The Chronicles of Auntie M

Ravelympics 2010

2010-02-16T15:06:00.001-08:00

Behold my finished Clapotis #2!

Started in April 2008, my second Clapotis had been marinating in my UFO basket for several months when I decided to compete in the 2010 Ravelympics. My event...WIPs Dancing. To qualify for this event, my project must have been previously started and not worked on since at least January 12, 2010. My clap qualified without any problems. I registered, entered my project in the proper event thread, updated my project page and started training. In my case, training meant I needed to locate my pattern, locate the other skeins, wind the unwound skein, and figure out where in the knitting I had left off. I finished my training by 4pm pacific standard time 2/12/2010. The opening ceremonies for Ravelympics started at 6pm pacific standard time. I was doing well! I uploaded the picture of my project as it was before the competition. I had some time to wonder if I would finish my project by the closing ceremonies. I hoped that I had not bitten off more than I could chew. I showed up for the Parade of Nations. Because of my doubts, I started knitting right at 6pm. Within an hour or so, I had finished the working skein and was ready to attach the second skein. The next day, I had finished the second working skein and was ready to attach the final skein. I couldn't believe how fast I was going through this project after it had been sitting around for about a year! I finished knitting my Clapotis before I went to bed on Valentine's Day. As soon as I was up on Monday, I wove in my ends and dropped my Clapotis in Soak. I set up my blocking boards and set about blocking my shawl and taking pictures to post in the finish line. I FINISHED MY CLAPOTIS! and here is my reward:

Managing WIP's the Geek Way

2010-01-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

I haven't been doing a lot of knitting lately. Mostly because I'm not always excited about knitting my WIP's and I don't want to end up as in times past with 22 WIP's at once. Mycki-2009 was all about finishing what I start. I'm down to eight projects on the needles now. That number feels a lot more manageable. Yet I'm not always in the mood to knit the same type of thing and if all eight of the projects are lace shawls, I have no variety! What to do?

Mycki-2010 is all about organization. I'm making great strides in organizing my home and everything in it. I decided that I should organize my WIP's. My knitting group may laugh and tease me mercilessly, but here is what I came up with:

I can have up to ten projects on the needles at any time. However, each project must fall into one of ten categories I have pre-determined. While one project may fit multiple categories, only one project is allowed per category. For instance, a sock may fall into the "sock" category or the "gift" category, but I can't have two projects in the "sock" category even if I leave the "gift" category empty. That defeats the purpose of having categories. I have figured out that I like to knit for others. But if all I'm knitting are gifts, I don't feel charitible, I feel cheated. The same goes for lace. I like it, but if that is all I'm doing, I don't have any social knitting or quick projects. I want to have a variety of projects going at all times so I always have something I want to knit. With that in mind, I tried to come up with general categories that would essentially give me variety in complexity, yarn weight, and finished projects.

Here are the categories I came up with:

-Garment (can be a sweater, vest, skirt, shawl, etc.)
-Accessory (can be a scarf, purse, wrist warmers, hat, sock, cup sleeve, teapot cosy, etc.)
-Shawl (can be triangle, circle, rectangle, capelet, poncho, etc.)
-Sock (can be any length, any construction)
-Lace (can be a garment, sock, shawl, tablecloth, etc.)
-Garter/Stockinette (no fuss projects: blanket, potholder, simple sweater, vanilla sock, etc.)
-Worsted/Chunky (can be anything using thicker yarn, a blanket, a sweater, a scarf, etc.)
-KAL (can be anything that is part of an organized Knit A-Long: sock, sweater, bag, etc.)
-Gift (can be anything as long as it is for someone else)
-Stash Buster (can be anything that uses left over yarn or single skeins from my stash only)

As I mentioned earlier, I only have eight projects on the needles now. I've put each one into a category listed above.

-Garment: Habu Giselle Sweater
-Accessory: Clapotis
-Shawl: Charlotte's Web
-Sock:
-Lace: Rona Lace Shawl
-Garter/Stockinette: Moderne Baby Blanket
-Worsted/Chunky:
-KAL: McGuiness Branch Socks
-Gift: Kaylie's Socks
-Stash Buster: Pinwheel Blanket

I now have variety to knit and I have leeway to start two new projects if I want! So what if I want to start a lace-weight neck warmer for my mom? Right now my open categories are "sock" and "worsted/chunky". I could wait until I've finished the project in the accessory category or (depending on how badly I want to start it now) use creative thinking. It could fit into the following categories: lace, gift, accessory, possibly stash buster. Can any of the projects I have in those categories be moved to one of my open categories? Kaylie's sock can be moved to the open "sock" category and I can fit the neckwarmer into the "gift" category. Yet strangely enough, I don't feel compelled to start any new projects right now in spite of the 'empty' categories. I'm perfectly happy to knit one of my current WIP's.

Just how many…

2009-10-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

bamboo spoons does one person need?

I apparently need more than most. As I unpacked my kitchen boxes when I moved earlier this year, I discovered several items of which I had multiples. My name is Mycki and I'm a kitchen gadget buyer.

Other things I found: three whisks (two exactly the same), four pie servers (two styles), three paring knives, three can openers, three bar boards, two scallop-edge slicers, three potato mashers, three slotted spoons, five nylon serving spoons, several spatulas (at least two exactly the same), and four bamboo tongs.

My kitchen is not very big and I can't help but think I would have more room if I get rid of my duplicate implements, but I have a feeling that I might need them someday!

Jumpin' Jellyfish!

2009-02-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

I'm on vacation again. This time, I'm in Southern California. I came to visit my sis and to go to the Happiest Placed on Earth! The day we planned on going it rained (but it never rains in Southern California, right?) so we decided to go the the Aquarium of the Pacific. Can I tell you how much I'm mesmerized by jellyfish? This aquarium has several different varieties (?) of jellyfish. Also, not all of them are dangerous to people. The second picture above are moon jellies. Their sting is not enough to harm. Another thing I fell in love with during this trip are stingrays. I'll post a picture of them later. Right now I'm off to have Thai food with my other sister. Laters...

Harry Potter UK Cover Yarn Club

2008-11-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

September: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

October: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

November: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban

These are the first three colorways of the first Sock Yarn club I've joined. I've been hesitating to join any clubs because you never know what you'll end up with. This club seemed like a safe bet because I know which colors would be used and I've seen other colorways by this dyer. There are a total of seven skeins I'll be receiving in this club. Each one is based on the cover of one of the Harry Potter books released in the UK. The cover art for those editions is vastly different than the US Scholastic versions. If you look closely at the ball band you can see a picture of the actual UK cover that colorway was based on. I am so pleased with my skeins so far. I think Dharmafey (Ravelry name) from Cosmic Fibers does an excellent job matching the dye colors to the cover art. She also includes a little extra something with each shipment. With my first skein I received an HP trading card, with the second I received temporary tatoos of all the covers, and with the third I received a matching stitch marker. I can't wait to see what I get next!

Time to Dye

2008-11-11T08:09:00.001-08:00

This post goes out to Knitvicious! Cause she's tired of the lake...

Way back in September, I got together with a couple of fellow Chicks to try our hand at dyeing our own yarn. Okay, it was not my first or even fourth time dyeing yarn, however, it was my first time using the dip method and my first time dyeing a sock blank.

