Knitting on the Left (hand)

Summer of Socks or Shawls?

2008-07-02T14:05:00.002-04:00

SoS ’08 – Summer of Socks or Summer of Shawls?

I signed up for Summer of Socks ’08. Last summer I knit A LOT of socks – and I know my husband, and best friends could use more handknit socks. There are also others who would like handknit socks. A good focus for knitting for July and August (and the last nine days of June) right? And socks are wonderful, portable, and don’t make you hot in the summer knitting projects . . .

Welllllll here we are, 11 days into the SoS – and I have ONE sock, ONE, not a pair, just one sock. Meanwhile I have TWO lace shawls – both out of wonderful Claudia’s Handpainted Silk lace weight yarn – nearly FINISHED! One is from the Year of Lace projects, Phoenix Rising, and I have been working on it since it arrived at the end of March ---

There have been yarn problems (not just me) and I am waiting for more yarn to finish – but it’s only got about 32 rows to go (close to 600 stitches per row, but who’s counting . . .)

Meanwhile, at a Tangled Skein’s Friday the 13th in June, I came away with another skein of Claudia’s Handpainted silk, in a wonderful colorway called Urban Fever. And at the same Friday the 13th Arnetta arrived to show off her glorious beaded shawl from the Winter 07/08 Vogue Knitting. It is to die for – just glorious – and the Urban Fever is enough (hopefully) yarn to make it. And a Beader’s Workshop just opened across the hall from a Tangled Skein – so I found the pattern in my library (home), and copied it, and played with the yarn – then went across the hall to a Beader’s Workshop, and Vivian, the delightful owner, helped me find the most yummy perfect copper colored beads to go with my yarn.

And since I need more yarn for Phoenix Rising, I decided I could cast on for the Beaded Shawl (that’s all it’s called in Vogue), and at least knit through the set-up rows, and ONE pattern repeat (of four, adding stitches each right side row) – and then the Summer of Socks would start, and I would switch to socks for the next week or so until the additional yarn for Phoenix Rising arrived. . . .RIGHT . . . . .????

So just before I went to bed last night I started the first row of the LAST repeat of the main part of the pattern. So I’ve only got about 60 rows to go on this one! And I am OBSESSED! I had to force myself to bed (good thing all the talk shows are repeats this week). I think it may be finished by the end of the weekend!

And rather than go onto more socks – what is calling me is finishing Phoenix Rising as soon as the yarn comes, but meanwhile I’ve got the second Year of Lace project, out of a yummy blueberry color of Helen’s Lace weight yarn from Lorna’s Laces – and then there’s this nearly black shawl . . . . (and I really, really, really could use a black shawl, and the yarn is nifty – new to me, and, and, and . . . .)

Off to walk the puppies – is Guthrie still a puppy since he’s a year old tomorrow? Probably – until Maybelle’s off puppy food!

Here's Maybelle today, with her ears almost full UP! And below giving her 'big brother' grief as usual -- they really have fun together!
Historical footnote: on this date (July 2nd) in 1935, Amelia Earhart went missing over the Pacific.

Heading Towards the Summer of Socks ’08 and beyond

2008-06-26T23:33:00.008-04:00

Started on June 20th before I went to Stitch ‘n Pitch at National Stadium.

It’s almost the Longest Day of the Year, and the Summer of Socks starts at 12:01 a.m. on June 21st. In preparation for the start of that, I’ve been busy knitting second socks, to at least get several pairs done, and out of the queue. I’m not getting all the socks that are waiting for mates, mated, but at least three should be done by tomorrow midnight.

I finished these Gentleman’s Shooting Socks with Fluted Pattern from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks (only was ten months from when I made the first one!), and a nice basic pair out of a self-patterning yarn – those only were started about a week or so ago – both pairs are for my husband.

And now, 2/3rds of a sock to go to finish a third pair –these are from Opal — Hundertwasser ones. They are for me! I’m off to Stitch ‘n Pitch at the Washington Nationals’ ballpark night, and figure it might get done by midnight –at which point I plan to cast-on my first Summer of Socks sock – the Gentleman’s Shooting Socks with fluted pattern again, in Regia medium blue wool/silk. The pattern works in the chocolate colorway , but it doesn’t show up as much as I would like it to, so in a lighter color it should work wonderfully. And then I’ll make one of my Socks that Rock Sock Club socks for ’08, and maybe a pair out of Rainbow colorway from Lorna’s Laces for my goddaughter – I’ve owed her a pair for a LOOOOOONG time!

And the other thing that is grabbing me, is my main knitting when at home project – I’m in the home stretch on my first Year of Lace project – the glorious Phoenix Rising shawl out of Claudia’s Handpainted silk – one of my favorite lace yarns in the world – not sure if I love Claudia’s more or Cheryl Schaffer’s Andrea — . I’ve got 31 rows more of edging to go, and then it’s the border WITH beads – love it!
Meanwhile adding to the menagerie I live with – we’re getting a second dog – our wonderful Guthrie really needs a canine partner – so Saturday we’re off to pick-up a little girl puppy to be his “life partner!”

And today would have been my father’s 94th birthday, if he’d made it this far – he’s been gone 27 years now.

Nearly a week later – life has been hectic!

We went to Stitch ‘n Pitch, which was great fun – I heard there were at least 400 stitchers there – they had 400 gift bags they gave out. We were up on the third tier of seats – great view of the ball field, and in the shade! In my section were all folks that got their tickets via A Tangled Skein – Karida of Neighborhood Fiber Co. was in the next section, having gotten her tickets through Knit Happens – but she came over and joined our group. Amy O and she reunited their wonderful Lexie Barnes messenger knitting bags.

2 Sistah's Knit Together were two rows in front of me –

Cici and Chelette

and Cici’s daughter and granddaughter were in our row, while Carol of Hooker to Cats
sat with us on one side and Shelley and Sandra of the Wednesday Night Regulars at A Tangled Skein were on the other.Another Wednesday Night regular, Jessica was thrilled with getting her photo taken! And well on her way to finishing a lovely cabled sweater in just TWO weeks!

And here's Amy O with the knitting needles she got in her goodie bag -- she looks FIERCE! Codiak Alaska better watch out! (She moving there in July! WAHHHH)
It was lovely company, lovely weather, decent game – we left at the end of the 8th inning when the score was tied – we were heading to Richmond to pick-up our new puppy in the morning, and didn’t want to be out late. Turned out to be a 14th Inning Game! We didn’t know who won when we turned off the TV and lights to go to sleep – surfed the channels in the a.m. before we left.

And here she is! Our new baby – another Cardigan Corgi.
Our boy is named Guthrie, and will be a year old next week. The new one is just eight-weeks old, and we’ve named her Maybelle! If you know traditional/folk music – you may see where her name came from – Mother Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family performers from the 1920s on. Mother Maybelle was Johnny Cash’s mother-in-law!

Anyway Maybelle is as sweet as she can be – learning fast, and her ears are more upright everyday – I expect in another week or so they’ll be fully up like Guthrie’s. She’s weighing in at just six pounds, while Guthrie is 33 pounds. They’re getting along great, he’s being a wonderful “big brother” to her!

Meanwhile, I dropped stitches off the needle on the Phoenix Rising shawl, and had to tink back about five rows to rescue it – and because I had knots and other problems with the winding of the yarn, I’m almost out of yarn – with one more edging repeat and the border to go. More is on the way – with the NEXT Year of Lace project. Hopefully here by the end of the week – maybe just as I reach the point of can’t do anymore until the yarn comes.

And then, I’ve started ANOTHER shawl, also in Claudia’s Handpainted Silk lace weight (which is what the Phoenix Rising is knit in), in a wonderful color called Urban Legend –coppers, rusts, greens – it’s a pattern from the Winter 2007/08 Vogue Knitting – I love it – it calls for 1,000 BEADS! A customer, Arnetta at a Tangled Skein had made it, and it was so glorious – AND a FABULOUS (dangerous!) Bead Store has opened in the same building as A Tangled Skein – Beader’s Workshop – so once I decided on the yarn, I took it over there, and the delightful owner Vivian helped me find the most glorious copper colored beads for it. If the extra yarn for the Phoenix Rising shawl doesn’t come soon, I’ll get totally obsessed with the Beaded Shawl!

As for Summer of Socks . . . I didn’t finish the pair of Hundertwasser socks for me – but I did cast-on, right at 12:01 a.m. for the second pair of Gentleman’s Shooting Socks with fluted pattern out of Regia Silk. Almost to the heel on the first one, but I’m soooo shawl obsessed that it’s languishing when I’m at home, as I’ve been working on the two shawls instead.

And now, to update my ravelry photos, and then get back to Phoenix Rising.

2008-05-08T22:03:00.004-04:00

The Dog ate my Shoes . . . and how it led to buying yarn . . . .

My sweet wonderful puppy (ten months old today)
chewed up my faithful brown sandals Thursday morning. I was not happy. He was not happy. I wear brown sandals a lot in the summer . . . .

So, I went out shopping for another pair of brown sandals. Weeeelllllllllllll . . . there is this store near me that carries my favorite makes of shoes -- Dansko, Keans, etc. and they had this pair of shoes that just SCREAMED that they HAD to come home with me -- forget the brown sandals, these beautiful COMFORTABLE Mary-Janes with roses had to come home with me. They had my size, they are VERY comfortable.
So they came home with me. (Brown sandals also made it home with me that day -- I really do need brown sandals in my wardrobe.)

So today, while others were enjoying Saturday at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I was one of the staff who worked at A Tangled Skein. I wore my new Mary Janes. And there, on the shelf was some Sublime Soya Cotton in EXACTLY the main color of the new shoes. I'm already working on a cardigan in the soya cotton, so I know it's a lovely, yummy yarn to knit with -- so even though I'm going to MD$&W tomorrow, I had to get enough to make a simple summer vest --

So that's how the dog destroyed my sandals, and led to me buying yarn I hadn't PLANNED on.

And led me to post for the first time in months.

Meanwhile, if you're on Ravelry, you can see many finished objects over the past few months. Just finished a shawl as a gift for a friend, am working happily on the Year of Lace Phoenix Rising Shawl out of Claudia's Handpainted Silk Lace weight, that has to be my favorite lace yarn -- this is my third or fourth shawl in this yarn, and I know I have three more skeins stashed of this yarn!

Summer knitting for me is usually shawls and socks.

But – I did get to M$&W --, where I was mainly looking -- with only plans on buying more of the wonderful short Signature Needles with stiletto points (I ordered a set to try a month ago, and LOVE them, so I knew I wanted MORE), a M$&W T-shirt, and to see if anyone had Tilli Tomas’ Fil de la Mer Yarn. Low and behold, Tilli Tomas was there herself! But she hadn’t known that the Wakame Lace Tunic from the new Summer Interweave Knits called for that yarn – BUT she was willing to send it to me once she got back home – at the discount price she was selling her yarn for at the Festival. So I sent an email as soon as I got home Sunday, with my phone number, and she called me Monday for my credit card info, and today, in the mail came the yarn!

And LOOK at how gorgeously it came! In this lovely silk bag, and with a wonderful bonus skein of her Disco Lights in Jade! I am so pleased, and honored!

And – I’m going to be good, I’m not even winding or swatching until I finish the Soya Cotton Vest that matches the Mary Janes. I’ve the left front done, and should finish the back tomorrow in the car – which is what’s keeping me safe to say I won’t swatch until I finish the vest. I’m off to Connecticut for a folk music weekend with my husband, and I’m leaving the Fil de la Mer at home. A treat when I come home on Monday!

Back to the vest.
My very chewy puppy, and the new yarn. Don't worry, the yarn is safely out of animal reach now.

2008-02-01T23:15:00.000-05:00

I’m On U-Tube
And other oddities . . . .

I realize I haven’t blogged in months – life has been very full. Our son has made great strides at his school, and because of this, we now are visiting him regularly, which takes a minimum of three days a month . . . . .

One of several exciting things with him, is he ASKED me to make him socks AND a hat! Below are the socks (suppose to be Washington Redskins colors, didn’t’ quite work – so they’re LSU socks –Skins socks to be done as soon as I get the right gold yarn)

And above, son in the hat, in the St. Louis Cardinals colors – white and red. And enjoying his favorite Starbucks coffee – Peppermint Mocha white Chocolate Latte (hey, he’s 16 and a half . . . .)

I’ve been working on lots of socks, and finishing my goddaughter’s Christmas present, (below)

And then I’ve been busy with my Christmas present – a new dog! His name is Guthrie (after Woody & Arlo). He’s a Cardigan Corgi (not a Pembrooke) Cardigan’s have tails, and MUCH bigger ears then Pembroke, and actually are a bit bigger, and not related except WAAAY back. He’s wonderful, though I’ll be glad when he’s out of the chewing phase – he’s chewed some knitting needles, annnnnd, created the need for me to make THREE sleeves for my goddaughter’s sweater.

He chewed the EDGE of the sleeve – but there was no way to fix it, without frogging the whole sleeve – probably only about two yards of yarn were ruined, but is was in the first two rows of the sleeve. This was done in his first week with us. He’s seven months old this weekend, and he’s been with us for five weeks.

