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

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!

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?

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 –

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!

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–

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 . . . . .