The top photo is the result of dipping the ends of a pre-wound skein into two canning jars, one with pink dye and the other with chestnut dye, then microwaving the whole shebang. Hot Stuff! (By the way, Felted I still have your jars) The resulting skein has a deep chocolate color fading to tan and then a vanilla middle and light pink darkening to a perfect strawberry ice cream color. Neopolitan!

The bottom photo is the sock blank. This was a little harder to dye than I supposed, but only because my dye bottles were leaking. You can see little spots of blue on the pink and purple sections. I had a pattern picked out for this yarn before I dyed it so you would think that now, being two months later, I would have finished this project and could post an "after" picture. You would be wrong.

I spent the rest of September finishing old projects and working on WIP's. I didn't want to start any new projects until I'd done something about my total WIP count. I can't seem to bring it under 13. (I haven't decided if that's good or bad luck) So, while I have finished some projects (Mystery Stole 3, Carmen sweater, Marie Antoinette sock #1, Baby Ripple Blanket) I did not start my socks in September.

For October, my focus was all Halloween... (check back for my next post)

A Little Vacation

2008-08-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since I can remember, my favorite part of summer has been going to the beach. It was always the Pacific Ocean when I was growing up, but now that we live in Northern California, we are trying something different. (Besides, I did go to Dohene in So Cal a couple of months ago so I don't feel like I totally missed out this year!) We went to Lake Tahoe last week. It was a great getaway and the lake is gorgeous. We stayed in Tahoe City at a pet friendly place (because we took the dog). The room had a nice woodsy decor featuring black bears. There was a lovely grassy area leading to the beach across the road from where we stayed. I spent a lot of time there reading Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. I got a sunburn my last day because I was so into the book I forgot to turn! Overall my time there was relaxing and I plan on doing it again, but the lake, no matter how beautiful, doesn't compare to my beloved Pacific!

Going Home

2008-07-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Who says you can't go home again? I recently went to visit my sister in Laguna Niguel and since Bakersfield is on the way, I stopped for a short (one hour) visit with my cousin. My mom was with me and she suggested we drive by our old high school. Yep, I went to the same high school (and junior high!) as my mom, exactly twenty years later. Above you can see one of my favorite spots, the East High Auditorium. I was in Drama (so was my mom, does the apple fall far from the tree?) so I have many fond memories of plays and musicals held there. I can still see the lines of people waiting for the doors to open. I can even remember snippets of conversations as we hurried by to get into our costumes and make-up. Oh, the memories!

In Da Hoodie

2008-06-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's finished! I am completely done with my Neck Down Hoodie. The pattern is from Knitting Pure & Simple. I used fabulous Brook Farms Yarn wool and silk blend Four Play yarn and size 7 and 9 needles. It feels great on and I can't wait to wear it. You might be thinking I'll have a long wait for cool weather since I live in California, but not so! I work in a very cold office and so I'll be wearing it later this week...ahh! I started this project in March, soon after coming back home from Stitches West where I bought the yarn. I wove in the ends and attached the button on Friday. It was a pretty fast knit considering I didn't work on it for much of March and April. I recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind lots of knit stitch.

Waiting for Habu

2008-06-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Last month I went to Petaluma's yarn shop Knitterly with some of my fellow Chicks (Hi Cathy and Janice! ) and their friend (Hi Shar!) We had a great time learning to read Japanese knitting patterns and trying on all the great samples. I spent my life savings (well, not really but it felt like it) on some sweater kits. Now I'm impatiently waiting for my swell yarn to arrive. I've been checking the ~~porch~~ patio everyday to no avail. I believe my package is 3 business days overdue. I would absolutely love to order more kits, one for a bag in particular, but I need faster gratification. Okay, I've got go research Habu retailers...Bye!

Fawkes in Socks

2008-05-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is the yarn I dyed to make Gigi Silva's (Monkey Toes) Fawkes pattern. The pattern was inspired by Dumbledore's phoenix from the Harry Potter series. I looked and looked and searched high and low for a colorway reminiscent of the mythical bird that rises from the flames.
Finally I decided to dye my own to get the exact colors I wanted in the exact order I wanted and the exact stripe size I wanted.

Considering that hand dyeing at home (by a someone new to the process no less) is not an exact science, I am well pleased with the result.

I am finished with the first sock and well on my way on the second. I'm trying to finish them before the end of May to enter them in Socktopia's May theme "Hot Feet". Wish me luck, please!

April is for Anklets

2008-04-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

This year I committed to finishing one pair of socks a month for the Sock-a-Month group on Ravelry. For April, that pair had to be anklets. I chose a pattern that I received in a swap last year. The yarn I got from a sock kit swap a couple of years ago. The yarn is Marion's Sock Yarn from Germany. I like this pattern and think the yarn was a good fit for it. The toe is not my favorite, but I wanted to, for once, work a pattern exactly as written!

Single Sock Syndrome

2008-04-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

I never thought it would happen to me. Okay, it has happened to me before, but I never thought it would happen again. I like to knit and I like to finish projects. I also love symmetry. So how could I fall victim to SSS (Second Sock Syndrome)? I blame it on my iPod and Ravelry. There are so many great patterns out there in the knitting world, especially for socks. I hear about this pattern and see that pattern and find these oh-so-convenient links. Last month I had five socks on needles at once. I finished one complete pair (see post below) and one sock each of the other 4 patterns I was working on. Leaving me 4 mates to knit up. Now we're in April and I have committed to knitting at least 2 new sock patterns this month. See how my dilemma grows? I will faithfully cast on one pair tonight (the Nutkins) and another pair tomorrow (April Mystery Sock) and when will I work on my second socks from March? Now that my training time at work is over, I have four less knitting hours each day. I predict knitting insomnia for the next few weeks.

This Just Woven-In

2008-03-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished my Jaywalker's. I joined a group on Ravelry to knit one pair of socks a month. Each month has a theme and Jaywalker's was February. I duly cast on in February but so late in the month, I couldn't have finished them. I was working on the No-Purl Monkey Socks with my local CWS group. Now that both pairs are finished I can cast on my March socks. Yes, I know it's beyond the ides of March, but it is earlier than when I started in February!

About these socks:
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Fingering 100% Merino hand-dyed by me
Needles: Knit Picks DPN's size 1 (2.25mm)
Pattern: Jaywalkers by Grumperina on Magknits
My rating: Love them! The fit is great and the color is very eye-catching (I'm calling them my Gigi Jaywalkers because they remind me of Gigi's grandmother's house in the 1958 musical)

Monkey, see? Monkey deux!

2008-02-26T19:58:00.001-08:00

First off, nobody die of shock, yes, I posted something new...

My first Monkey is done and the second is not far off. My knit group decided to have a Monkey knit-a-long this month. I chose to knit the no-purl Monkey's in Fixation. I love that they look so smooth compared to the regular Monkey's I knit last November. Of course, I went down 2 needle sizes for these so that could be the reason they fit so well. I can't wait to see everyone else's finished socks.

I also can't wait to see again what everyone got at Stitches last weekend. I must say the Stitch-n-Ride train this year was excellent. None of the glitches that plagued last years ride. The market worked out better for me this year as well. Last year I was the proverbial deer in the headlights and came home with almost nothing. Not so this year. I have Brooks Farm yarn for my neck-down hoodie, ShiBui yarn for socks, a great sock yarn I bought from Beehive, some hemp/wool blend for a hat (pattern, too!) plus a few more things. Cher and I also got to meet Vickie Howell at the SWTC booth. Knit On!