And I’ve been working a lot at A Tangled Skein, – which celebrated its first anniversary on January 23rd, where we had festive Sit and Stitch – and then on Friday, January 25th we partied late – starting an anniversary sale at 9 p.m. Wine, cheese, cupcakes, and other goodies to celebrate – I think at least 70 folks came through between 7 p.m. and midnight to help celebrate – I know there were 30 folks there by 9 p.m. My sweet husband supplied music all evening – and (here’s how I ended up on U-Tube) I’d made the mistake of telling my bosses that I knew a song about knitting – so I was asked to sing it – and my “friend” Cici, (that's Cici on the left, with her sister Chelette, and Joyce on the couch at the Tangled Skein Party) videotaped it, (Cici & Chelette’s blog) and put it here on U-Tube . I’m actually not that embarrassed by it – wish I’d pitched the song better, and wish I’d remembered all the words. Amy,
of the Hook & I, suggested I post the words, so here they are:

Old Green Sweater
© 1985 Dan Berggren

1. Somebody made this old sweater,
Of six or seven big green balls of yarn
Look how it surrounds me, how it wraps around me
Just like being hugged by loving arms

I don't know the name of the farmer,
I don't suppose that I ever will,
No I never met him, but I can't forget him
He's the one who raised the sheep and sheared the wool.

Chorus;
You know I love my old green sweater,
I've worn it for years and it's still good as new
There's just one thing that warms me better,
That's your love, that's you.

2. Somebody made this old sweater,
You can tell that it wasn't by machine
Cause Every stitch of every row was knitted nice and slow
from some wool that was dyed so dark and green.

Who took the time to clean the fleece and to card it,
I don't suppose I'll ever know.
Who did all the spinning, that was only the beginning,
Before love was knitted into row.

3. Some folks have drawers just jammed with sweaters
While other folks have none to keep them warm
Well I have one that's got your touch,
That's why it means so much,
And I'll wear it when it's mended or it's torn.

Somebody made this old sweater,
Of six or seven big green balls of yarn
Look how it surrounds me, how it wraps around me
Just like being hugged by loving arms

Looking over the words, I actually didn’t do too badly with them. . . .

Martha, of Knitcrit and the founder of the SSKer’s (Silver Spring Knitters [MD]) brought to our group’s attention this interesting sweater from Unicorn Press done in Garter Stitch panels, then put together with three needle bind offs between each panel. I’m loving it – and looking forward to wearing it too! I made it out of Noro’s Kurchoran, which is heavenly.

Oh yes – the new Noro Sock Yarn is great. It’s coarser to knit then most socks yarns, but I love knitting with it, and once washed (by hand, in cool water, air dried) it is very soft, and the socks are very comfortable to wear! I’ve made one pair, and have a sock and a half of a second pair.

So hopefully I’ll be blogging a bit more often, and now I’m heading back to more knitting at the moment – trying to finish more projects then I start new ones. . . . . .

Busy, and finishing – but also Falling Down the Ravelry Rabbit Hole

2007-11-26T18:06:00.001-05:00

I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I last posted – partially because I fell down the Ravelry rabbit hole. For those that don’t know about Ravelry it’s like a Myspace/Facebook on the web specifically for knitters and crocheters. It’s fun – one can post all your projects, all your books, connect with friends, be in several groups to check on stuff . . . . a rabbit hole.

Meanwhile I fell in love with the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket, (from Interweave Knits Winter ’05? And in the new book Interweave Favorites of the first ten years) found the perfect yarn for it (Sublime Cashmere,-Merino-Silk, DK weight), bought it, started it – thinking it would be a great “mindless” project to work on in knit groups and at work – WRONG. I got obsessed! I got tunnel vision! –ME! The knitter who usually has more WIP then she’s willing to admit -- . Anyway, the result was that I knit the sweater in TWO WEEKS! AND it’s stunning – if I do say so myself!The photo doesn't show the neat back feature, I'll try and get a better photo of that for my next post.

Then, between dealing with loosing our dog, and having been bit by the finishing bug, I finished the Adamas shawl that I’d been working on since May. AND it’s turned out wonderfully!

First photo is still being knit, with my usual knitting background, our smallest cat, Snowball.

I also tried my hand at crocheting, having been dared to crochet something by Amy, at the "Party Like it's 1998" at A Tangled Skein,(there was a Friday the 13th in November 1998, and Tangled Skein has a party and three hour sale on Fridays the 13th. [Next one's not until June 2008, so they made one up!]) So I met her dare, and crocheted a hat!

And my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last week. We gave ourselves a WONDERFUL party – inviting everyone we know – from all segments of our lives – church, music, family and knitting – and everyone blended wonderfully, and had a great time! On the actual day (which we share with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip of the UK – only they’ve made 60 years) we took ourselves to a wonderful, very fancy for us, restaurant in our hood – and shared a full bottle of wine! Because it was in the neighborhood, we WALKED there and back again, so we wouldn’t have to worry about driving. A lovely dinner, a lovely evening, and my favorite companion (human or otherwise).

Have several projects going right now – I’m struggling with the Field of Daisy shawl from Fiddlesticks right now – the struggle is I dropped stitches, and saving it involves A LOT of tinking! UGH. Hopefully I’ll get back to knitting later tonight, but it’s been two days of tinking instead of knitting. I HATE TINKING – I LOVE knitting! Sigh.

And I’ve already reached the it’s time for another dog stage. We’ve got a specific breed in mind, much smaller than a Golden, because much as we love the personality of Goldens, they are large dogs, and during sweet Kait’s last couple of years it became very difficult to take her to vet’s – and I don’t want to be in that position with another dog – I need to be able to pick up and put the dog in the car by myself. So once the new pup joins the family I’ll post pictures etc., but until then, folks’ll just have to deal with the mystery. I think the new dog will be my Christmas present this year. And then I’ll have a busy year, since I’ll be taking obedience classes with it for the next year. Kaitlin earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate from the AKA when she was two, and I want the new dog to earn one too.

Back to tinking.

Tribute to a Special Dog and Finished Objects!

2007-10-27T21:11:00.000-04:00

We lost our dog this week. She was twelve and a half, quite arthritic, and I knew we’d be lucky if she made it to 13. Still it was hard. She was in pain, and all her organs were shutting down.

She lived with, loved, and played with all our cats. They slept with her in winter. They miss her greatly, as do we.

It was nice to be her alpha – you knew where I was in the house by where she was. A good ole dog. She loved the ocean, kongs, tennis balls, her people, food, and her cats. She played with them wonderfully, and slept with them in the winter. One of our cats, Phoenix, was the same color as she, and seemed to think she was his mother. He slept with her year-round – in summer away from her heat, but with a paw out to touch her. She missed him when we lost him two years ago, now his successors miss her.

I finished my Hempathy sweater two weeks ago, and took photos of it finished. Kaitlin is in the lower right corner, and Barnum in the upper left.

I also finally blocked my Seraphim shawl. Actually got photos WITHOUT cats in them!

I got to Stitches East for about 2 hours on the Friday. Had fun, didn’t get a lot – saw new Karida of (Neighborhood Fiber Co. )

and old friends (Ann & Eugene of
Philosopher’s Wool), and snapped a photo of Kaffe Fassett.

And attended Amy, ’s book signing at A Tangled Skein, for Crochet Me, a book she contributed a really cute dress to. She is absolutely brilliant in what she can do with crochet! It often LOOKS KNIT! (My prejudices are showing!)

Currently focused on one thing in particular, with two others screaming for “their” turns next:
1. the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket from Interweave Knits – in the new “Best of” book, and I believe, Winter ’05 issue. I’m using Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk. Glorious, glorious yarn – I just adore working with it. Started it on October 16 (b-day present to myself to buy the yarn), and only have a sleeve and a half to go before starting the finishing! Hope to finish it by this Tuesday. Photos when finished.
2. The next Tofutsies Sock Club sock. It’s for display at A Tangled Skein,
3. Artamus shawl from Knitpicks, out of the yarn called for. Really want it done too.

More sooner than before. Back to the Pearl Buck Jacket.

What kind of book am I?

2007-09-24T23:26:00.000-04:00

You're Catch-22!

by Joseph Heller

Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you
see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense
of humor is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an
ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You
could coin a phrase that replaces the word "paradox" for millions of
people.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

My friend Lee posted this quiz on her blog. She’s Siddarta, and I’m Catch-22!

Am busy ignoring seductive yarns (not only the alpaca sock yarn, but Savoy from Tahki which is 52% silk and 48 % merino wool– more about that soon.) I’m trying to work on ONLY ONE thing at the moment and finish a sweater in hempathy, which will be wonderful to wear during October, but probably not warm enough after that. So there’s my focus.

Meanwhile, here's the older two cats of my menagerie , Snowball and Agatha, ages 6 and 14 years.

Seduced by Yarn –

2007-09-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

I’m sure, most folks, if you’re reading this, you’ve been there – a yarn appears in front of you, a beautiful colorway in a luscious yarn, and forget it, forget NOT starting anything new – forget ALL the other projects you SHOULD be knitting – you’ve GOT to buy the yarn, AND you’ve got to start working with it NOW!

Well, the new Alpaca Sox yarn from Classic Elite is just such a yarn. It arrived this week at A Tangled Skein,, and when my female boss arrived Saturday at the store (the proprietors are one of each sex), she told me about it, and we dug around, found it – and I was in love. I don’t even care that the socks’ll have to be HANDWASHED – the yarn is SOOO yummy to hand – and the colorway I got, very dark autumn colors, is delightful to behold! As soon as we had put the store labels on the skeins, one was quickly whisked off to the swift and ball winder, and I dug in my knitting bag and found a set of double points, just the right size (0 US [2 mm]) for my basic socks. I immediately cast-on, and started the ribbing on a pair of socks for my husband.

Now you may ask, WHY, when this yarn is so luscious and wonderful, am I knitting the socks FOR MY HUSBAND???? One main reason – everything I’ve knit out of Alpaca has been too hot for me to wear for very long, no matter how wonderful the yarn was to knit with – I get hot easily, (I am so glad the weather has finally cooled down from our hot summer ), and even in winter, my socks come off quickly when home – and I end up in just my slippers, which go on and off as my feet go hot, then cold, etc. Whereas my wonderful husband has perpetually COLD feet, even in summer, and especially in winter – so toasty warm Alpaca socks will be perfect for him!

This is ONLY the fourth sock yarn in a month that has seduced me – and so far, only one of the four is going to be MINE!

The first was the Claudia Handpainted 100% Superwash wool in a Chocolate color – it’s becoming socks for my husband, specifically for his Civil War music gigs – I’m knitting the first full pattern in Nancy Bush’s Vintage Socks book, not quite 1860s, but 1880s.

And then, in a similar yarn, but a much different color, I just knit a pair of socks for a fellow choir members BIG birthday today – out of Karida’s Neighborhood Fiber Co.. sock yarn in the Dupont Circle colorway – deep pink with purple overtones – very right for my friend.

The third is the one I dyed myself in a workshop at Tangled Skein with Karida—and because those will be for me, they’ll end up being the last ones finished of these four. I'll post a photo next post.

And yes, I’m FINISHING things. I finished my Jade Sapphire cashmere/silk “Ruby Slippers” Seraphim shawl. Just needs blocking. (There’s beginning to be a queue of things to block [note to self: BLOCK SHAWLS next WEEKEND!]) And besides the birthday socks my husband has gotten a new cotton/wool pair. And I finished the second sock club Tofutsies socks.

My assistant Bailey, just answered the phone, and she says it’s for me – the person on the other end doesn’t speak cat.

And now I’m off to knit more, finish some socks, maybe a sweater . . . .But FINISH something!

Too MANY WIPS!

2007-08-21T15:21:00.000-04:00

I went off to Folk Music Camp, fully planning to blog right when we got home. Wellllll…. I did finish two pairs of socks at camp, and get a good start on a third. But I also came back with a serious sinus infection, that made me unable to focus for a good two weeks – I only managed to get done the things that HAD to get done.

Now I’m trying to overcome startitis – where it’s so tempting to start yet another project – sweater, shawl or socks. I’ve managed NOT to start more shawls (beyond the Mystery Stole 3 – more on that shortly), or sweaters (I got the wonderful Kani that Susan Rainey has been working on) but socks. . . .

I took a dying class with Karida,, of Neighborhood Fiber Co. at A Tangled Skein, last week – and I had a wonderful time – and came out with two skeins of sock yarn that I’m quite pleased with! I HAD to start one of them immediately it was dry!

And then at Tangled Skein they got in Claudia’s Handpainted in Sock Weight, and we needed to know how it knit – so I started a sock in that. It maybe a bit hard to see, since I chose the Chocolate colorway, as that lends itself to socks for my husband when he’s doing his Civil War reenactment music gigs – the pattern is the first one in Nancy Bush’s wonderful sock book Vintage Socks.

And I’m also making the Tofutsies Sock Club Sock for August. And finishing the second sock of the third pair from camp (just did that!) And there’s a pair for my BF, and another for my next closest friend, and the SECOND Sock’s that Rocks Rockin’ Sock Club –

and three’s waiting to be started, and the fourth should show up in the mail any day now!

And, and, and . . .

I’ve also been a knitter for my friend Amy, book she’s doing – I’ve knit two sweater’s from her patterns, and then a cute little fair isle sweater for it too. (Photos next week when I get the models back to finish writing up the patterns). All the yarn used in this book a eco-friendly! I made the Fair Isle Sweater from Shetland 2000© from Yarns International – the yarn is un-dyed – all the colors are as the sheep are colored!

Yesterday, as I finished up the Fair Isle Sweater (I’d done all but the second sleeve), I decided that I really couldn’t start ANYTHING more until I finish at least half of the projects that are on the FRONT burners (there are too many on the back burners to fuss about at this point.)

So today, I’ve finished the pair left from Camp, and I’m working on the Seraphim Shawl – I think I can finish the 3rd chart today, and start the edging – maybe I’ll finish it this week!

Meanwhile, the Mystery Stole3 has posted the final clue – and I’ve only just started Clue 3. That’s going to be my focus once I finish the Seraphim (unless Seraphim, which is knit out of the incredible Jade Sapphire Silk/Cashmere, is too hot in my lap as we go back to 90+ weather later in the week. I put it aside originally because of that.) Plus a Elspeth Loavold sweater out of her nice hempathy, that I’m doing in wonderful fallish colors, so I really would like to be able to wear no later than the first of October.

