.
I can't wait to hear from my pal in Canada when she receives the scarf. I hope she likes it!

Spooky socks

2006-10-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

I received this yummy yarn from the Yarn Pirate in the mail on October 5th and completed my first sock on October 9th. This has to be the fastest I have ever knit an adult sock. You can see why I am motivated:

Halloween socks, anyone?