My new toy this month is an iPod. I have spent much time today loading more music on it. Still trying to play with iTunes so I don't have to sync every time I want to add a few songs. I also spent computer time today emptying my camera so it will be ready for...uh huh, another trip to Disneyland (I'm taking my nephew on Saturday.) Now I'm kinda burnt out on the computer. I had planned on adding pictures to my flickr, but I may save that for another day.

Ladies in my knit group, guess what is drying right this minute? Yarn I dyed myself! Yep, I finally took the plunge and mixed that toxic dye. Scared me to death and I thought I had poisoned myself last night because I had trouble breathing (no worries, I just forgot to take my allery pill!) It came out okay for my first dye job. If it dries by tomorrow morning, I'll take it for Show and Tell.

Ta Ta For Now!

Starsky Struck

2007-11-29T17:24:00.001-08:00

The picture above was taken earlier this year at Panera's during one of the Chick With Sticks meetups. I had only completed the back and one of the front panels at that time. I loved the way the Banana Tree cabling turned out and decided then and there that I needed to finish this project before fall had fully set in. I started knitting on my Starsky exclusively for the next month. By October 25th, I was done! I loved the way it turned out. Since our group didn't meet on Halloween, I wasn't able to Show and Tell until November. Here is Felted modeling the finished project:

This project was made from the Jordana Paige pattern "Starsky" on Knitty.com using Cascade 220 in Charcoal Heather and size 8 needles.

Scones and Skeins

2007-11-25T19:17:00.001-08:00

Today I met with a few people from my Wednesday night knitting group for Scones and Skeins. This brainchild of my friend Cher is a get together (not on Wednesday) at one knitter's house to which you take scones and other baked goods along with your current knitting project(s). Maybe because it was just Thanksgiving or maybe because we think alike, most of the baked goods featured pumpkin. I took pumpkin cranberry scones. There was also pumpkin cream cheese muffins and pumpkin raisin bread. Things that weren't pumpkin- croissants with Nutella and asparagus frittata!

Right now I have 13 WIP's that I'm counting although only 4 are on needles. The other 9 are projects I started but have since frogged back to skeins. Projects I'm currently knitting are Tweedy Vest from Knit Scene, Mystery Stole 3, Monkey sock (2nd one!), Toe-up sock using Lombard Street lace pattern. The projects that are waiting are a moebius, a tie, a Clapotis, Meadow Flowers shawl, Andean Treasures Sampler vest, a Malabrigo sweater, a Whiskey vest, a project made from leftovers, and the original Homespun Pants.

Note to My Dear Readers: I've been trying to upload my knitting photos to Flickr to no avail. So when I see you later this week, don't give me grief about my Ravelry page.

Leaf Lace

2007-09-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my recently completed Leaf Lace shawl. I added beads to the points in the same color as the shawl. I've been wanting to work with beads since one of my fellow chicks (Hi, Darla!) started a beaded project from Romantic Style. My own first beaded project was mystery stole 3, but I'm not finished with that. Someday! This is one of my last year projects that I wanted finish up. As I was reading the finishing notes, I saw an option for adding beads in the last row. Hurray!

Ahoy, Mateys!

2007-09-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today, being a holiday from work, I pronounce to be a "catch up on my blogging" day. The picture above is from about 4 months ago (yep four) when "Punk Knits" Share Ross went to Knitique. She had a mini-class on controlled-drop stitches.

Do you recognize this yarn? I purchased it to complete my Malabrigo Rich Chocolate ribbed sweater but not having the sweater with me, the dye lot was way off. I unravelled my sweater and started a new pattern that would take less yarn. It was not to be, again one skein short. Not one to be discouraged, I ordered a skein from Yarnzilla (very nice and prompt shipping to boot!). The dyelot is much closer but still requires unravelling and blending the yarn.

In the meantime, I started some new projects and finished a few others.

This is a lace scarf pattern from Louisa Harding, knit in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. I liked this pattern even though I had to back up a row almost everytime I picked it back up. The yarn was so soft and slippery, the stitches fell off my needles in my knitting bag!

I finished my Leaf Lace Shawl (Hi, Teresa!) finally. I started this last year during the shawl knit-a-longs at Frog Pond, along with the Flower Basket Shawl and Shoal Water (Both finished!) but only just finished this one about a week ago. I even put beads on the tips. That was an inspiration from my first use of beads on the Mystery Stole from this year. My MS3 is only 1/3rd finished. I've been on quite a few flights lately and MS3 was too hard to work on while travelling, hence the finished Leaf Lace.

Here is another now finished project. My Cascade Fixation socks. I used a simple rib from Sensational Knitted Socks. I turned out great and the elastic in the yarn keeps them up nice and snug!

Okay, here's a list of other recently completed projects (to make me feel good):
- Phoenix Tears Scarf (from Charmed Knits)
-Ravenclaw Beanie (Also from Charmed Knits)
-Plum wristwarmers (My own pattern!)
-Knitted Babe

Darn! I thought there were more!

Here's a list of my WIP's
-Malabrigo ribbed sweater (Based on Lucky from Knitty)
-Homespun pants (From Interweave Knits Spring or Summer 2004)
-Meadow Flowers shawl (From Knitter's Stash)
-Loopy (from Knitty)
-Spiral Boot Socks (From Interweave Knits Summer 2007--started out as Clessidra from Knitty and then went to Anniversary Socks from Favorite Socks before Spiral took over)
-Andean Treasure Vest (From Knitpicks--this is my first stranded knitting project!)
-Clapotis #2 (From Knitty)
-Knit Tie (From Interweave Knits)
-Simple Stripe socks (self-striping yarn from Knitpicks in a rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks
-Mystery Stole 3

That makes 10! Not bad if I say so myself, but still got to get knitting, Ciao!

Red Mohair Scarf

2007-06-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I got this pattern at the Yarn Shoppe in Elk Grove. I thought I bought the yarn there to make it but when I looked at the ball band, the yarn was from a different store. Still can’t figure that out. I made the ruffles a little longer than the pattern called for because I wanted a “new romantic” look (remember Simon Le Bon and the Taylor boys?). Knit in Crystal Palace Kid Merino Red Cinnamon with size 8 and 10 needles.

Kim Possible doll sweater

2007-06-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is the second sweater I completed, but the first one I started. I wanted to try out an idea I had with something that would knit up fast. Also I wanted to use yarn left over from a sock project I had just completed for my niece. Since I had given her a Kim Possible doll for her birthday, I thought a sweater in the same yarn would be a fun gift (shown on a Bratz doll). It’s knit in Knitpicks Dancing (discontinued) with size 0 needles.

Bohemian Rhapsody Poncho

2007-05-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

I started this project in September 2004. Then restarted it January 2005. Then moved it to a stitchholder until April 2005 when I ripped it out. Recall that the impetus to knit had only hit me around January 2004. Recall that I had problems going beyond a garter stitch even into 2005. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that when I got not much farther than the cast on, I was completely lost in the pattern. My previous forays into knitting never advanced beyond garter stitch squares and rectangles. Even the No-Sweat Pants, in a simple stockinette, gave me a problem when it came to increasing (BTW, thanks Violet and Cher for demonstrating various increase methods way back when). Can you imagine trying to figure out "yf" "sl1" "psso"?!