And then there's the sweaters -- the one out of hempathy and the other out of Koigu. And below is my constant assistant -- our smallest cat Snowball -- giving the "eye" to me -- as in, "WHAT! You want ME to move?"

Seduced by the Mystery and Socks–

2007-07-18T14:40:00.000-04:00

Stole that is – my knitting buddy and friend Hannah, showed me her start of the Mystery Shawl Project 3 that Melanie is doing on the web. There was still time to join, and Hannah’s start was intriguing, and we have learned we tend to like the same lace patterns – so I joined Tuesday night. I found yarn in my stash, wound it (well, my sweet husband wound it for me), and started swatching.

I found the size needles that would do for the yarn (Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace, color Black Purl), and then found I had enough beads of a WONDERFUL color to go with the yarn (in my stash too!).

So off I went with Clue #1. The Mystery Stole 3 will be done with seven weekly instalments with charts and clues, but you have no idea what the finish article will look like – the only clues being how MUCH yarn was needed (1250 yardage on Helen’s Lace is perfect), and the lace. What’s really fun is the week the new Harry Potter book is released, the clue will be posted on Thursday instead of Friday, and then there will be a two week break before the next clue, so folks can read the HP book! Works for me for two reasons – reading the HP book AND I’m off to music camp from the 21st to the 29th, and I’m not about to take ANY complicated lace pattern to work on. Here’s where I am at the end of Clue #1.

I’ve printed out Clues #2 & #3, and four comes out this Friday. I’ve had less time to knit on it then I expected – we went to Tennessee to see our son this past weekend (he’s doing great), and we’re off to Camp on Friday, so it’s been socks, socks, socks. Here's Andrew with his birthday present soda -- he's a big Simpsons fan!

I just finished a shawl in the lovely Pure from South West Trading Co. – 100% Soysilk – which is just glorious to knit with (bought at A Tangled Skein,), in a nice faded blue-jean blue, and the pattern is from the Lace Styles book, Tuscany shawl. It’s worked up quickly, and lovely. It’s my contribution to the Auction at the music camp I’m going to.

I finished two pairs of socks last week – one for my friend Lorraine – which were finished in time for her to take them to Nantucket with her last week (and I didn’t get any photos), and on the drive DOWN to TN I finished a pair for my husband, which he immediately wore the next day, so now they’re in the laundry so he can take them to camp.

I also was at A Tangled Skein, for the Friday the 13th Knit-In and Sale – what fun we all had! Nearly 60 folks came over the course of the evening, and many of us stayed for the whole evening. Pictured are my knitting buddies from my Tuesday night group, as well as the additions of Lolly of blog page and Eunny Jang, the new editor of Interweave Knits (she lives in the greater DC metro area!)

My sock passion took over and I finally succumbed to buying the ToFutsies Exclusive Sock Club Yarn . This is a Sock Club (every other month) being done through yarn stores. You buy a skein of the Exclusive color, and get a free pattern. The first pattern is called Wild Kat, and it’s a fun knit! Doesn’t look like much when you just see it hanging from the needles, but when it’s on a foot – the lovely lace pattern shows beautifully.

There’s no AC at camp, so it’ll be a week of socks – unless it gets a little bit cool (camp’s in Plymouth, MA), then I might, if I take it, work on the Koigu sweater.

To end, here's a photo of my sweet Barnum, in one of his crazy sleeping positions. My knitting buddie Tanya complained I didn't run enough photos of my babies, so this one's for her!

Back to the mystery stole AND socks . . . . .

Progress, progress

2007-06-25T23:58:00.001-04:00

I’ve become obsessed with my Seraphim shawl. I just love the yarn, Jade Sapphire’s Cashmere-Silk. It’s a rich rich red called Ruby Slippers, sheer heaven to touch, knit with, and I’m loving the way the shawl is looking. It’s stockinette for the first half or two thirds, and then goes to these lovely lacy patterns. Shown here with my cat Snowball as the nice white background. (photo taken by my sweet husband). I’m over half-way through the third chart, with only the edge chart, and the edging, bind-off to go. The only problem is were having a mini-heatwave, and even with AC it's getting hot knitting this -- it's going to be a VERY warm shawl!

I’m also working on the Koigu Jazz Cardigan – I’m loving it too – but I knew when I bought the yarn for it how much I love Koigu – I always said it was my favorite yarn that Yarns International sold – and I liked most of the yarns they sold! The Jazz pattern has turned out to be quite easy – so it’s currently my carry around project. Socks are languishing right now – but never fear, I’ll be back to them soon. I’ve got to finish the Panda cotton socks for my friend Lorraine before July 13th – she’s off to Nantucket for two weeks, and will need socks some of those cooler nights there.

Back to the shawl.

Traveling and Knitting and Teaching

2007-06-19T17:22:00.000-04:00

To start here’s June 6th socks on needles;

And then the finished socks, and the next ones on needles!

A long car tip gives LOTS of knitting time – and socks, for me, are the best thing to knit on the road. My Seraphim shawl is moving slowly on, but on our five day trip to Tennessee and Kentucky, I didn’t knit one stitch on it.

My husband and I have figured out two rules for the trip(s) to TN and KY (which we will have several of over the next year or so). For me – SOCKS only for knitting projects – I don’t really want to work on anything else. And for him, a MAXIMUM of TWO instruments. This last trip he took three instruments (2 banjos and one guitar), and I took three pairs of socks, two having one sock done, and my shawl.

Our son is in a special school in TN, and we went for an orientation and therapy session face-to-face. Here a photo of “my” menfolk:

We did one on Friday, and one on Monday – so between we drove up to Shelbyville, KY which is where my grandfather was born – and he was fourth or fifth generation in Shelby County KY. Unfortunately we didn’t get there early enough to do any research – everything closes early on Saturdays, and isn’t open on Sundays. BUT . . . . just across the street from the Library was a lovely Victorian building – in fact, the old Shelbyville train station, moved there from it’s original location three blocks away on the train tracks, and it had this HUGE sign (see below) that said YARN. And then, below that – MUSIC.

A lovely little store, Knit-Pickers, designed to fit perfectly with my husband and me! A very nice husband and wife run it as their retirement. He’s a former music teacher, and she was a teacher too. There’s nice room filed with a decent selection of yarns (bought enough yarn for four pairs of socks), and then three or four rooms with all sorts of musical instruments and connected paraphernalia -- we hung out there for an hour or two, and ended up with my husband buying a guitar! If you’re keeping count, that meant we drove home with FOUR instruments.

Besides Knit-Pickers in Shelbyville, I got to go to another yarn store in Knoxville, called Loopville. She’s only been open a year, but although small, she has a wonderful selection of yarns and patterns, and knitting tchotchkies. Again I got sock yarn (three pairs worth, one of the Regia silk, which I haven’t knit with yet), and some fancy stitch markers.

Meanwhile, I have taught the first of what I hope will be several, classes at A Tangled Skein in Hyattsville, MD – it was a basic cuff-down sock class. It was three evenings, each a week apart. I had them knit a worsted weight sock. I had four students the first week, one who ended up not coming back after the first night, but the other three did, and two of the three got their socks done! And the third, is a friend from church, and she had the week from h*** and no knitting time. But she knows where I live . . . . and she also comes to my Tuesday evenings knit group. They were a great bunch, and I really enjoyed doing the class.

And last Saturday, Yarns International the now web-based yarn store had one of their local sales in a hall, and I was there to help all day – they had a WONDERFUL new shipment of Koigu (if you don’t know Koigu – it’s one of my all-time favorite yarns). I really, really (I mean REALLY wasn’t going to buy any more – I’ve got lots ---) buuuuuut the yarns are all “hand-dyed spaced-dyed,” and the colors are incredible, and different from batch to batch – and from shipment to shipment. Yarns International has stocked Koigu since it first came on the market, and I worked in the physical store for eight years, and saw the shipments as they arrived. So Saturday, by the end of the day, I had fallen in love with one colorway, and found a pattern I really like, and ended up with enough yarn to make said sweater. I’m trying to be good and not cast-on until I finish some of the other projects started . . . .but, I’ve already done gauge swatches, and I’ve started the cast-on . . . . . .

But back to Seraphim. (And yesterday was Paul McCartney’s 65th birthday. Guess which Beatle was my favorite . . . well, he IS left-handed.)

Late breaking – I’ve cast-on and knit three rows so far on the Koigu sweater – pictures of that start next post.

Socks and shawls, and luscious yarn

2007-06-05T16:54:00.001-04:00

I seem to be stuck on socks, and shawls. I finished the Claudia Handpainted silk Diamond Fantasy Shawl, and it’s lovely. Still haven’t blocked it, as time to do so hasn’t materialized yet. Hopefully soon. Photos to follow on that.

I’ve given myself a summer sock project, which I may have mentioned awhile ago – knitting enough pairs of socks for my two closest friends to be able to have comfortable socks for next winter. For my bestest friend, Nela, I’ve already finished two pairs, and am well on the way with two more – the first three pairs are toe up, but the most recent is cuff-down – and then she went with me to A Tangled Skein last week, and I had her choose sock yarn for me to make socks, so she’ll be getting that pair too. That brings her socks up to five pairs, so I feel I need to divert to my other closest friend, Lorraine –
to getting her more socks. I’d, truth be told, rather knit socks for Nela, simply because I can knit her WOOL socks, and Lorraine can’t wear wool. The new Panda Cotton from Crystal Palace Yarns is heavenly. It’s 55% Bamboo, 24% Cotton and 21% elastic nylon. I’ve got one sock knit, which unfortunately didn’t fit right, so I’ve got to rip back to the heel, and redo (it’s a toe up). THE REASON both of them need handknit socks is they have thick ankles, and commercial made socks are very tight, if not too tight on the ankles. They also are VERY appreciative of getting handknit socks – and they both been there for me most of my life!

Meanwhile, while I was at A Tangled Skein two week s ago, Cheryl (one of the owners), showed me some heavenly yarn – Jade Sapphire Cashmere/Silk. It’s expensive, and to make a shawl you need at least two skeins. I drooled a lot, but restrained myself. BUT I couldn’t stop thinking about the yarn. I really couldn’t. That was on Wednesday. Sunday afternoon I looked through my shawl patterns. I found one that would only require two skeins. So before I went somewhere else, I made a detour to A Tangled Skein and purchased two skeins. I wound one that evening when I got home, and cast-on for the new shawl. The color I got is called Ruby Slippers, and it’s a very subtle variegated reds and close to deep red violets. It’s GORGEOUS, and even more heavenly to knit with. I’m very pleased with the splurge – and the shawl is going to be wonderful. It’s a pattern my friend Hannah just finished recently. It’s going to be a shawl that goes with anything and everything! And nice and warm!

And no more new yarn of any kind for quite sometime – and no more new project s (except socks) until I finish several (like three to five). Except for the Teddy Bear sweater for a friend’s project. (And I don’t need to buy yarn for that, there’s lots in my stash!)

Update from having written up to here last week. I’m still going on the socks, but the Jade Sapphire Cashmere/Silk is soooooo seductive – I’m half-way on the Seraphim Shawl – just finishing the first chart (which comes after many, many rows of stockenette stitch.). Just love knitting on it. Not many photos this post – so I’ll close with a photo of my “kitten” Barnum (he’s only 15 months old, and won’t be FULL grown until he’s about 4 years old) sleeping among all my boxes of yarn – my stash!

One reason for so few photos is my camera is giving me grief – new one coming soon! And then a photo of our old lady dog, Kaitlin. It’s a really true photo of her now!

And a wonderful comment from my husband last night. As he was getting undressed, he said that the “commercial” socks he had been wearing were tight on his ankles, and he didn’t see any reason to wear them anymore – so he threw them in the trash, and said he knew he had much better socks in his drawer! Guess he’ll get the next pair after I finish the two pairs for Nela (both at the heel one up, one down).

2007-05-17T23:05:00.000-04:00

I was “tagged” by The Rainey Sister s (Susan & Sally)
Here are the rules and my random facts!

Rules:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts about themselves.

2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their 8 random things and post the rules.

3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and post their names.

4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Okay, here goes my random facts:

1. I’m an only child, but am blessed with two close friends that I have known respectively 52 and 40 years. (and we’re only 55)

2. I’ve still got some of my mother’s ashes – can’t figure out where to put them.

3. I like cats more than dogs. Learned that over the past 12 years with both. I do like dogs too, but cats . . . .

4. I’m a TV junkie. My favorite way to relax is to “vegge out and knit to watchable TV (broad category).

5. I’m third generation to live in the Washington DC area.

6. My favorite TV show currently is NCIS. Or History Detectives.

7. I’d like to be ON History Detectives.

8. The first place I drove myself at age 18 when I got my driver’s license was to Inez Stitchery – A YARN STORE! (my mother didn’t like to drive outside the beltway in DC – it was too foreign territory in those days (we’re talking 1970). Amazingly Inez’s is STILL in business (and has some of the same yarn and stuff she had in 1970!) And driving back Wednesday from Baltimore with my goddaughter’s dorm room in my car, I detoured to check out a yarn store in Ellicot t City, MD that I hadn’t been to before.

And now, I tag Hannah, Amy, Martha, Rebecca, Genia, Allan, gee I’m having problems tagging more than six with blogs – I don’t want to tag folks I don’t know, sort of, at least . . . .
More another day.