So last Wednesday I started again. Today during my morning break, I wove in the ends. Amazing how far I've come in two years. Not only could I understand the pattern, I knit pretty darn fast!

This pattern is from Paton's in a booklet just for Bohemian. It took 3 skeins of the main color (really should have had four because I ended up doing the collar out of one of the coordinating colors instead of the main as stated in the pattern) and 1 skein each of two coordinating colors for the stripes. It is knit on 10.5 needles.

Dear Chicks, You'll see it tomorrow. Unless my book club meets tomorrow, I'd better check that out.

No-Sweat Pants

2007-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is the pattern I learned to knit for. I saw these in the Spring 2004 issue of Interweave Knits (I bought it because it had a crochet insert). As soon as I saw them, I knew that my previously disastrous knitting attemps must be overcome. One year later, I felt I had advanced enough to try something bigger than a skinny garter-stitch scarf. One year after that, I ripped out the two leg pieces I had completed because I found out my stitches were twisted. One year after that, I started again. One month into them I thought, "Why don't I knit these in the round?" Hence the state they've been in for the last three months. Should I rip or should I knit now?

This pattern was designed by Joyce Wang in Lion Brand Homespun using size 10 needles.

Oh the Voices! (or Where Have all my Needles Gone)

2007-05-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

I am posting because the voices in my head are insisting. (I am not usually prone to hearing voices in my head, but after weeks of badgering from my fellow Chicks, I'm starting to.) This is a picture of all the projects I have cast on. This includes WIP's and Orphans (worse than UFO's-UnFinished Objects, these are projects I didn't even remember starting!) but does not include PIW's (Projects-In-Waiting, for which all materials are gathered but nothing is cast on) or TaDa's (Behold the finished project). There are twenty projects pictured above, including one poncho, one tie, one pair of pants, one doll sweater, two me sweaters, two wristwarmes, three shawls, three scarves, five socks, and another clapotis (not quite a shawl, not quite a scarf). I shall post about these individually in the days (weeks?) to come.

What a Tangled Web!

2007-04-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I found a way to only re-do the cuff on my socks. I would put in a life-line right afer the cuff (no problem), then undo my knitting up to that point, then pick up stitches from my life-line and knit the cuff from the bottom up. Sounds like it would work, right? The snag: undoing the cuff is proving to be very time consuming and messy. See picture above. I think I knit a whole sock in less time than I've spent so far picking out the cuff. My consolation is that I will have knee socks that stay up when I'm done.

All that work!

2007-04-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to start knitting these knee socks I didn't take the time to check my gauge, or really measure my calf. Apparently, my legs aren't as fat as I thought. So while they look great if I'm not moving, they start inching down with every STEP (They're made from STEP sock yarn with jojoba and aloe vera). Remedy? Rip them out and start again with fewer stitches. The bright side is they will be quicker to knit and have a smaller number of decreases. I don't quite have the heart yet to start unravelling them, though.

Thanks, Wreatha!

2007-04-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't had very much luck with internet swaps lately. As a matter of fact, I just sent the last package for an internet swap in which I received only one of three sends, and that one was from an angel assigned after my own pal flaked out. All this I have lamented during my Wednesday night knitting group meetings ('Hey' all you Chicks with Sticks!) several times. I decided not to participate in anymore online swaps because of these allegedly uncommon experiences (alas, all too common for me). So when my group decided to swap I was thrilled. After all, I know where to find any one of these people should they try to flake.

I put together a nice little package for my kit-ee expecting something similar from my kit-or. Imagine my surprise at the extra-special package I received from Wreatha. She, being sensitive to my lamentations, put together a wonderful gift. First, a pattern for legwarmers and a pattern for a scarf (she thought the yarn might work better for the scarf). Second, three skeins of Elizabeth Lavold yarn in a lovely shade of blue. Next, some matching ribbon (in case I chose the legwarmer's). Plus some beautiful blue bead stitch markers and ... homemade caramel! All that would have been great in itself, but the goodies continue. I love to read, so she included a mystery novel involving a knit store! In the book, I found a knit bookmark. And all of this bounty was in a vintage-inspired box with the Singer sewing machine logo on it. It reminds me of my Grandmother's treadle Singer every time I look at it. Thank You, Wreatha for a sweet swap!

I Resolve...

2007-01-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

I made this hat for my KayliePrincess (not her name but what she calls herself.) It's from knitty and uses baby cables. Love them! I think it's called Sugar on Snow. I may make one for myself to use as a neck warmer.

So my one New Years resolution, to blog more often, is already out the door. What is it about resolutions that make them so hard to keep? Is it that we choose extremely improbable (nothing is impossible) goals? Do we not give ourselves enough lead time to get used to a new routine? Whatever it is, I can't remember a single resolution I've made that I've kept more than two months. Maybe a better idea is to set a resolution each month. Then I'll have a "do over" 11 times!

My Three Hats

2007-01-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

I decided to give handknit gifts this year for Christmas. Since my sister and brother-in-law just had a baby in August and they live in oh-so-cold SLC, I chose to make them coordinating hats. I used a pattern from Interweave knits for the baby hat (I made it a little big so it will fit him next year too), and a pattern from SnB for the daddy hat and I made up my own pattern for the mommy hat. All three hats were made from Cascade 220. I chose two shades of blue and one yellow. I had enough yarn to knit the hats, the icords for baby and mommy hats and have enough left over for an Auntie hat if I choose to make one!

Home for the Holidays

2006-12-30T12:53:00.000-08:00

The house was rockin' this Christmas Eve. We had eight adults, three cats, three dogs, and an infant all staying here. Then the rest of the local family arrived (four more adults and four children). We started our celebrations with some traditional snacks (like cheese log, apple cider, etc. ) and then began the talent show. Yep, the talent show. My sisters presented a belly dance. The Slaughter Family Singers presented "Must be Santa" (See Ben above). My brother's-in-law performed an original Christmas song. It's been recorded for posterity. Then came the puppet show of "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

Finally we got to eat the infamous Boneless Turkey. This is a recipe my dad makes by de-boning a turkey and stuffing it with a mixture or ground beef, sausage, boiled eggs, and spices. It takes forever to make but makes slicing a breeze.

The kids were anxious to get to the presents. Normally, we only get to open one on Christmas eve and the rest Christmas morning. But since some of the family wouldn't be with us in the morning, we decided to open more gifts that night. Joanna helped her kids into their Christmas PJ's and then started the Sleeping Potion.

Sleeping Potion is a tradition at the Slaughter home for Christmas Eve. It consists of hot chocolate mix, a chocolate bell candy, marshmellows and a candy cane to stir it with. Supposedly it makes the kids go to sleep inspite of the excitement so that Santa can come at Midnight without being spotted.

Make your own for next year. Here is the poem that goes with it:

It's Christmas Eve, time for bed, but not an eye will close. Too much excitement in the air to let you even doze. So make a magic potion to help you fall asleep, then Santa and his helpers can down your chimney creep. Pour this cocoa in a mug and with hot water mix. Then drop in a magic bell and stir with candy stick. Add a few marshmallows and sip it slowly down. Crawl into bed and snuggle in, the magic sleep will soon come around.

It's here, it's really really here.

2006-12-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

I got my first gift in the Sockret Pal exchange this week. Look at the beautiful Lorna's Laces yarn! It's called Gold Hill. It reminds me of going to Tehachapi during the fall when I was growing up. My family would go to a certain apple orchard every year to buy apples and apple butter, but also to enjoy the wonderful baked apple treats like pie or crumble with apple cider. We live too far from Tehachapi now, but Apple Hill is not too far from here. While it is quite a bigger operation than the one orchard back home, we can find apple butter, apple pie, and apple cider and revive that old tradition. Thank you pal for bringing back sweet memories and for such a lovely gift!

Looking for Sconcey

2006-12-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

My sister plays a game with her son Josiah called "Where's Sconcey." The way this game is played is very simple. Anytime Josiah is fussy, Barb asks "Where's Sconcey?" Immediately Josiah stops fussing, looks around until he spots one of the many sconces hanging throughout my sister's home and breaks into angelic smiles. What does he see? Why a sconce? Who knows, but I've seen it with my own eyes.

My sister will be moving into her new home in a few days and already has decided that she will hang a sconce in Josiah's room. I wonder if the sconce magic will happen there.

I call it magic because it doesn't matter who asks the question, as soon as Josiah hears "sconce" he starts looking. His dad is a doctor and has frequently mentioned that infants don't have anything close to 20/20 vision. Apparently the sconce is visible to his less than perfect eyesight, because Josiah spots it right off and fixes his gaze.

We'll see what happens in a couple of weeks when we all get together for Christmas. Will the sconce here catch Josiah's eye? I hope so.

The Pressure to Blog

2006-11-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

How hard is it to write a few words and post a picture or two?

Sometimes I feel like it's too much of an effort to wait for the computer to boot up (do they still do that?) and to log in. I have excellent intentions and I even make it to the office, then I take one look at the computer armoir and turn the other way. I'd rather be knitting. I'd rather be stamping. But the pressure to blog eventually wears me down. Now here I am, over two weeks since my last post.

It's not like nothing has happened. I went to SLC to help my sis pack up her apartment (she's buying a house) and I got to see my nephew (not pictured above, well, not that one anyway). I finished several knit projects (pictures to come) and I've read a couple of great books (Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is one). I'm hooked on a cancelled sci-fi tv series (Farscape) and I had some great tamales that my aunt made. I think all those are blog worthy, I just let the blogpertunity slip by.

So let me tell you about my trip to Salt Lake. The flight from Sac is short, less than an hour and a half. I did have time to finish a hat I'd started earlier in the week and I wore it a few times while I was there. The weather was perfect for just a warm tee or sweatshirt and a hat to keep the heat in. Of course, wool socks helped a lot too. My sister keeps her apartment pretty warm (something about not wanting the baby to be cold) so I had to go around barefoot inside. She is mostly vegetarian, as a result I got to try some things I normally wouldn't. She also loves to cook and finds new recipes constantly. I learned how to make ratatouie and coconut curry. I taught her how to make apple dumplings and veggie filo triangles. We planned a picnic to Big Cottonwood Canyon, but it started to snow and the picnic areas were closed. The drive was nice. We went to visit Lily, who lives walking distance from the apartment (my sis thinks most things are walking distance so I usually lose 5 lbs when I visit her, she forgets we grew up in car-happy California). Lily is almost a hundred and one but you wouldn't think so to look at her. She has trouble with her eyes and last year developed diabetes. She loves to crochet Mile-a-minute afghans (the only patterns she knows by heart, although she recently retaught herself the granny square). There is absolutely nothing wrong with her mind. She is sharp as a tack. She remembers what the weather was like the year her son went to jr high (he's a grandpa now). What an inspiration! I hope I'm that together when I get to 70 and can only dream of reaching 100.

Next time: My nephew Josiah

Swap-O-Rama

2006-11-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

I've been participating in quite a few swaps the last six months or so. Here is a sampling of some the projects involved. So from the top, left to right.

1. The first one is a tote I made for Megan in the International Tote Exchange II. This is before felting. It's a Noni Pattern modified. I striped the bag instead of leaving it solid.

2. I received TWO cool bags from Katy in the Mid South. The first is like a Sophie bag in a really Impressionistic colorway. It reminds me of Monet.

3.The second one is a tres chic cabled handbag. I love it!

4.To finish off the one skein swap, I received from Nan in Colorado these very warm Wool of the Andes wristwarmers. I'll be using them this week when I go to Salt Lake.

5.My great Funky Scarf pal Beth in Oregon sent me the most beautiful funky scarf. It's a lace neckwarmer in specially dyed (my favorite colors) sock-weight yarn. The pattern is a really cool wave with little bobbles on the edges.

6.I chose to make a "fingers" scarf for my Funky Scarf pal Miriam in New York. Her favorite art piece is Birth of Venus by Botticelli so I picked colors from that painting to make stockinette strips. I then joined them together to get this. (coming soon, due to blogger picture uploading trouble)

And the winner is...

2006-10-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

The Grand Prize winner of the first hopefully annual Castillo/Miranda/Roberts (in alphbetical order) Pumpkin Carving Contest is this spooky specimen. Congrats whoever carved it.

Honorable mention to this devilish creature:

The prize for Most Spirit goes to:

and the AW Award goes to:

Great job, EVERYBODY!

HAPPY HOLLOWEEN!

Ta da!

2006-10-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of the funky things I found that wouldn't post last month. It is a "knitting" bag from Dolce and Gabbana. I think it's like $400. Yeah. It's things like this that make paying $100 for a Jordana Paige bag reasonable.
Jordana Paige Knitter's Satchel in Grape $89.00 Having a stylish bag to keep your knitting in, priceless!

Sock-ret Pal Questionnaire

2006-09-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

The basics:
How long have you been knitting? Just over a year and a half.
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? I’m an intermediate sock knitter moving up quickly.

The measurements:
While your pal may ask for some additional info to ensure a great fit, please provide your shoe size, or any other fitting related info you think is pertinent. I wear size 6 to 6 ½ US.

(fiber related) Favorites:
What colors do you love? I love fall colors and muted tones.
Do you prefer solids or variegated? I like stripe patterns, heathered, marled, or solids.
What fibers do you most love to knit with? I love knitting alpaca, it’s so soft!
Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors? I like Claudia Handpaint, Lorna’s Laces and Art yarns for socks. I also like Step (the jojoba yarn) and Misti Alpaca.
What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you most enjoy knitting? I like to knit hats, scarves, wrist warmers and other accessories.

(fiber related) Dislikes:
What fibers can you not stand to knit with? I don’t care for scratchy Icelandic wool, or squeaky Acrylic. To wear? The same, plus too much fun fur.
What colors would you never wear? Neon anything, lime green, not many oranges, bright Christmas red.

The Tools:
Plastic or Metal? Bamboo or wood? Metal or wood.
Circs or Straights? Straights for scarves and circs for everything else.
DPNs or Magic Loop? Both!
Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like? There is this yarn tension thing that goes on your pinky from cro-knit(?) that I saw in the Patternworks catalog and no where else.