2007-05-16T21:36:00.000-04:00

Busy, Busy, Busy
I haven’t had time to blog because of a HUGE project I’ve been working on. It’s a fabric memorial quilt/banner for a folk festival I go to over Mother’s Day weekend. Finished size is around six feet wide by four feet high. I have been doing little else but it when home for the last two weeks. Pictured below is it finished. It was a IMMENSE HIT! I had tones of folks thanking me for doing it, and one widow cried as she talked to me about it, she was so pleased there will always be a memorial of her husband at the festival.

But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been knitting. My best friend has a second pair of socks, and a third has been started for her!

I also finished the first pair of Rocking Sock Club socks, and have started the second pair which came last week. The new socks are in a new yarn, that has SILK in it. Sheer bliss to knit with – I haven’t quite decided about the pattern – I’ve reached the heel, and it’s different from any I’ve done before, and is going to require more brainpower doing it then I have for knitting at the moment, so they are waiting. They can be regular socks, or knee highs. I’ve decided on knee highs, as I don’t have any handknit ones, and I’ve often wished I did. (There’s a lovely pair in the Summer ’07 Interweave Knits calling to me. . . .)

Meanwhile the Diamond Fantasy Shawl in the Claudia Handpainted silk is knitting along nicely. I think I’m finishing repeat number 8 of the 10 suggested for a shawl. The yarn continues to be sheer heaven to knit with, and I love my colorway more and more as the shawl grows!

I did make it to Maryland Sheep and Wool. It’s the first time I’ve been on a Saturday in over five years – and in the morning (we were there at 9 a.m.!) and it’s much more crowded than Sunday. We had somewhere to be in the afternoon/evening, so we didn’t stay all that long (four hours?). But being seduced by Socks that Rock I stood in line for twenty minutes to LOOK at and choose the various colors this only vendor had (found out she once worked with Blue Moon Fibers, and has exclusive access to selling them east of the Mississippi), and then back into a second line for fifteen minutes to pay for them. Looking over what I bought, I’m quite pleased, and it was rather fun in line with all the other lunatic knitters!

I’d hoped to find some more lace weight yarns, but didn’t find any that said they needed to come home with me. I did buy a skein of Fleece Artist Sea Wool for socks – merino wool and Seacell. It’s lovely to the touch, and that may be the next pair for me. Oh, and for sheer silliness, I bought a pair of GLASS circular needles! I’m a sucker for the odd in knitting accoutrements.

I lost valuable time on the banner on Sunday because our male Maine Coon, Barnum was not up to snuff, and after watching him for several hours, I decided I’d sleep better if we took him to the emergency vets just to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. WELL, it turned out to be something that if NOT treat in a timely manner COULD be serious. He had a urinary tract blockage, not uncommon in male cats. So the poor baby was in the hospital for three days. We also discovered in the x-rays that he had EATEN a STRAIGHT PIN off of the banner! I’d caught him pulling them OUT of the banner – he’ll eat anything! I talked with the vet today and he’s recovered completely from the blockage, and the pin has moved into the lower colon, and they believe he will get it out of his body in a “normal” manner. And he can come home this evening! Rather glad this happen after MD S$W, as I wouldn’t have spent as much as I did – in fact I might not have gone at all!

After our wonderful weekend at the Festival, my sweet husband agreed to take a short detour on the way home to stop at Sheep’s Clothing the Morehouse Farm Merino’s own shop in the little town of Red Hook, NY. We were only 45 minutes away when we headed home – so it didn’t take long to get there. I was after the Swan Shawl kit that is in their ad in the Summer Interweave Knits – unfortunately they had found an error in the pattern, and were correcting it – but I was able to order it, and they are sending it to me with free shipping as soon as it’s all ready. Meanwhile I bought a little scarf kit, and enough of a lovely lace weight variegated to make a shawl (what shawl? Who knows? The yarn will tell me when I get to it – perhaps during the summer.).

At the festival, besides the banner, I gave a friend a shawl I had knit her at the end of last summer and never sent her. Again a huge hit, and pictured below is the back view of the shawl.

More soon when I have finished some other work (non-knitting). Photos of socks – knit a number over the past few weeks.

I’m in love . . . .with yarn, and gadgets

2007-04-20T00:41:00.000-04:00

And oh yeah, my husband. But on the knitting end. I really love the Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Silk Lace 20/2 100% silk. I bought it at A Tangled Skein two weeks ago in the Blue Terra Cotta colorway, and started the Diamond Fantasy shawl in it (Thank you Hannah for the suggestion).

I enjoyed knitting on it so much, that when a Tangled Skein had a fun 20% off everything sale with a Friday the 13th late-night sale from 9 pm to Midnight (as well as sit and knit during those hours with munchies and beverages!), I had to buy ANOTHER skein of this yarn in the Walk in the Woods colorway.

And then my last Christmas present arrived last week. My husband ordered the heavy-duty wooden ball-winder from Nancy’s Knit Knacks, and it CAME! I’ve never used a ball winder I’ve liked better, it just flows so easily, and quickly. I’m even willing to wind my own yarn more often! (I’ve had two plastic ones break on me, and the first wooden one I got elsewhere doesn’t have a comfortable winding design. My sweet husband has been winding a lot of my yarn for me – he actually enjoys doing it – and he also is quite pleased with it.) I'll post a photo of it in use next week. We're off to Massachusetts to attend and perfrom the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA).

Meanwhile, a silly story on myself. I was reading recently my friend Hannah’s blog about the shawl she’d made her mother-in-law, with photos and I thought, oh what a lovely pattern, and followed the links to where it was shown that it was in the Fall issue ’06 of Interweave Knits. I went and looked it up in my copy – and reminded myself that I had STARTED this shawlette in some nice silk I bought at the Montpelier Wool Festival in October. Embarrassed at myself, I found the project – AND finished it within five days!

So here it is just before I unpinned it from blocking, with accent cat (Bailey). Mine is definitely a “shawlette”, but very nice, and I can see getting a fair amount of use from it, especially over the summer, as it may be just the right “extra” for some air conditioned places!

I’m having great fun with socks and lace, they seem to balance each other quite nicely, and since my two friends LOVE their hand-knit socks with wider cuffs then feet, I’ve got lots of opportunities to knit socks – and not add so many to my over flowing sock drawer – and if my husband gets every fifth pair I knit, he’s in good shape!

And 25 years ago on this very day, April 19th, my husband and I had just gotten engaged, and my godson was born! Happy birthday Allan in the Philippines, can’t believe you’re a quarter of a century – your parents and I are only 39!

An update on things . . . .

2007-04-11T22:15:00.000-04:00

A quick post about recipients of things I’ve knit. Here’s Lucy the greyhound with her sweater on her back.

And then Laz, the other greyhound with his.

And their human, Kathryn, with her vest!

And then miss Bea with her Elephants baby blanket.

And a blurry picture of me with my Romantic shawl and Barnum the cat on my lap.

And just for fun, and because I think it’s one of the best photos I’ve taken of our babies, our babies Barnum and Bailey, our 13 month old Maine Coon Cats (siblings).

Next post I’ll show the Diamond Fantasy Shawl in progress, that my knitting buddy Hannah put me on to. And last night at SSK group (Silver Spring Knitters) she and another bud, Martha, put me on to Minknits patterns and I ordered FIVE patterns – four shawls and one sock pattern. Working on being strict with myself, and not starting ANOTHER shawl until I finish at least one of the several (I’m not telling how many, it’s getting embarrassing how many – it’s almost as bad as the socks on needles).

And I’ll try and get a photo of N with her socks on. She LOVES them, wore them right away, and was super pleased how they fit around her ankles. Now to finish L.’s – which I’ve misplaced tonight . . . . . .

To end, here’s a photo of Seneca Rocks in West Virginia – a beautiful rock formation we drove by a couple weeks ago.

Yes, I’m still here – more socks, and can you guess…..

2007-04-08T21:31:00.000-04:00

I’ve had a hectic month – my son has some serious emotional problems dealing with school, and we’ve had to send him to a special boarding school. It took several weeks to set this up, and though I didn’t blog, I did knit. He has gone to the school, and two weeks in, things are looking really good! And once he was gone, I came down with bronchitis. Sleeping, drinking LOTs of liquids, knitting, reading, tv watching and Sudoko was about it for a week. And then, this last week has been Holy Week, and I sing in my church choir. . . . .(we sang at five different services over the week.)

I finished the first of the Rocking Sock Club socks, and I like it, but I didn’t particularly like knitting the cable pattern on the leg – I enjoy wearing it (I have it on as I type right now) and I think I will like the pair when they’re finished. I hope to finish the second one (which is started) before the next kit arrives from Blue Moon Fibers (somewhere around the end of April).

Meanwhile, I’ve become obsessed with knitting TOE-UP socks. I really like knitting the short-row toe, I’ve even mastered the crochet chain provisional cast-on – last two socks the crochet chain pulled out PERFECTLY! I finished the Apple Pie socks, and the yarn is soooo yummy to knit AND so yummy to wear!

So then I started toe-up socks for my two closest friends, both of whom have “odd” shaped feet and ankles. The blue-orange-red-green-turquoise stripped socks are for N. who’ve I’ve known since we were 3 or 4. I did the foot on 72 stitches, and then went to 80 stitches for the leg. She says the first one fits perfectly. She’ll get the pair tomorrow, and the weather here is being COLD!!!!!!! (It was 34° when we drove to church at 8:45 this morning!) So she’ll have a chance to wear them.

And the other sock pictured is in Fixation for my friend L. (who I’ve known since we 14 in high school!) She has a wool allergy, so that’s why Fixation. I worked 54 stitches on size 2 needles for the foot, (actually we were at a music weekend in West Virginia and she and her husband were there, so it was the perfect time to keep checking HOW the sock was fitting. Initially I’d cast on 60 but they were waaaaasay too loose, so I went down to 54 stitches.) After I did the heel, I added 16 sts – but when L. tried it on, it was much too tight around her ankle. I ended up adding another 8 stitches, bringing the leg to 80 stitches. I finished the first sock just before we headed home at the end of the weekend, and it fit perfectly. So once N’s socks are finished, I’ll cast-on for L.’s second sock.

Meanwhile, I’ve been reading blogs, and one of my favorites mentioned a wonderful silly, thing to knit for Easter. I called the shop that carried the pattern, and they sent it to me, and I took off! It only took, at most, an hour to knit one, and it was such fun, that I went nuts. I ended up knitting 30 so far! I gave them to everyone in my choir, plus the rector and choir director, and for several good friends, and my goddaughter. So here’s what “they” look like BEFORE felting.

And after felting.

And then, some after embellishing ‘em.

And I hope all figured out that they are Easter EGGS! I got the pattern from The Yarnery in Minneapolis, MN.

So now I’m finishing socks (and have already started a SECOND pair for N.), and trying to find a lace shawl pattern to work in this most glorious hand painted yarn from Claudia (http://claudiaco.com/) that I was enticed into buying at my LYS.

But I really should get back to my SIL’s birthday present . . . .

Socks, socks, and MORE SOCKS!

2007-03-08T17:30:00.000-05:00

I LOVE knitting socks. Every now and then I go on a sock bender – and I think, thanks to the Rockin’ Sock Club from Blue Moon fibers, I’m on one now. I joined the club in January, and the first sock arrived this week. I like the color, I LOVE the yarn, which I knew I would, since that was the reason I joined the club, and the pattern is interesting – toe-up, which is not my favorite way to knit socks, but, I’m game to try again.

I started almost immediately – following the pattern exactly, using the smaller sized needles the pattern called for (US 0, 2mm)(which is my usual sock needles size), and the toe was good, but the provisional cast-on with crochet chain didn’t pull out correctly, but I clipped it out when it became time to pick-up those stitches, but then as I went along on the foot, gee it looked too wide for my slim foot. The designer states that she has a wide size 10 foot. Well, I have a SLIM size 7 foot, which nowadays is a smallish woman’s foot. One of the often stated advantages of toe-up socks is being able to try it on your foot as you go. So I knit along for awhile, and tried it on. Wide, wide, wide – sloppy around my foot. So . . I ripped back to the toe, and didn’t increase as the pattern calls for, just adjusted the rib pattern to fit my stitch count. And it’s working quite well. Buuuuuut . . . .

The Rockin’ Sock Club (RSC) has a webpage, and a blog that all of us members can post on, and I’m checking it everyday. I read several of the comments, and realized that MAYBE I should have followed the idea of going DOWN to smaller needles for the foot, and kept with the pattern’s stitch count. Smaller needles. 00 or 000. I have that size needles in a Civil War era sock for my husband, (he does Civil War re-enactment music stuff), and I’m having problems finishing them between the smallness of the needles, and the LONG length of the dp in that size compared to my usual 6” sock needles. One of the RSC posts mentioned that Susan Bates has 7” sock needle sets with the smaller size needles, including a link to where one could buy them, so I have now ordered them – even an inch shorter will be better than the ones I’ve been using. So I’m putting the RSC socks on hold until they arrive.

But I decided I wanted to be more comfortable with toe-up socks, and the provisional cast-on with crochet chain. I read Wendy Johnson’s blog regularly (http://wendyknits.net/) and she doesn’t do cuff-down socks at all, just toe-up, and she has posted her basic pattern, and has it in her book, with a good description of picking up the stitches in the crochet chain.

Here’s the result – after two tries on the toe – and five on the crochet chain pick-up. I got closer on the last one, only had to cut out half the stitches this time. I’ve since experiment a bit more today, and I may have it. Maybe. I’m just doing Wendy’s basic sock in some glorious yarn from Canada called Apple Pie. (or Apple Laine) the color is Blue Bayou, much oranger in “person” then on their website, or in my own photos. The yarn is 50% wool, 20% mohair, 20% SILK and 10% nylon.

Shear heaven to knit with. I’ve not gotten too far (only started yesterday), but I’m liking what I’ve got, and how it’s feeling.