The Extras:
Do you have a wish list? Only in my head. Check back in a few days and I’ll try to have it posted. If so, please share the link!
Do you like sweet, sour or salty? (or all of the above? *S*) Everything in moderation, but I tend toward salty.
Do you have any allergies your pal should know about? (Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc) I don’t have allergies, but I prefer no smoking.
Favorite scents? Lavender, spiced fruits, citrus. Scents you can't stand? Musk, powdery florals.
Do you collect anything (other than yarn and knitting toys of course)? I used to collect elephants (not real ones), now I have a small Peter Pan/Tinkerbell collection.
When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!) December 15th
Do you spin? Not yet. Dye your own yarn? Not yet.
Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you think will help your pal know you better...
I don’t have a favorite author, but I really like the Lucia series by E.F. Benson, my favorite band is U2, and my favorite vacation spots are anywhere on the Pacific Ocean coast or France.

No, my computer didn't crash

2006-09-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since my last entry. I went to Utah (by car) to see my brand-spankin'-new nephew. The trip was long and as I was driving, no knitting was done except for a few stitches here and there when I stopped to gas up. I really miss my sister and would love to be closer to her, but I'm not sure I want to leave California. I needed a couple of days to recover once I returned, so hardly any knitting and no blogging for me.

Once I did feel like myself again, I became obsessed with finishing a new felted bag. The Striped Tote from One Skein. I made mine from Cascade 220 for the bottom and Noro Kuryon for the stripes. It still needs to be felted but the knitting is done!

I've also been working on a cabled tam, but the pattern was written for flat knitting (I'm trying to do it in the round) and it's not in American English so it's more difficult than I expected and takes lots of concentration. I have three lace shawls in progress...Leaf Lace, Flower Basket, and Meadow Flowers, and two pairs of socks I'm trying to finish.

Meanwhile, I'm organizing an outing for my book club. We will be going to the coast to discuss this months selection Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindburgh. I like to have a little background on the author and additional related material to move the discussion along so this means research and less time for knitting.

I also like to make cards and attended a workshop for new stamping techniques. Plus a friend invited me to her house to work on our scrapbooking last week. What with all that and wanting to knit as well (not to mention I work full-time) I chose not to blog. So, Courtney, this blogs for you.

Funky Picture

2006-08-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

I just about gave up trying to post a picture. The two I originally chose (Oilily combat boots and Dolce and Gabbana leopard knitting bag) wouldn't post. Then I took a photo of this print hanging in my room and it posted after the fourth try. So keeping in mind that this is my third choice of something funky, let me tell you that I like this picture because it uses just a few great colors. The quality here isn't super but you can still see the different shades of red and gold and that little bit of bright pink. There's also some plum shades not showing up too well. I like that the chair is off balance and the poses aren't realistic but then the colors give it symmetry.

How Funky is your Scarf?

2006-08-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

By special request from my Funky Scarf pal, here are the answers to my swap questionnaire:

Let’s get the allergy part out of the way. Are you allergic to any fibers? Not that I'm aware of.
Do you prefer any fibers over others? I like almost anything but wouldn't care to wear Icelandic wool or fuzzy eyelash on my neck.
Thinking back to Scout’s post about what funky means to you, post an image of something that you think is funky! (See picture above) I need longer to search for something really funky, but this will do for now. ****Having trouble posting picture of Oilily Boot****
Would you prefer funky yarn or a funky pattern? I prefer funky yarn, but surprise me!
What are your favorite colors? I like muted tones like plum, sage and mauve, earth tones like forest green, taupe, brick, pumpkin and brown, also shades of blue and pink.
What is your favorite piece of art? I don't have one favorite but some of my favorites are Van Eyck's Ince Hall Madonna, Renoir's Grape Pickers at Lunch, any of the dancers by Degas, Rosetti's Prosperine, and a lot of Dali.
What colors would you never have up close to your pretty face? Lime Green or Bright Red
Would you prefer an actual scarf or a cowl? Hmm, a cowl might be nice.
When you wear a scarf do you prefer a wider/shorter scarf or a thin/long scarf? I mostly have shorter scarves because they don't get in the way of what I'm doing, but I do have a couple of scarves that wrap around, knot, and still hang low. But...(see next answer)
What is the climate like where you live? I live in California, just above Sacramento, so it doesn't get very cold here. There are some really hot days, some really cold days and a lot of nice days in between.
Would you prefer a functional scarf (to keep you warm) or one just to funk-up your wardrobe? It's always all about fashion!
What else would you like your partner to know about you? I really like cables and celtic designs.

Josiah (Sorry Barbie)

2006-08-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

My sister and her hubby are now proud parents. My new nephew who will be known to me as Josiah (I must apologize to my sister because this is his middle name, but I really like it!) or Joe for short (also not my sister's idea) was born at 1:38 am mst today. I can't wait to meet him. I'll be going to Utah in September to see how the little cutie pie is doing. If the drive isn't too terrible, I might make a habit of it.

Twisted Stitch

2006-08-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

Oh No! Not another yarn shop! Yes, it's true. I visited a new shop in West Sacramento called Twisted Stitch. It just opened about a week and half ago and is ab fab. Walking in you feel cozy and welcomed right away. Of course I couldn't leave without some yarn, could I?

The brown is Crystal Palace Kid Merino and the green and purple is Crystal Palace Musique

It's Off!

2006-08-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've put my FO in the mail for my One Skein Secret Pal. I chose the Triple Cable Muffler in 2nd Time Cotton for the "Finished Object" portion of the swap. If you look really close, you'll see I "pinned" the ends together with a stitch holder and stitch marker. It has really been a pleasure to pick yarns for my pal and to decide which of all the lovely One Skein projects to make for her.

KSKS Bag

2006-08-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

This is the wonderful bag my secret pal for the Knit Sock Kit Swap sent me. It came all the way from Canada! I love it because it is the perfect size to hold enough yarn and notions to complete a pair of socks. It has a pocket on either side (under the flap). You'll notice it's not in the previous photo of all the goodies my pal Manon sent me. That's because I pulled it out and put it to use right away. Thanks again, Manon!

Footies and Booties

2006-08-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

My sister saw the Cabled Footies I made for myself from One Skein and requested a pair in celery green to match the pajama she plans on wearing to the hospital when she goes into labor. I couldn't find the perfect shade of green, so I made them out of off-white Sirdar Breeze. Then I made a tiny little pair of baby blue booties for my expected nephew. He was due on the 10th but has not yet arrived. I only hope they fit him when the weather cools off enough for him to wear them!

Bertha Socks

2006-08-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so these socks are really called After Bertha, but it sounds kind of yucky when you say it fast.

They are tube socks so no heel flap, no gusset, no measuring required! They were fairly easy to knit and they fit comfortably. I am planning on making a little kid version for Kaylie and Nathaniel, that way they can wear them as their feet grow. I've got the yarn, now I just need the time.

p.s. As you can tell, I'm posting quite a bit since yesterday. I'm trying to make up for the last two months! Yikes! What will I write about next?

One Skein Footies!

2006-08-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

I finished the second project from One Skein. The Cabled footies. I used Cascade Superwash in a great teal color. I know the picture is blurry, but I can't seem to hold the digital camera steady, maybe my hands are shaky from so much knitting, or lack of sleep because I'm knitting. Anyway, I think they are fabulous. So does my sister who requested a pair to wear while she is in hospital having her first child! I'm almost done with hers.

My KSKS!

2006-08-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

What a great surprise was waiting for me Saturday. A package all the way from Canada from my KSKS pal, Manon. I love the bag with its outside pockets and drawstring closure. There were lots of goodies inside, too. From great German yarn to kitty treats for Harrison (you can see how happy he was about that).

Oh, I just noticed the bag is missing from the picture. Oops, I love it so much I already have a sock project in it. I'll post an update with the bag soon.

My Constant Companion

2006-07-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here is my almost finished Constant Companion. I use it just like this, but hope to finish the outside pocket and to line it so it will hold the shape better. I recently lined a felted bag for the first time. It wasn't as hard as I imagined so I should get around to lining my Sophie and this bag soon. I have some great sock monkey print fabric that might look good. You can't really tell from the picture, but my bag is striped brown and green. I made it from Lite-Lopi. This was a knit-a-long at my LYS earlier this year. Some other people in the KAL found it less than exciting to knit, after all it's almost all knit stitch in the round. I found changing color helped break up the monotony and kept me going.

One Skein Muffler

2006-07-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is the Triple Cable Muffler from One Skein. I made it with Cascade Fixation. I like the way it turned out but you can't really see the cables with the variegated yarn. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make another...

KSKS bag

2006-07-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

**Please make-believe this was posted 3 weeks ago. I'm a little behind in my blogging, you see.**

This picture shows what the bag I made for the KSKS swap looks like after felting. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of it after I blocked it. It turned out very nice, if I do say so myself. Perhaps my pal Danielle Hui from Canton MA (it's okay to reveal this since I have mailed the kit and she probably has it by now) will take a picture for me? I included a new Fiber Trends sock pattern and Lorna's Laces sock yarn it called for, a row counter, some M&M's, and a chibi for finishing. I hope you like it, Dani!

eeny meeny mynee MOEBIUS

2006-07-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

I finished my first moebius from the Treasury of Magical Knitting.

(pretend I posted this is June, because I meant to but didn't get a chance to photograph the moe until today)

I'm very happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to wear it. It is a little cold in my office but not quite cold enough for a sweater and the moe right now. I'm not sure I could carry off just the moe and a t-shirt.

I plan on starting another moebius with some Malabrigo I got during the Yarn Shop Hop in May, but I have quite a few projects in the work just now.

All WRAPped Up

2006-07-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've been working on several wraps recently. Mostly due to the cold front that moved into my new office space. Those darn industrial air conditioners! Here is a look.

If you're HAPPY and you know it, CLAPOTIS

2006-07-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

It is finished! I started the Clapotis from Knitty.com last summer and got about half way through when I found out that I had been twisting my stitches. I just started knitting last year, you see. The thought of frogging the whole project didn't appeal to me so I just put it away. I picked it up again about 3 weeks ago and after changing to a smaller needle size (twisted stitches are smaller and tighter) I decided no frogging would be necessary as no one will notice the second half is different when I'm wearing it. I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Tuscany and used size 6 needles (size 8 when I was twisting). So now I only have three UFO's (UnFinished Objects) I'm not working on. The homespun pants, which I will have to start over (because I was twisting stitches when I started them), my sister's afghan (she made the granny squares, I just have to hook them together), and a chenille poncho (I just can't find the pattern I was using for this one). The projects I have on needles and am working on are the After Bertha socks, and another pair of socks from the Vintage Socks book, and the Sock Monkey baby blanket from the Happy Hooker. I wasn't able to get a hold of any Bernat Denimstyle Rodeo Tan, so I had to change all the yarn called for in the pattern. I think it will be just fine.

Knit Sock Kit Swap

2006-06-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm truly excited about the sock swap I joined. However, the bags I've seen on the blog-- http://www.ksks.scoutj.com/ look way more sophisticated than I imagined they would be. That puts the pressure on me. Anyway, these are my answers to the KSKS questionnaire:

What are your favorite colors? I like denim blues and sage/olive greens, I like muted pinks and buttery yellows, I like browns and off-whites.

Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks? I knit my first sock almost a year ago.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? I have been buying multicolored yarn for socks lately. What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? I like superwash wool or cotton blends.

Where do you usually knit socks? Everywhere!

How do you usually carry/store small projects? In drawstring bags.

What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? I just got a book of vintage patterns that I can't wait to try.

What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? I've been doing various lace patterns lately.

What new techniques would you like to try? Just a little bit of fair isle.

Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? I do magic loop, and I want to try two circulars, but I think my favorite is still dpns.

What are some of your favorite yarns? I like Artyarns, and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. I also like the yarn that has jojoba and aloe vera, can't remember what it's called.

What yarn do you totally covet? Handpaint sock yarn in shades of pink, forgot the shade name but I have to touch it everytime I go to my LYS.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? I saw a leaf lace pattern for socks that I want to try.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I like Addi Turbos for magic loop and brittany wood for dpns. I prefer short dpns (5").

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I'm feeling a little bit like JO SHARP Rare Kid Mohair today. One of the multicolored skeins. Kind of fuzzy and mellow.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? I like Lemon Heads.

What’s your favorite animal? I like Elephants and Monkeys.

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? I have a cat, aged 11, named Harrison.

If you were a color what color would you be? I would be that grey/blue of the Pacific Ocean that is right at the horizon.

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s).. I have an old black U2 T-shirt with the cover of the Desire single on it (the picture of Larry drumming). It is so worn and comfortable now.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? I simply L. O. V. E. the ocean.

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. This is kind of lame, but I can't think of anything else at the moment. I like the verse in the Bible from Genesis that says Jacob worked seven years for Rachel but it was nothing to him because of the love he had for her.

Do you have a wishlist? A list?, no, I have a book!

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? I am so excited about making the bag, should I knit it?, sew it?, crochet it? Hmm.

It's a Boy!

2006-06-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, now I can let the cat out of the proverbial bag. What I've really been working on these last few weeks is a quilt for my sister's baby shower.
All the girls in the family embroidered a patch and it was my job to put them together into a quilt. I decided to use a rag edge finish between the squares (that is why some blocks don't look centered in this picture) so that more of the color would show. You must know two things. One, I am not a quilter even though I have made two before. Second, I came to this project late in the game. So please, don't be harsh. The party was today and we had a blast. Raschel did a fabulous job of planning, cooking, decorating, hosting, etc. Barbie enjoyed the whole shebang. Some of the games we played were the dirty diaper game, pin the baby on the mommy, and musical baby bottles. Yay!

Lacey Days

2006-06-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

I've been spending every spare minute (plus some that I should be spent on other things) on my Shoalwater Shawl. This is a lace pattern recommended for beginners. However, I found that it's not quite so much for beginning knitters as for beginning lace knitters. After a bit of TINKing (knitting backwards) between rows 27 and 31, I was on my way. My shawl is now knit and waiting to be blocked.

I also started a moebius from The Treasury of Magical Knitting. That's another project that required more than one start. I should finish it before fall.

Some news on the One Skein exchange. I found a great ball of yarn for my secret pal during the Yarn Shop Hop. I sent it to her a couple of weeks ago (it's been that long since my last blog) and she really liked it! I can't wait to see what my pal sends me. In the meantime, I'm working on finding the next great skein to be sent at the beginning of July.