And to continue the socks theme – I finally finished the pair in trekking that got lost for two months. They told me last night, that I’ll probably still prefer cuff-down socks.

In her book Wendy explains that one reason she doesn’t like cuff-down is because of having to Kitchener the toes – I understand that many don’t like doing Kitchener – but, having finally mastered it (it took several years) – I LOVE it, and LOVE the look and feel of the finished socks. We’ll see what my feet say about the Apple Pie socks. I figured they were a perfect candidate for toe-up as I’m not sure I have enough in two skeins to make my cuffs as long as I usually do (8” before the heel), so with toe-up I can just knit until they’re either the length I want, or I think I’m running out of yarn, and need to finish ‘em.

Finally, for grins, here’s the back of my car. I figure folks might enjoy all my bumper stickers – RSC sent me one in the first project – NSK – Notorious Sock Knitters! MSWF is Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Elephants Finished – AND with LEFTOVERS!

2007-03-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

I finally got the missing yarn from Virtual Yarns – I ended up PAYING for two skeins, one of Golden Plover, and one of Limpet. They “waved” the shipping charges. I also received with the two skeins, three mini skeins of the other three colors I was short! That was nice, but late, as I’d fudge on two of those. I was actually glad to have the third color, because, as I was working the border, I was a bit concerned about that color – I ended up NOT needing it, but . . . . .

There’s no question in my mind that Virtual Yarns didn’t send me the right amounts of the different yarns. I ran out of FOUR of the colors, and have an incredible amount of TWO leftover. (see photo below of my leftovers from the original kit!) I’ve got 45 grams (we think) left of Mara, and 30 grms of the Calluna, and, IMO, just the right amount of Sundew left. That’s WAAAAAY too much on the Mara, which to me says they definitely shorted me on the colors I ran out of. I do wish I didn’t LOVE the yarn, the colors, and the patterns so much! I really do want to make at least one more of her baby blankets – this time for ME! I was reluctant to give the Elephants baby blanket away – but I think Bea loves it, but being just four, a blanket was not a super exciting gift, though her two year old brother was impressed with it. Even more so, her parents LOVE it.

Here’s a photo of the blanket on its own.

And then the minute we finished taking the photos, it was given feline approval – by master Barnum.

And then here's the blanket with the leftovers from the original kit. You can see that there's quite a bit of Mara (blue) left -- much more than really should be.

Meanwhile, I’ve run out of yarn for the vest that matches the dog sweater. So I’m finishing a pair of socks tonight, trying NOT to work on the wonderful shawl I’ve started out of glorious Seasilk yarn from the Victorian Lace Knitting Today (half square in trinity stitch).

I’ll post photos of the socks and shawl for my next post.

Finished Jacket!

2007-02-21T22:59:00.000-05:00

I’ve been busy. I realized HOW busy when I checked another blog, and realized I hadn’t read it for three days! I finished the Bressay jacket (see photo below) last Tuesday, and have been wearing it nearly every day since then – and though we had a hellacious amount of ice (not snow, I’d much rather the snow) last Tuesday, and have been nearly iced in since then (most of the local school systems closed early on Tuesday, and didn’t reopen until this Tuesday [Monday being a legal holiday]). Driving’s been fine since late Wednesday, but walking. . . that’s another story. Even going out to our cars (which are right in front of our house, maybe, at most 20 steps from front door to car door) has been treterous – I’ve hung onto the cars to get to them!

But now it’s Ash Wednesday, and it got to over 50 today! We almost have a clear driveway!
And then here’s my next project: What is it?

A dog sweater for a greyhound! (That's Barnum the Maine Coon supervising.) The yarn I bought for it wasn’t making the desired gauge, and “feel,” so I fussed around, and have found that doubling it works beautifully! But it took four or five starts before everything fell in place, AND then . . . . I realized that I had misread the sizing for the sweaters, and was making it TOO small for a large greyhound. I spent a lot of time in the frog pond this week. But I’ve reached the fun part on the first sweater (I’m making TWO dog sweaters, and a matching vest for a choir friend who’s turning 50 in March), and expect to finish it by the weekend at the latest. I’ll start on the human sweater after that, then do the second dog sweater – and I believe the second greyhound is much smaller than the first, so she’ll get a smaller sweater. Here's the sweater drapped on my golden retriever, Kaitlin (she's fat and 12)

I missed both Tuesday knit groups, for two reasons, one I was scheduled to go the theatre to see King Lear (The Classic Theatre of Harlem production at the Folger Shakespeare Library – with the Fool played by someone I’ve known since he was 12! (he’s in shouting distance of 40 now)– He was BRILLIANT! And the production was very interesting!), two – even though we switched our tickets from Tuesday to Friday, I wasn’t going out in the ice. Apparently three brave souls did make it – and, I’m sure had a lovely evening. I didn’t make it this week as it was Mardi Grais itself! (Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Lenten Eve) and I love going to the Pancake Supper for Shrove Tuesday at my church –

Meanwhile, I finally got the missing yarn for the Elephants Baby Blanket! I paid for the skeins – they sent it with free shipping, AND three mini skeins of the other colors I was original needing – that I’d fudged. So I’ve been distracted from the dog sweater, and have picked up all the stitches around the blanket, and am busy working the border on it. More details on all, but probably not until after the weekend, as I'm off to New York state for a music weekend (lots of knitting time, no blogging time!).

I Think I Have Short Arms . . . .

2007-02-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

I go from schizophrenic knitter to obsessed knitter. I finished the body of the Bressay Jacket Thursday night. Collar, button bands, and buttonhole bands, sides sown together, and started on the sleeves. The pattern called for picking up the stitches, and knitting back and forth – flat – that seemed silly to me, so I sewed up the sides, and picked up around the armhole, and knit down. Works beautifully, and is going fast. Just finished all the decreases – tried it on again – and it’s WAAAAAY too long – and I still have a cuff to go.

Sigh, so frog city. Back to the last of the every six row decreases, and just continue with every six row, and that should give me a short enough sleeve. One hopes. If that doesn’t work, I may have to rip way back and do an every fifth row decrease. I do hope this works. I’m suppose to go to the theatre on Tuesday, and I’d love to wear the sweater (suppose to, as DC is forecast the most snow we’ve had in a couple of years Monday and Tuesday – well, as long as the Metro runs we should make the theatre!)

Here’s a photo of how it stands before I start back on the sleeve. I really LOVE this sweater, it’s turning out wonderfully!

And the front, with our smallest cat Snowball in my arms

I went back to the new yarn store near me, A Tangled Skein (now on the web atangledskein.com) and got some lovely purple yarn to make a vest for a choir friend who is turning 50 in March – and has jokingly said she’d love a vest for her, with matching for her greyhound. I found a pattern in the book, Men Who Knit, and the Dogs They Love, that is perfect, and her favorite color is purple, so I got this nice purple from Araucaria Nature Wool 100% from Chili. The only problem with all this – one of her birthday presents is a SECOND greyhound! So, I need to make TWO greyhound sweaters! And besides going to A Tangled Skein, I had lunch at the restaurant across the street from it – Franklin’s. Good food – and for those into beer, it’s a brew bar! And a fun general store. A nice knitting outing for the day!

I’ve been bad knitting wise, got some new to me sock yarn this week – Apple Pie from Canada in a color called Blue Bayou, which I thought was bluer than it is in fact. BUT it goes gloriously with the Bressay Jacket, so . . . . it’s wool/mohair/silk and nylon.

I notice that the colors look bluer in photos then in the "yarn." Bit closer to true colors in the close-up.

Meanwhile my FI project is on hold as I try to find a 40” 0 circular needle. A Tangled Skein didn’t have one – more needles coming next week (and sock yarn, and other delicious sounding things). But one of my friends who went with me may have one, -- hopefully. If not, I’ll work the phones Monday and Tuesday. (Most of the LYS around here are closed on Mondays) And if that fails, get one on the internet. And I’m looking for buttons for the Bressay Jacket -- A Tangled Skein doesn’t have buttons. And I know from working in a yarn store, it’s hard to have a large enough selection of buttons for a broad range.

Back to the Bressay Jacket – I had hoped to have one sleeve done tonight, and I’m still hopin’.

It’s Cold Out, and some Snow’s on its way . . .

2007-02-06T17:42:00.000-05:00

So a great time to be knitting. I’m being VERY schizophrenic in my knitting. Yesterday I knit two repeats on my Orenburg Scarf,

and about six rounds on the FI project, and the button band on the left front of the Bressay Jacket. The pattern for the Bressay jacket has you put 11 stitches on a holder while you knit most of the front (after the ribbing) and then sew it to the rest of the front. I decided to try knitting it on as I went, and I’m very pleased with the way it turned out! I’ll do it on the right side too!

Today I’ve been focused on the right front of the Bressay jacket. My hands seem to want a break from doing the FI. I also actually did some errands, and have been doing some non-knitting work the past few days.

And I got the most wonderful set of stitch and row markers from Beadmarkers on Esty – I think I’m gonna LOVE ‘em. Thanks to Wendy of Wendyknits who wrote about hers, and sent me on the way to them.

I had a great Super Bowl, good food, good company – and LOTS of knitting! Got together with three knitting buddies, and had a lovely LONG knit – that’s where most of the FI got done.

And cold nights mean ALL four cats trying to be on the bed with us at night! The hierarchy is still be worked out between them. We’ve an old lady of nearly 14, who owns the bed (she just lets hubby and I sleep there at night) a nearly six year old who wants to be top cat, but is the smallest, and there fore . . . and then there are the babies, who aren’t yet eleven months old, but because of their sizes – especially Barnum’s, since he weighs in around 18 pounds already, feel they can go anywhere. The old lady is winning on the bed, as she can throw her considerable weight around, and does seem to command respect from the babies. Keeps life interesting.

Back to knitting.

Happy Candlemass Day!

2007-02-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

Candlemass Day is one of those obscure Christian holidays, I’m not sure off the top of my head exactly WHAT it’s about, something about making sure you have enough candles, and they all get blessed, and perhaps collected for the church – I should look it up again. I only found out a couple of years ago that it was February 2 – I’ve read many a British book that talked about going back to school for the Candlemass Term, and I couldn’t get a time frame – and I finally got it!

Meanwhile, to knitting. I’m slogging along on the facing for my SIL’s present – will be glad when I get to the interesting knitting.

So, at the moment at home I’m knitting on two lace projects, one the frogged Adamas Shawl, which is almost back to where it was when I ended up frogging.

And the other is the start of the Orenburg Scarf from Interweave Knits – I really like the way it looks—

I’m off to lots of singing this weekend – a song swap at friends tonight, and then tomorrow my husband and I both are performing at the Folklore Society of Greater Washington’s Annual Mini Festival – a day of folk music, dance, song and stories. Husband is performing with both his ‘electric folk band” and his Civil War reenactment group. I’m leading a workshop on Songs of the Times – songs that evoke a time period, or are very much of a specific time period (I’m doing one that’s WWI poem set to music, and one that tells of the French & Indian war up in Lake Champlain). Hopefully between the two evens I’ll be able to get the 18 rows of 351 stitches done and Sunday start on the FI part of the project.

Keep warm! We’re going nearly artic for the next week here in the DC area – only so far, NO SNOW! (After tomorrow, I want a FEDERAL GOVERNMENT closing snow storm!)
And to end – here’s a photo of my Maine Coons, Barnum and Bailey together. Bailey looks bigger in this photo, but she’s actually almost five pounds lighter then her brother.

Recovering Adamas

2007-02-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

I haven't bothered to get the camera out tonight, but I have almost knit back to where I had to frog on the Adamas shawl. I'll try to post photos of it and the Orenburg scarf.

And my FI February project is progressing slowly . . .

meanwhile, I thought I'd post a photo of one my babies -- my nearly 11 month old Maine Coon Kittens -- seriously, their not yet 11 months old! Anyway this is of Bailey, the female, on Seascape, one of the FI designs of Ron Schweitzer's for Yarns International's Shetland 2000 yarn.

More photos soon -- and I'll post one of both "kittens>'

Don’t drop stitches in lace . . .

2007-01-31T21:30:00.000-05:00

You might end up starting all over again. Second time I’ve done it in three months –DROPPED several stitches, and lost the whole pattern, frogging away to start over again. The first time this happened, back in November, I thought, no it’s the pattern, it’s a fairly complicated lace pattern..

But this time .. it’s a very easy lace pattern, Adamas Shawl from KnitPicks, with their yarn, Shimmer, which is really nice. And the stitches were dropped because I picked up the project wrong . . . .
Sigh.

Maybe if I hadn’t abandoned it late last night to start the Orenburg scarf which is a subscriber’s gift from Interweave when I renewed my subscription yesterday. So when I looked at the pattern, I knew I had to dig in my stash for yarn to make it. I found some lovely lavenders and blues Kid Merino from Crystal Palace, and got rolling last night. I’ll post photos tomorrow – I did the whole first border last night before I went to sleep, and then today I’ve turned two corners, and done two full 16 row pattern repeats , and it’s really lovely, and I’m enjoying knitting it.

But back to frogging Adamas . . . and starting over.

Hat

2007-01-29T21:47:00.000-05:00

I did indeed, finish the Fair Isle hat over the weekend. I think I’m pleased. I’m not totally sure, but it was nice and warm walking to the local sushi restaurant to have lunch with a friend. I’m not sure it got over 32º today, and there’s been quite a biting wind.

I love the Waterlilly yarn from Classic Elite. The colors are not completely solid, just ebbing and flowing in intensity.

That's me modeling the hat!
I found a basic chart in Alice Starmore’s Charts book, and I was going to use a variegated yarn for the swirls, but it didn’t work, so I just went with three colors for the hat, and I think it works.

The yarn was lovely to work with. I really enjoyed knitting with it. Now back to the Bressay Jacket – yet Russian River is calling me, and my SIL’s birthday present. (As I said before, photos once it’s gone to Iowa). Oh, and there’s this lace shawl . . . .

Schizophrenic Knitter, that’s me.

But here’s a wonderful photo of my most recent finished Fair Isle sweater, Pyramids designed by Ron Schweitzer for Yarns International’s Shetland 2000 yarns. (The model’s my husband Bob, it was knit for him!)

New yarn store . . . therefore MORE Yarn

2007-01-26T11:12:00.000-05:00

There’s a new yarn store here in the DC suburbs, and it shows great promise! They just opened this week. The store is spacious, well-laid out, inviting, and good starting selections of yarns. AND nice people! (A Tangled Skein, in Hyattsville, MD)(Their website is not up yet, I’ll post a link as soon as it is.) My friend Sally (of www.theraineysisters.com) and I had a wonderful time checking them out, and then I introduced her to Burmese food at one of my favorite local restaurants.

I bought some new yarn – just out this fall, Classic Elite’s Waterlilly, to make myself a warm hat that doesn’t itch. I fought starting it, but the yarn won, and I cast on yesterday afternoon. Waterlilly is lovely to knit, and I love the soft variations in the color, a bit like the Lorna’s Laces solids. I might add the weather report for DC also influenced the starting, since it was suppose to get below 10º last night, and artic air is going to influence our weather for the next week to ten days. I’m designing the hat as I go, so I probably won’t post pictures until it’s done. As it’s a hat, it should be done by the end of the weekend – if I get enough knitting time.

I also got some new sock yarn, Tofutsies, its fiber content is: 50% Superwash wool, 25% soysilk (hence the Tofu in the name, I expect), 22.5% cotton AND 2.5% Chitin—Chitin – what is Chitin you ask –it’s fiber from shrimp and crab shells – naturally antibacterial! I think it’ll be the next pair of socks I start, just to see how it knits. One of the nice ladies at A Tangled Skein was knitting a sock from it, and I liked how it was going, and I think either my husband or I will like the socks. I got a colorway that will work for either Bob (husband) or me. And the Favorite Socks from Interweave Press. It’s nice to have all the sock patterns in a book, and not have to go through how ever many years of mags to find one you vaguely remember. (I was a “charter” subscriber with Interweave Knits, which is still my favorite knitting magazine, so I have all the issues).

And I finished the left front of the Bressay Jacket. (gee, I got a fair amount of knitting done yesterday . . . .)

Back to the hat--almost to fun part

Re Focusing . . . . .

2007-01-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

When I reach the finishing stretch of a knitting project, I tend to get very tunnel visioned, my usual schizophrenic knitting patterns change, and I focus on the project to be finished. It is very frustrating to be stopped dead in my tracks, and have to wait for yarn – and for a response from the yarn source.

So, I have frogged two socks (different pairs) that wouldn’t fit over my feet (one’s the Jaywalker sock – it’s a wonderful pattern, but even six stitches more than my basic stitch count for me, it wouldn’t fit over my heel, I’m debating between

1. going up a needle size, staying with 72 sts.
2. going to the larger size – 80/84 stitches (don’t have pattern in front of me so don’t know the number)
3. Or going up the needle size AND stitch count.)

Has anyone else had problems with this pattern fitting? I’m not the only one, I’ve a friend who’s doing the same thing I am, we’ve been wondering if others have had the same problem.

I’m going to finish the Trekking socks that were lost for two months before I go back to the jaywalkers or the other ones I frogged.

The other pair is a wonderful beaded design from Heartstrings. I’ve made one, and it’s awful tight. I’d started the second one, but I’m rethinking it, and ripped out the one inch I’d already knitted. When I get back to them (they’re out of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Baltic Sea, one of my favorite colorways), I’m just going to go up a needle size, I was doing ‘em on 2.25 mm and I think if I knit them on 2.5 mm (both listed as US 1s) that’ll do the trick. If it does, I’ll frog the first one and reknit it.

And then (this is what happens when I’m set adrift from my planned knitting . . . .)
I knit a gauge swatch for my FI February project – first needle size wasn’t quite on gauge, and since I want to make the project SMALLER than the smallest size, and would like a TIGHTER gauge for it, I went down even more, and got a very nice gauge of 8.5 sts to the inch instead of 8 sts to the inch the pattern called for. I think it’s going to work well for the finished sweater. AND then I cast on for said sweater – all 351 stitches. (Haven’t got much further than that, because the first 18 rows of the sweater are a hem, so just St st -- I’ll work on it a choir tomorrow night).

And if that wasn’t enough – I cast on for the Adamas Lace Shawl from Knitpicks in their shimmer yarn. I’m to the main body of that already, and will probably work one or two full repeats before I rein myself in, and refocus back to the trekking socks, or the Bressay Jacket, or even to Russian River Fair Isle. And all because I ran out of yarn to finish the Elephants Baby Blanket.

Sigh.

Good news: I think my email has finally gotten through to Virtual Yarns – when they were bouncing yesterday they did so within half an hour of sending, and nothing’s bounced back today! And since I sent it “after” business hours in the UK, I’m not expecting a response until tomorrow.

Yet MORE RANTING!!

2007-01-23T15:59:00.000-05:00

ALL my emails to Virtual Yarns are bouncing back! I’m am SOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated!

So, I’m knitting on the socks, and my Fair Isle February project.

1:07 A.M. New rant

2007-01-23T01:07:00.001-05:00

I’m feeling VERY frustrated. I’m on round 12 of the LAST 15 rounds of the Elephants baby blanket body – AND I’VE RUN OUT OF YARN!

This is an Alice Starmore pattern AND KIT bought from Virtual Yarns over the internet. I received a set amount of yarn. I’ve run out of two colors COMPLETELY – one I need to finish the body, and the other is used in four rounds of the border, which STARTS with 904 stitches and INCREASES over the course of the 10 rounds of border.

So out of SEVEN colors of yarn – I’m completely out of two, and sure I don’t have enough of two others to do the border.

I have emailed Virtual Yarns, just before I started this rant. Hopefully I will hear back from them tomorrow, and yarn will be on it’s way to me by the end of the week.

I made another of her blankets two years ago, and ran out of TWO of the colors for that one. I had problems getting a response from Virtual Yarns, but it was over Christmas time, and it turned out they close for two or three weeks around then, and the Hebrides had horrible gales etc, and internet connection was out for a bit . . . So once they responded, I think I had the additional skeins in about two weeks.

I will add that the colors are wonderful, the yarn is wonderful to knit with, I LOVE working her patterns! (I think I’ve knit almost ALL the designs in her Pacific Coast Highway Book, and I think I own ALL of her books – even some very off ones from the late 70s or early 80s -- Knitting from the British Isles and Scandinavian Knitting or some such)

So elephants is on hiatus until more yarn arrives. Bea will have to wait for her birthday present [her birthday was Sunday, it was going to be late anyway – but now I guess, IF the yarns comes quickly, she’ll get it for Valentine’s Day)

I am VERY frustrated. But, now I’ll go finished the found sock! (Tomorrow, after I sleep some.) And if my bestest friend in the whole wide world happens to see this (she doesn’t do computers much) HAPPY Birthday – You’ve caught up with me again!

That Which was Lost is FOUND!!

2007-01-22T21:24:00.000-05:00

About two months ago, around Thanksgiving, I was working on a sock for someone, out of a most wonderful color of Trekking Sock yarn, it was my carry in my purse project (I can’t/don’t leave home without a knitting project – the basic is socks). I had it in my KnowKnits bag that I just love – anyway – somehow it got out, got mislaid, and I couldn’t find it – I will confess to being more upset about the bag, because I find it just perfect for socks carried everywhere – and they’re hard to get.

I searched EVERYWHERE – I called the bookstore and the two restaurants that my knitting groups meet in, I crawled under pews at church (I knit during the lessons & sermons, and when the other sections of the choir are rehearsing—I listen BETTER), scoured the Choir Vesting Room, check various offices and meeting rooms I’ve been in at Church, and I’m quite active, so I’m there two-four times a week on average. Searched ALL over the house. No dice. Couldn’t find the bag. I didn’t want to start another sock in another skein I have – I didn’t want to give up MY skein of the same yarn – so very frustrated.

Well, here in the DC area we finally had snow – not a lot, and unfortunately it was followed by freezing rain, which means we’ve been dealing with black ice. So instead of driving anywhere, I walked over to Whole Foods (lunch), Borders (books) and Starbucks, and back home. I was reminded that the two main hats I have knit for winter, I find a bit itchy – so I thought, well I’ve got to knit one out of a yarn that doesn’t get itchy on my head (head being much more sensitive then other parts).

I’ve come up with an idea, a yarn (either WW Debbie Bliss Cashmerino or DK weight), and style – Fair Isle band, and found a design that will work, and I went to sharpen a pencil in my knitting room to sketch things out,) and lo, and behold! there, between the wall and the little chest the pencil sharpener lives on, there was the bag!

Since I found it, I’ve been carrying it around like Linus with his blanket – I am so please to have found it, and so, here’s a photo, with the sock – which is two-thirds finished, and I plan to finish sock one by the end of this week – and start No. two immediately!

The hot pink bag on the left is my KnowKnits bag.

Updates . . .

2007-01-21T23:56:00.000-05:00

First, the finished Afghan . .

Then the Elephant blanket which is moving along nicely. I’m on the 10th elephant row, out of 11!!!

And a close-up

Then . . .the border – I just looked it up – it’ll be 904 stitches! Probably take as long as the rest of the blanket did to knit the border.

Meanwhile, the LYS I used to work at had an anniversary party this weekend (they’re now a web-based business). They’ve imported their own yarn from the Shetlands for seven or eight years now, Shetland 2000©. They debuted three new designs, two Fair Isle and one cable. Very nice! They had a party at a room at a local church, (see photos below) and it was great fun. It was nice to see a number of the former customers, and my co-workers. I really miss working there – I had excellent bosses for one thing. I did buy some of the Shetland 2000© to knit something (I’m not saying WHAT, as it’s a birthday present for someone who does read this blog!—I’m sure she knows who she is.) Those in my Tuesday knit groups will see it come February – have to finish the Elephants first, because that blanket is suppose to be a birthday present – today … and I’m still about a week from finishing IF it’s the ONLY thing I knit on this week.

If you haven’t gathered, I’m sort of a schizophrenic knitter – I get focused on one project for two or three days, then I’ll flit over to something else, and then yet another - - - - etc. etc.

And to cheer things up this week there’s a new LYS opening! Not too far away – I plan to check it out very soon!

One more full repeat of Elephants to go – I’m off to study some reversible patterns to make another scarf for Food & Friends. (And soon to bed)

Scarves . . . . .

2007-01-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

For Food & Friends (http://www.foodandfriends.org/site/pp.asp?c=ggLMIYOGKrF&b=1851033) here in the DC metro area has a drive to collect enough hand-made (knit or crochet) scarves for all their clients. They are trying to collect 1,000 by February 6th.

Last Tuesday night, at the Silver Spring Knitters (SSK), over half of the 16 people there were knitting scarves to give to Food & Friends. I wasn’t one of them, but felt guilty, because this is the fourth year that F&F has had this drive, and I hadn’t made one.

I came home from SSK, and dug around in my stash, and found a skein leftover from a vest I made in the Fall out of Wool in the Woods (I think), figured out a pattern (the Knit Stitch a day perpetual calendar – January 12 – waterfall lace (I think), fussed with needle sizes – and off I went.

I have just now finished it – and it’s really nice, if I do say so myself – and it’s just about 48 hours from cast-on (for the final time) to cast-off. It was knit on size 9 needles, and only 31 stitches wide – it really did fly. And I like the stitch pattern so much, I’ve dug up another yarn, and am going to cast on for another scarf – but I really should finish the body of the Elephant’s baby blanket.

I am really pleased with the way it looks on the RIGHT SIDE and on the WRONG side -- nice contrast.

Anyway, if you live in the DC area, you might want to crank out a scarf or two for F&F by February 6. I’ll do a second one for sure. And I think the pattern may make it’s way into a pair of socks for ME!

And the other fun thing – I dug around for some larger (for me needles) to knit the scarves on, and for some reason rediscovered the stash I have of OLD, OLD, knitting needles. By OLD, OLD – I mean, 1930s or so --- and marked with a K on the end, and 5 imprinted on the needles themselves – in my needle gauge they measure out to US 9 or 5 mm. One of my many knitting “pin” gauges is from Inox, and it has BWG, US and metric sizes. Under BWG it lists US 9 as being also BWG 5. I’m having fun knitting with them.

And here's the promised photo of the finished afghan!

Colds –

2007-01-14T22:30:00.000-05:00

I haven’t blogged this week because I’ve got a cold. I’m knitting, but my brain is fuzzy a lot, so I’m just letting folks know.

I finished the afghan, and have given it to my friends – now if DC would only have real winter weather – they could use it! They love it. More on it, and photos soon – when my brain un-fuzzes.

The Elephants baby blanket is progressing nicely – two more repeats and the body of the blanket will be finished – then it’s just the thousand (and I think it is a thousand) stitches around for the edging. Again photos soon.

I also rediscovered (I really am shopping my stash this year [so far]) the Bressay Jacket from one of the Jamison Shetland Book – I finished the back and will be starting the front soon – and my new set of needles (I’ve had them since October), the interchangeable needles from Knitpicks – are PERFECT for this project, as you use three size needles, and it really is easier to change the points then have to keep three sets of needles floating with the projects. (you know about photos soon.) And I love the sharp points these needles have -- and they are so much less expensive than Addis!

Tell my head clears . . . .