The picture above is The Lacemaker by Vermeer. It looks like bobbin lace she is working on, not knitted lace, but it's lace nevertheless.

Sshh! Secret Pal

2006-05-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

I am participating in the One Skein secret pal exchange. Here is the questionnaire I answered and sent to the pal that will be sending me yarn.

1. Which yarn is most like your personality (you can be specific or general with your answer- brand, type, color, fiber, whatever)? Probably one of the heathered Misty Alpaca worsteds, because its soft and even and has lots of subtle coloring. I am mostly mellow and at first glance quite ordinary, but I have my moments.
2. What is your favorite color yarn to knit/crochet with? My friend Violet (owner of Frog Pond) laughs whenever I pick new yarn because it almost always is blue, brown, grey, tan, or black. Yes, I mostly like neutrals, but I do like pink, deep red, and autumn colors. As a matter of fact, I’m knitting a Shoal Water Shawl in a great shade of rose right now.
3. Have you ever used variegated, or magic, yarns? I have used self-striping sock yarn and variegated yarn. 4. Do you tend to favor certain fibers when choosing yarns? Nope, I’m an equal opportunity knitter! 5. Do you prefer to work with center-pull or traditionally wound balls of yarn? I prefer center-pull, but I have a ball-winder so how they come is not important.
6. Have you ever worked with organic yarns or are you interested in trying them? I just bought my first skein ever of organic yarn, I’m anxious to try it out.
7. How many and what projects have you made in the last year? Let me count the knit projects: 1. garter stitch hat and scarf set 2. Gryffindor scarf 3. Bzzz hat from SNB Nation 4. wristwarmers 5. two washcloths 6. mohair shrug 7. Debbie Bliss scarf 8. Three beanies 9. Sophie purse 10. felted bag 11. My Constant Companion 12. mohair ruffled scarflet 13. two Stitch Diva ruffled scarves 14. One Skein Triple-cable Muffler 15. fun-fur garter stitch scarf 16. skirt from Knit Scene 17. three felted flowers 18. three felted clovers 19. Mock Croc socks from Knitpicks 20. Cables and Lace socks 21. Snakes and Ladders socks 22. worsted socks 23. Tiny Treasures baby socks 24. baby booties That’s all I can remember at the moment, so that adds up to 29. I haven’t been crocheting nearly as much (after all, I have been able to crochet forever), probably just a belt, two hats, four ponchos, and some never ending granny squares for an afghan.
8. Will you be knitting any gifts this year? Absolutely. 9. What is your favorite one skein project? Right now it’s the triple-cable muffler, but that could change. I bought some Brown Sheep over the weekend to make the felted clutch.
10. How much yarn do you have in your stash and how do you store it? I have about 50 skeins, most in plastic tubs or hard-wood baskets.
11. Do you have a yarn in your stash that you love so much you can never use it or part with it? No, I just keep looking for a perfect project.
12. Do you knit less or differently in the summer? I just started knitting January 05, so I’ve only gone through one summer. I think it’s too soon to tell.
13. Do you belong to any knitting groups (online or offline)? I belong to Rocklin Chicks with Sticks. We meet on Wednesdays at a desert café or at Frog Pond Knits (our LYS).

Middle Earth

2006-05-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Is it two words? Anyway, a few weekends ago I went to the Middle Earth festival in Vacaville with Nathaniel and Kaylie. We saw lots of Elves, some Dwarfs, some orcs, and a really frightening Ringwraith. Nathaniel was immediately obsessed with the swords ("Auntie M, look at that sword!") and Kaylie couldn't keep her eyes off of the Elves ("She's a princess, Auntie M!). After spending too much money on snacks, a sword for Nathaniel, and a tiara for Kaylie, we headed back home. Ah, Middle Earth. I went, I saw, and I bought the T-shirt!

Mock Crock

2006-04-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Cables and Lace

2006-04-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Tiny Treasures

2006-04-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Whew!

2006-04-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

"My dear, it is just busy people who have time for everything." -Lucia (Queen Lucia by E. F. Benson)

I can't believe how much I have packed into the last month: Lots of knitting, a book club meeting, a trip to Middle Earth (more on that later), a couple of visits to my home town, a couple visits to a sick friend, more than a couple visits to see my "punkins", plus my day job! Things have finally slowed down enough for some computer time, hence this post.

Queen Lucia is one of my favorite books. It's the first in a series by E. F. Benson about the incomparable Emmeline Lucas ("Lucia" to her friends). She endeavors to make her life interesting and productive by leading the residents of her town in any number of cultural experiences. She organizes Elizabethan fetes, garden parties to benefit the local hospital, art exhibitions, lectures, classes on yoga, classes on Dante, etc. But her life becomes extremely interesting when she moves to Tilling in book four, Mapp and Lucia. There she encounters Miss Elizabeth Mapp, the perfect foil to all of her plans. You see, Miss Mapp has been used to leading Tilling and does not at all like having a challenger to her throne. I love audio books and I have three of the Lucia books on CD. Part of my time this month was spent listening to them again.

This month I finished quite a few of my knitting projects and started more. Finished this month: Cables and Lace socks for my Frog Pond sock-of-the-month club, Mock Croc socks from Knitpicks, Ruffled Neck Warmer from Knit 1 fall/winter, Tiny Treasures sock, and the Curlicue Ruffle Scarf from Stitch Diva. Started this month: Mrs. Beaton from Knitty.com, Triple Cable Muffler from One Skein, and the Kepler sweater. Still in progress: Homespun pants from Interweave Knits Summer 2004?, Clapotis from Knitty.com, a chenille poncho, and my sister's afghan.

I'm having trouble posting more than one picture per post so I will be posting some picture only posts to show off my projects.

Ta ta!

A Peaceful Afternoon

2006-03-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

A cup of tea, a good movie and some yarn. Those are my requirements for today. After a full week of work and chores, I'm ready for some down time. Today I will be watching Jezebel with Bette Davis. I've seen this movie once before a long time ago. Yesterday at the video store, I saw it on the Classics shelf and decided it would be perfect for today. I'll be having peppermint tea (the closest I'll get to a mint julep) in honor of the movie's southern locale and working on one of four sock projects I have going right now.
I just finished a sock for my nephew Benjamin. This one will fit him for at least a month. The booties I knit for him when he was born only fit him the first week. He shall be known as BIG FOOT. I still need to knit the companion sock, but since the other one only took two days, I'm sure they will still fit when I'm done, I hope.
His big sister Kaylie asked for a pair of red socks, but I'm having trouble finding a good shade of red for a three-year old.
Nathaniel, their six-year old brother is easy to please. He wants blue socks, any shade. There's plenty of blue sock yarn out there.
I'm working on a sock-of-the-month project from my local yarn shop Frog Pond Knits. This month we are doing cables. The yarn I picked is gorgeous Claudia Hand Painted in Walk in the Woods. The picture doesn't do it justice. So, now it's time to knit.

Barbie's Tummy

2006-02-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my sister Barbie. She is just soooo happy to be preggers! Congratulations Barb, I hope to see your tummy in person soon.

First Ever

2006-02-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

This is my first post on my first blog...ever. I am not new to computers or the net, but as far as blogging goes I have never taken the time to do more than read someone else's. Family and friends, watch out!