Twelfth Night! The end of Christmas Season

2007-01-05T16:05:00.000-05:00

I always like twelfth night. For those who don’t follow any church type calendar (and I don’t mean Christmas and Easter calendar, I mean the minor ones). The first day of Christmas is Christmas Day, December 25. And twelve days later is today, January 5. Tomorrow is the Feast of the Epiphany, which is when the wise men came. (And part of liking Twelfth Night may be that my favorite Shakespeare play is Twelfth Night!)

For me, twelfth night has often meant a really nice dinner party with good friends. The friend who usually did this moved to Maine a few years ago, and none of us left here in the DC area have picked up the habit – but maybe someday. The other thing it means is time to take all the Christmas decorations down (UGH!). Stockings came down yesterday, tree tomorrow and Sunday – along with the electric candles in all the windows, and the wreath on the front door.

Meanwhile, on the knitting front I’m over half-way on the elephants baby blanket, and ditto the afghan. I think the afghan could be finished this weekend – that’s my hope, if my hands hold up to the size 11 needles.

I watched my friend Amy (http://hookandi.blogspot.com/) knitting on 19s (I think it was) the other night, and it just look so LARGE---

I really can’t knit for very long on anything larger than 13s, and I really don’t want to even knit on 13s – the 11s are being hard enough for the afghan. The up side – it does go faster . . .

So I’m switching between elephants and afghan – though I could happily just knit on the elephants, finish ‘em so I can go back to MY cardigan! And alternate between that and my simple vest from 20 year old yarn. (and always socks).

Lessons Learned by Frogging . . . .

2007-01-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

The first lesson is amazement at HOW much my knitting has improved in twenty years – in many ways.
1. My gauge is more accurate, fits what the yarn wants to do. I know that suggested needle size is just that, SUGGESTED. I’m a loose knitter (not as loose as I was, perhaps five years ago, but still loose.) An example of how suggested is just that, my former boss at the LYS starts checking gauge by going UP two needle sizes from that suggested in the pattern, another friend might start with what the pattern says to use, and I go DOWN two needle sizes – and we will all end up with exactly the gauge called for in the pattern!
2. Finishing. It was very sloppy twenty years ago. If, I had found this as a completely finished sweater, I would not have found a new home for it, I would have trashed it or sent it to Good Will.
3. I never bind off at shoulders anymore – I’ll short-row if it’s stepped bind-off, and then do a three-needle bind off putting the front(s) and back together.
4. And, the sweater would not sit as close to finished, languishing for so long – it would have been frogged within five years of becoming a UFO. – the reason it did languish all these years is we moved sixteen and a half years ago, and it was in a box of yarn that didn’t see the light of day until we started digging out our attic (I said there were boxes that went into the attic when we moved in, and hadn’t been looked at since then.)

The LYS I worked at existed in a physical space for 12 and a half years. I discovered them within the first two or three months of their opening. I was a customer only for the first four years and then went to work there for eight years. I took many classes, taught several sock classes, and learned an amazing amount, just hanging out there and from the many other knitters (mostly fellow staff members) that were at the store. Frogging this sweater has shown me HOW much I learned!

And it’s taking longer to frog than I thought it would – I’ve only finished the sleeves right now. Still have to separate the back and fronts, and then frog them. Below is a photo of the sweater being frogged.

I started the sweater at Knit Group tonight. I’ll show photos of the first few inches of the new vest, once there are a few inches. It’s looking good, I think I’m going to be happy with it.

And to finish, here’s a photo of the revived afghan.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

Among the knitting books I got for Christmas (dear hubby kinda let me a little loose on Amazon) was a bargain at Amazon , The Northampton Wools Knitting Book, the Shop Patterns by Linda A. Daniels. It was only $4.98! It started a small spree, and I now have finally added the Vogue Knitting Stitch Directories (all three – one was Christmas present), the above mention book, and Brandon whatsits book – all for MUCH less then I’d find them in a LYS.

Anyway, in the Northampton book is a very basic vest that is speaking to me – especially as a nice mindless project to cart around.

SO . . . .I SHOPPED MY STASH! AND FOUND . . . . .
a lovely old, old, Rowan in a nice muted rosy pink – but . . . when I went upstairs to find another ball with a label and gauge on it . . . . . too thin.

BUT, I found an unfinished sweater in a tweed with flecks of orange, aqua against a soft median brown – a great, really nice color. Scratchier than I really would have liked (one of the Debbie Bliss cash merino’s was a possibility – pattern calls for Classic Elite Four Seasons). Part of the unfinished sweater was still in a ball, so I have just done a gauge, and it’s PERFECT! So, for the new year, a short start of a mindless vest, and then back to the Afghan. I’ll take photos and post all tomorrow. We are still invaded by my goddaughter’s friends (three have been staying here since Thursday, and usually there’s been one or two additional local friends over too), so I’ve abandoned my knitting room (they’re in the living room, and even being quiet, well a group of five 20somethings enjoying each others company . . . .) and am hiding out in the bedroom, working on frogging the aforementioned unfinished cardigan (horrible gauge on it – way too loose for the yarn!) But it’s only, maybe 19-20 years sitting there unfinished – I THINK I was making it for my husband(before I realized he doesn’t LIKE cardigans [whereas my father ONLY wore cardigans), and I know the yarn came from the first yarn store I worked in, which closed in 1987.

And 20 years ago I hadn’t knit any socks, and not done “true” fair isle, or any AS knitting, so my gauge wasn’t as tight as it is now. I don’t think I really knew then that I needed to automatically go down two needle sizes to even check my gauge, let alone doing it. That may have been in the days when I didn’t think “I (important, full of self, I) was an experienced knitter, I didn’t need to do a gauge swatch like a beginner.”

Life lesson since then – that’s actually a sign of an experienced knitter, IMO, that, yes, if it’s a yarn you’ve not knit with, or a pattern that you REALLY need to be on gauge, you do need to do a gauge swatch

So, even if I felt I should “finish” the original cardigan – to do so would require frogging the whole thing, and re-knitting it anyway, and a safer, happier result will be to make the vest.

So, Happy New Year all. Back to frogging!

Second Day of Christmas –well, now the Sixth Day!

2006-12-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas day always has been a day of little knitting – even in the years when I needed to finish an item as a present!

This year was no different, though the day did not feel as hectic as other years have. A lovely, quiet family Christmas morning, and after breakfast a nice restful time looking over and enjoy some of my Christmas present. Then a mad scramble to pick-up enough for the 20-24 that were at our house for Christmas dinner. A bit more picking-up then past years, as one dear friend is now in a wheel chair, and we wanted her to be able to get around everywhere on the first floor (once all the gents safely got her up the front steps!).

It was a lovely dinner, good food (all contribute, in all ways – we don’t do turkey [my dad and I were very tired of it when I was kid, and my mother gave in and started a tradition of having roast beef, etc instead – which my husband was delighted to go along with]. So we did the roast and mashed potatoes, others brought vegetables, wine, deserts and nibbles, and one brings a large roast chicken, as his wife and son don’t “do” red meat. The fun of it now, since this crew has been getting together for Christmas for sixteen to twenty years now, one friend makes the gravy, another carves the meat (much to my husband’s delight, he’s not big on carving), and all help get it out. We eat on our knees, as we don’t all fit at table, and most of the kids are now bigger physically then their parents (13-24 years old now, with the exception of Nathaniel and his sister, who are everyone’s babies now).

Beatrice got a cute little stuffed elephant for Christmas, she’ll get the blanket for her birthday (January 21), which is now top of the knitting queue – I’m just about half-way on it right now.

OOOps And now the sixth day – Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday got caught up in various things – and then --- I GOT SICK! Stomach, and spent most of Thursday night and all of Friday between my bed and bath – you get the picture.

I did do some knitting – I was looking for something, and found the unfinished afghan kit (Cheryl Schaefer) that I’d given to my son’s one godfather and his wife for Christmas LAST year – and felt guilty that it still wasn’t finished – so I’ve been working on that recently – it actually was just the right thing yesterday as I started to feel better. It goes fast, but boy do I find size 11 needles TOO BIG! My hands hurt after awhile. I’m alternating between the afghan and the elephant baby blanket. (which is on size 3s)

More with the New Year. Right now I’m concentrating on getting better. (and dealing with my goddaughter’s house guests – we have four, giggling, 20 somethings in and out from Thursday until Tuesday.) Her mother is laughing her head off at me for “being so dumb as to say yes they could stay here.” Actually, they are all very nice young ladies – it’s just FIVE of them, ‘en mass – ye Gods! Luckily they sleep late, go out a fair amount so it’s not a huge problem . . . . I will also post current photos of the elephants and of the afghan – the colors are wonderful on the afghan – that’s what is so neat about Cheryl Schaefer yarns – the incredible colorways she comes up with – the colorway is Elena Piscopia.

Have a wonderful rest of 2006 – I’ll be back on blog soon in ’07. (with photos)

Christmases Past and Christmas Present

2006-12-24T00:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Christmas Eve!

I didn’t blog recently because it got busy with Christmas coming, and feeding my spirit in different ways. I’ve joined a Spirituality study group at my church, and we’re meeting Thursday mornings, so that was first thing – finished the cuff on a sock, and started the pattern – I’m making Jaywalker socks right now for myself – it’s fun to see what it’s doing with a green with some strips in it.

And then there was a doctor’s appointment, and then to try and organize like crazy heading towards Christmas. We only need to get a couple of small gifts for our son, and we will done with what HAS to be done by Christmas day. And after dinner was the last Choir rehearsal for 2006 (and Christmas Eve), and then I felt it was time to get lights on the Christmas tree, so we spent two hours after rehearsal doing that .

As we got the rest of the decorations out, (though not on the tree until tomorrow – husband and I both ran out of steam) there came the Christmas stockings – so I did put them all up on the mantel. Because my goddaughter is living here, she and her mother will be with us for Christmas morning, and their stockings are here too – it impresses ME to see six of my hand knit stockings hanging on the fireplace! And they represent the time frame, as Vanessa’s (my goddaughter) was one of the first ones I ever designed and made. I counted how many I can remember that I’ve knit since hers (dated 1989), and Nathaniel’s was at least number twenty-four, if not twenty-five! 25 in 17 years! In the photo of ALL the stockings, the little ones on the end are the dog’s (which I knit from the Christmas Stockings book) and two little ones for the kittens – which are store bought. Somewhere there are two other small, obvious cat stockings for the other two.

The shoemaker’s children go barefoot is the old saying, and it’s true of hand knit stockings for my immediate family. As I said in an earlier post, my stocking still is not completely finished – the cat on it is suppose to have knitting needles with a stocking in her paws . And the dog only got her own hand knit stocking THIS year, even though I started it last year – before Christmas.

And Friday disappeared in resting and knitting, and doing some Christmas shopping – for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner – but we don’t NEED to go to any stores until AFTER Christmas!

Tonight, I made a Santa head for a Christmas stocking (very basic, plain) that I knit for my goddaughter’s godson (got that?), and the stocking has been waiting since LAST year for Santa – but I finished it tonight. Added it to the mantel array – and voila! Quite impressive display if I do say so myself!

And following are photos of my family’s stockings:

Bob’s (my husband) who has told me there are only 33 instruments total in the house!

Andrew’s (he was VERY into trains when he was 2 to 6)

And mine. I love cats.

Merry Christmas to you all, tomorrow (which is really today after I’ve slept) is busy with two church services to sing at, cookies to bake, dinner to fix, and guest bed to dig out for my best friend, so she can be with her daughter first thing Christmas day –chances are they’ll do there own Christmas REAL early Christmas morning, and we’ll join them for breakfast and OUR Christmas, before they go off to visit family for a good part of the day – back to us for desert, if not dinner it’s self.

Boxing Day will bring my progress on various things – the Swallowtail shawl I’m now focused on, as the Purlioned Letter blogger did such a gorgeous job on her’s – she inspired me to get going again on mine, and the Elephants Baby Blanket, and the socks.

A Finished Christmas Stocking, and the two old ladies . . . .

2006-12-20T23:27:00.000-05:00

The two old ladies are my oldest cat, Agatha, and the dog, Kaitlin, who’s 11+ (12 in March). They are pictured here.

Nathaniel’s stocking is now finished. Ends sown in, label added, and damp blocked.

And then there’s my I-cord question – HOW many stitches wide can an I-cord be? For the loop to hang up the stocking I started with a 4-stitch I-cord, and after about an inch, felt it wasn’t wide enough, so ripped out am now doing a 6-stitch I-cord, which is just right. But it made me wonder – how many stitches can you knit into an I-cord, without it just becoming an item knit in the round to be opened up somehow. . . . .

I think when I deliver the stocking tomorrow, I will just go by the house, and if someone is home, fine, if not, just hang it on the door – they live in a safe neighborhood, so I don’t think anyone will take it.

Now the Old Ladies – I did talk about Agatha yesterday, and have now pictured her above. But I didn’t mention the dog. Her name is Kaitlin, and as one can probably tell from the photo, she’s a Golden Retriever – an overweight one. She’s a really sweetie, and the cats, particularly the babies, love her. One of them is often curled up with her when it’s cold. Our late Maine Coon used to sleep with her ALL the time, and he was an “orange” tabby Maine Coon, and the same color as she is – and we couldn’t tell them apart! We often had a large golden “rug” – with two tails and two heads, and we couldn’t tell where one started and the other ended. When he died, I think she mourned the most of the surviving animals. If I can find the photos of the two of them together, I’ll post one – I know we took many.

And having finished the stocking, I will go on to finishing his sister baby’s blanket. It’s an AS pattern, and (pictured below) of elephants – and waaaay back when I started the blog last week, I mentioned there was a story behind the blanket being knit for an almost four-year old (she’s getting it for her birthday – there’s NO way I’ll finish it by next Monday (aka Christmas Day).

I knit the Point Rhys lighthouse baby blanket for her brother, at the “proper” time – for the baby shower for him. Well SHE loves it – and so, I felt she really needs her own. And I didn’t want to knit the same blanket for her, and she has a “thing” for elephants, so she gets the elephants. I am glad about that, as the other AS baby blanket that speaks to me is Widdicombe Fair, and I think sometime in the next year I will order that one – and make it for ME! A nice lap blanket to decorate the knitting room when I’m not using it!

More on Christmas stockings . . . and the household I live in.

2006-12-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

My household consists of me, my husband, our son, four cats, and a dog.

My husband’s stash is musical instruments – at one point there were 42 guitars in the house – acoustic and electric – plus six or eight banjos, several mandolins, at least one, if not two fiddles, mountain dulcimer, ukuleles (banjo ukes, banjo mandolins, ) etc. So his “stash” takes up more room than my yarn. (I think the guitars are down to under 30 currently).

My yarn stash is mostly in nice plastic boxes with handles – over 60 of those (I just did a rough count), plus three bigger ones, and the stuff I haven’t looked at in years in the attic. First foray into cleaning out the attic has resulted in two very large bags of yarn for charity.

And now, cats. I’m delighted to say, in the thirty-five years I’ve lived with various cats, they usually loose interest in the yarn and knitting after about six months living with me. When ensconced in my favorite knitting place, I almost always have feline company – the colder the weather, the closer to me (and the space heater) they are. On cold evenings I usually have a revolving door of cats on my lap, as I knit.

My current feline companions are:
Agatha, a thirteen-year-old basic grey short-haired cat. She looks like she could be a Russian blue, but she’s a rescue. She’s got arthritis poor thing, but still has the most wonderful purr, and wants lots of interaction with her humans. She was named after Agatha Christie.

Snowball – she’s five, and little, only weighing 8.5 pounds. She has almost no tail, and given that, her size, and the way her legs are shaped, we’re pretty sure she’s a Manx. Being pure white, with blue eyes (and great hearing – it’s the males that are more often deaf) her name was a no brainer when my son found her in a pet adoption day at a Petsmart. She’s a real cuddle bunny – which is one of her many nicknames.

And then, there’s our babies. We had, a year ago, four cats, but two of those died early in’06 – one of cancer after two years of treatment and dealing with it, at 16. The other, my son’s official cat, quite unexpectedly of cancer at barely 6!

So when we got down to just two, we were sad, and decided, since we had really enjoyed my son’s cat Maine Coon, that we would make a point of getting another Maine Coon.

Somehow, we ended up getting TWO. A brother and sister. They are now, as of today, nine months old, and weigh in at 16 pounds for Barnum and 13 and a half for Bailey.

Meanwhile I’m off to my knit group – and then Christmas shopping at the mall, which is open until 11 pm tonight. I’m hoping to finish the name cuff on Nathaniel’s stocking at the knit group tonight – if not tonight, then tomorrow. I sent word to his mom that they’d have it by Thursday. All the others are already up at his house! No photos of Agatha in the computer, when I take photos of the finished stocking, I'll take a few of her and upload them too!

Blogging Time Table

2006-12-18T21:26:00.000-05:00

Having had a very busy weekend, between my goddaughter’s dorm room arriving in my living room (her mom had to move this past summer, and for various reasons, my goddaughter is now legally living at my house when not at college). If she hadn’t gotten a wonderful internship for next semester at Disney World, the dorm room wouldn’t have arrived until May – giving us another five months to find space for it. But . . . . .

We have a wonderful, large house, with a full, walk-up attic, divided into two spaces, one for storage and one we have used as a guest room. But in the past year or two it also became storage . . . . And we have a full basement, which we finished six years ago. It has a walk out to the back yard, with a nice big room, and a full-bath, and a smaller room for instrument storage. Our son has been living mainly in the big room, but he and goddaughter have been negotiating, and I believe SHE is going to have the basement (makes sense for a 22-23 year old with a very active social life) and HE is going to move to the attic. BUT we have to dig out both spaces before this can happen.

So to start this whole Chinese Fire drill, we have been going through the attic – mostly the storage side, because there are boxes in there that haven’t been looked at since they were placed there 16 years ago. It felt like every third box had YARN! I didn’t realize how much acrylic yarn or part acrylic yarn I knit with 16-20 years ago! A huge (maybe 4x4 feet) box worth went off to charity knitting yesterday – and there’s still more to go through. (LOTS more). What I’m saying is Saturday went to attic dig out – and Sunday to parties, farewell for an interim rector at my church, and two, knitting Christmas parties. Both great fun. So it’s only today that I’m again writing on this blog.

My hope is I will post on the blog a minimum of once a week – hopefully more like two or three times – with occasional weeks where it will be daily.

Nathaniel’s Christmas stocking just needs me to finish the toe (left one color yarn in the car at the second party, so stopped on that for the evening, and when I got home, I went to bed), and then the cuff with his name. Look for photos on Wednesday. Tomorrow is my favorite knitting group meeting [we meet twice a month on Tuesday evenings – at a wine bar], so I may not have time to post.

And then, there’s Christmas shopping --- I haven’t even put together a full list. Luckily we don’t have to buy for a lot of people, and for example, my goddaughter’s mother, N – my dear friend of over 50 years, and I, agreed yesterday to not worry about exchanging our presents ON Christmas Day (although we will be together) but just plan to do it by Twelfth Night (January 5).

But the tree was bought today, and the kittens get to explore it, up with no decorations or anything tonight, tomorrow it’ll get lights, and then Wednesday ornaments – maybe they’ll be bored with it by then.

Christmas Stocking – part III

2006-12-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

The reindeer are done – they were really fun! I think it came out well. And soon I’ll be to the heel – and I love heels! I think my favorite part of sock knitting is turning the heel. Even after knitting socks for over 12 years, I still get a thrill every time I turn a heel!

If things go as planned, Nathaniel will get his stocking Monday or Tuesday – well in time for Christmas Eve and Santa Claus to fill it up!

Actually when it is finished, and is given to Nathaniel, it will contain a small Cedar Chips bag – to help protect it when it’s put away after the holidays! (If you noticed a bump in the toes of the two finished stockings in the last post, that’s what was causing the bump!)

11 pm, about to post – and right at the heel. I’ll take a photo, and then publish all this.

Christmas Stockings, take two

2006-12-14T22:54:00.000-05:00

Photos:
Here’s the start of Nathaniel’s – by tomorrow evening I may have the reindeer part done, and I will add a new photo.

And then here are two from long ago – my goddaughter’s and her mother’s – knit in 1989 and 1990 (I have from the needles of Jennifer labels that I embroider the year on before I sew the labels on the knitted item, so everything gets dated – Vanessa’s stocking is one of the first that I dated).

And then, recently, I found unfinished a stocking I'd started for our dog from the Christmas Stockings book, and finished it --

Christmas Stockings

2006-12-14T19:15:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my first post about the Christmas Stocking for my almost nephew – Nathaniel (I mention his name because, for a Christmas stocking it’s LOOOONG). (He’s pictured – looking over photos I found this wonderful photo of him from September) I’ve know his mother since the day SHE was born – her older sister is one of my closest friends, and has been for OVER 40 years now. (My “best” friend and I are going on OVER 50 years – which gives a clue to how old we all are).

Anyway, at the baby shower for Nathaniel I gave an Alice Starmore (AS) baby blanket (Point Rhys I think is the pattern – it has whales and a lighthouse)(pictured!) and a certificate for a Christmas stocking, because at that point, two years ago this January, we didn’t know for certain what his name was going to be – and I had just finished two stockings over Christmas, so wasn’t in the mood to do another one.

Fast forward, last year got hectic and Nathaniel’s mom and I agreed he didn’t need it, that he wouldn’t notice the lack thereof.

But this year, I think he would, and I’ve been thinking about it for a month or so --- I should say that the Christmas stockings for my extended family (I’m an only, of an only, and have very few blood relatives) so my two closest friends (see above) and their families are my extended family, as well as a few other dear friends that we’ve gathered together over the past 25 years) are all DESIGNED by me, as well as knitted.

I came up with a basic pattern when my godchildren were little (now nearly 25 and 23), originally knit out of Germantown in “Christmas” Red and Green (those were the color names!) and white, black, and whatever colors I needed. The original ones (my first forays into Fair Isle Knitting) were such a hit with all the parents as well as the kids, that over the next few years I knit everyone else stockings (except my husband and myself). My husband, Bob and I got ours (mine’s still not totally finished, it has a cat knitting, and I keep meaning to start a little tiny Christmas stocking on toothpicks and insert them in my stocking) when I made one for our son just before his second Christmas.

So when Nathaniel’s parents got married in 2000, their Christmas presents that year were handknit stockings, and when his older sister was born in 2003 (January), she got one for her first Christmas. So Nathaniel’s due one.

So yesterday I decided to dig out the box labeled Christmas stockings in my stash (60+ plastic boxes with handles, roughly labeled, stacked in a big pile in my “knitting” room), see what yarn was in there, and what I needed. I also checked my computer for the patterns I done for his sister and parents.

I went to lunch with my former co-workers at the LYS (now a web-based business), and then got the colors I was missing (white and red and yellow). These days the stockings are done in Cascade 220—a little thinner than Germantown, but the same nice defined colors. Came home, played with Knit Visualizer, and did the name first – even though that’s the last part I’ll knit, and talked with Nathaniel’s mother and aunt about any interests he’s showing at 22 months, and then played around with designs, pulling out AS’s Chart designs book among others. My WONDERFUL husband came home just about then, and sweetly wound the yarn into balls for me (there is a swift and a ball winder), and I cast on –

The basic stocking pattern is set, it just what I put in them in the leg that makes them unique to each recipient—so Nathaniel’s has holly bands (which almost all do), and then a band of reindeer in the leg.

(one I did years ago was for the son of a Jewish friend who’s married to a gentile, It’s a basic stocking, but the motif for him is a menorah.)

And thus, my first photos on this blog are of the stocking on the needles – I’m using size 5’s 12” circulars – Cascade calls for 7’s to get 5 sts to the inch. I am a loose knitter, and always start 2 needle sizes smaller. I am right at 5 sts to the inch on the 5s.

The next two photos are of my goddaughter’s and her mother’s stockings – I’ll post photos of my immediate families’ when they come down from the attic next week. We decorate for Christmas slowly – putting electric candles in all our windows around the first Sunday in Advent (4 Sundays BEFORE Christmas – this year Christmas Eve is Advent IV – a horror for all who are involved with church services regularly [I sing in my church’s choir – have sung in choirs as long as I’ve been knitting! No wonder I knit during the lessons and sermon!!!!!!!!!]), then we add lighted wreaths on doors, and sometime in the week before Christmas we get the tree [Saturday this year], and it goes up by the 22nd, and comes down on Epiphany, which is January 6th.

I probably should put at the top of this blog that it is a babble – I become quite long winded when I sit down to write . . . .

Photos to come after Choir rehearsal -- found the camera, but haven't found the device to download the photos. . . . .

First Post

2006-12-13T23:03:00.000-05:00

After thinking about doing this on and off for awhile, and with great encouragement from my main knitting group -- Tuesday night SSKers, I am taking the plung on a blog, mostly knittig.

I am middle aged knitter living in the 'burbs of Washington, DC. I am also LEFT-HANDED, and I knit LEFT-HANDED --- so where most knitters knit from the left needle to the right needle, I knit from the right needle onto the LEFT needle, hence calling the blog Knitting on the Left (hand).

I have been knitting most of my life -- since my mother managed to teach me when I was seven or eight years old. She only managed to get me to do the knit stitch, what with me being SOOOO left-handed, and she was quite right handed. So for ten years or so I did LOTs of garter stitch items -- dolls' clothes and household items, lots of baby blankets, an afghan in high school, when rediscovered 30 years later, went straight into the trash -- between the cheap yarn, the lack of any real finishing, and the loose gauge, I really didn't want anyone else to see it.

Then, back in college, I found the Sunset Book of knitting which included drawings on knitting LEFT-HANDED -- with VERY clear directions on purling -- I found the book in September, by that Christmas my father had a magnificant red cardigan -- all over cables! (I still have that!) Germantown yarn.

Since then I've averaged at least 12 projects or more a year -- these days it's a pair of socks a month, plus other things.

In the past month I've finished two lace shawls, a glorious fair isle pullover for my husband, a pair of socks for him, a pair of socks for me . . . .

Currently at the top of the pile:

1. A Christmas stocking for an almost nephew -- promised at the baby shower for him, and gee, he's gonna be two in February, so I realized he's old enough to maybe realize that he didn't a have stocking when his parents and older sister do! (all knit by me). So I deisgned it, and started knitting tonight.

2. An Alice Starmore baby blanket -- Elephants -- for the older sister of the stocking recipient -- explanation when I post photos of the blanket.

3. Alice Starmore's Russian River Fair Isle -- second time, first time was 8 years ago for a friend, this time for me (got the yarn eight years ago), and it's going to be a cardigan instead of a pullover -- also will post photos soon.

4. Fetching mitts from Knitty.com -- made one, will make a second soon, especially if it gets cold again -- my knitting room is only heated with a space heater, so if it's REALLY cold (under 30), my hands can get cold.

5. And a pair of socks, of course (ALWAYS have a pair of socks on needles -- finish a pair, start a pair -- I could knit over 100 pairs from the sock yarn in my stash).

And lurking in the piles are several lace shawls wanting to be finished -- I hope I go for one of the black ones soon, I'm always wishing I had one to wear . . . but knitting with black . . . .