Astabeth Knits

2009-12-14T18:36:00.001-06:00

I am definitely doing the Whole Brain Teaching thing next semester. http://bit.ly/UmQcs

Handspun & Handknit

2009-11-30T21:46:00.004-06:00

We went to Gatlinburg last weekend, and Lorelei got to try out her mittens & hat. I wanted to make her something out of handspun, and she chose a blue/gray combination of some Louet that I had spun and chain plied:

I still need to make some I-cord to keep the mittens together, but she loved them:

2009-11-24T20:52:00.001-06:00

When I first started creating art, I wanted to change the world. Later, I realized I was changing the world. . . mine.

2009-11-22T19:40:00.001-06:00

Very cool - meditation & drawing all in one - anyone can do it: http://ping.fm/OjVZk

New Blog!

2009-11-21T10:11:00.002-06:00

I have a new blog - not for knitting, but for teaching. I pulled some old posts that relate to the theme of the new blog, teaching art, and added them to it.

I will be done with grad school in a few weeks, and I hope to get to update them both more frequently!

The new blog is Teaching Art in Alabama.

This Summer

2009-08-03T21:34:00.003-05:00

This summer went by entirely too fast! We spent a week at the beach and Miss Priss loved it - she is very much a beach bum. She had a pirate party for her birthday. It was a lot of fun. If anyone is taking kids to Panama City Beach, the Pirate Cruise was the best money we spent all week. We can't find enough good things to say about it.

During July I participated in Ravelry's WIP Wrestlemania. For those who don't knit, a WIP is a work in progress. I have way too many, and I got about 12 of them completed during the month. I played on Team Tardis.

I also painted a butterfly for Decatur's public art project, Arts Aflutter:

I am also painting a rain barrel for a similar project in Huntsville.

That's all I have for now - I have been putting most blogg-ish stuff on Facebook, so my blog has been neglected!

Plexiglass Drypoint

2009-05-16T18:04:00.003-05:00

I am planning on spending 6 weeks with my Art II class on printmaking next year. I wanted to create an intaglio lesson plan - we have a small, seldom used press. I had heard of using plexiglass for engraving, but didn't know if it would work well with water-based ink. I did a little playing around to try it, and it will be fine for high schoolers.

I've never done anything but collagraphs and relief printing, so this was new to me. I did a little doodle & some scribbles to see how it would work.

I added waterbased printing ink:

and scraped it into the cracks with a piece of plastic (an old driver's license):

Then I wiped off all the excess ink with old phone book pages:

My brand new press didn't work right, but I managed to get a semi-decent print - the only bad part is it's very light. Once I get my press fixed (or replaced) I will experiment a little more and see if I can get it darker. Maybe if I don't soak the paper. See how light it is?

It only bled in a couple of places, though. I should be able to tweak it to use in class.

Uneven Spinning and Other Things

2008-10-13T14:32:00.004-05:00

I finally plied and skeined (is that a word?) my Finn wool. I have about 750 yards of what (on average) is around a DK / sport weight. I think it's enough for Miss Priss a sweater. A very "handmade" looking sweater.

The color is more accurate in my last post - the lighter blue areas are really a light blue-green. I am still on a learning curve with the woolie winder - this is so loosely plied it is going to be like knitting with two energized singles. I am learning. I thought about running the whole thing again to make it more balanced, but I am too short on time (lazy).

Indiana was irritated that I wasn't out there to pet him.

I am also making progress on Miss Priss' dress, but I don't think I'll have time to get it finished before the wedding this Saturday.

Ignore the poor composition of the above photo. My lunch was on the stove and I was in a hurry. I have divided for the armholes and started on the right back. I measured it on her and it seems like it will be fine, which is good because I couldn't find a yarn locally that I could get gauge with and still have a nice fabric. I have too much going on this week to expect to finish it. But I can hope.

I haven't done anything much for my sculpture class, and it's past midterm. In order to work on my sculpture, I have to have a space to work. In order to have a space to work, I have to clean up my sunroom/studio. My life is one of those sliding puzzles - you know, the ones that have four columns across and four rows down and the sixteen spaces are filled with fifteen little tiles that you are supposed to slide around until you have a picture. I have to go through lots of steps before I can complete anything, it seems. Here is a small portion of my sunroom:

Scary, isn't it? I am only posting this because when I posted pictures of my sewing and weaving areas, my husband said, "that would be a lot more impressive if people knew what it looked like when you started." I like having clean places, but when facing deadlines and due dates, sometimes stuff gets spread out. And then it gets piled back in the room where it goes, but not put away (because that takes more time). I have to remember that if I would take the time to put things away, it would save me a lot of time later.

Okay, back to work!

Squeaking In Time

2008-09-25T20:57:00.005-05:00

Look! Spinning!

I love my new woolee winder! I love my new woolee winder! I love my new woolee winder!

As busy as I am, I have been squeaking in a little time to do some things I like. I am now teaching full time (I go to an elementary school in the mornings and finish up the day at a high school). That kind of eats into my lesson planning time and my working-on-grad-school-projects time, but I am learning to manage my time better. So I am making it. And Joe starts a new job in a week and a half, only a few blocks from the house! He will be working 8-4 M-F and 9-2 every other Sat., so it is a much nicer schedule than he had before. At his current job, he will have three nights next week where he will have to work until 11:30 pm in Huntsville. And we probably won't see him at all his last weekend there because they are having a big sale.

So my job has changed some, Joe is changing jobs, and Miss Priss started a new school last week. She is going to the school where I teach in the mornings. She really seems to like it. They have already had a field trip to a wildlife center, and they will be learning to bowl in the gym next week, wrapping up the week with a trip to the local bowling alley. We finished this tonight, so it can hang in the hall with all the other kids' paper bodies:

I am hoping to make her the Jane Austen dress from the new Mason-Dixon knitting book before a wedding we are going to in mid-October. I haven't gotten very far yet. I'm only halfway through the ruffle at the bottom of the bodice:

In other things, we are very excited that the guys from Brotherhood 2.0 are going to be in Gadsden in November! We are SO there!

And that's all the news that's fit to blog.

Loose Ends

2008-08-24T17:38:00.005-05:00

Wrapping up some loose ends because this may be the last post for a while...

I hope not, but realistically, work and school and some outside obligations will probably prevent my posting for a while. I will if I can.

I participated in Ravelympics '08. I had to carve a little time away for myself, and this was a great excuse. I competed in the Handspun Heptathlon for Team Splurk, turning 4 oz. of merino from Smoky Mountain Spinnery into this:

I also competed in the WIP Wrestling (for works-in-progress that you think you'll never finish) for Team Red Sox Nation. I finished Miss Priss' baby blanket (yes, I know she's five now). But she loves it.

It took a really long time, especially since it was in garter stitch. She is so excited that it is finished!

The Red Scarf Project

2008-08-15T15:55:00.004-05:00

What happens to a child in foster care when they are too old to stay in the foster care system?

Many of them go to college. Can you imagine going to college as an eighteen-year-old and being totally alone? No parents or family to come home to, no one to guide you or help you if you stumble?

This is where the Orphan Foundation of America comes in. Their website states:

OFA defines an orphan as any child who has lost the love of their parents through death, abandonment, abuse, or neglect.

In addition to scholarships, guidance, mentoring, and work training, the OFA sends out care packages to those teens who have "aged out" of the foster care system and are trying to make it in college. These packages are sent out three times a year. The Red Scarf Project is a project to make scarves (red ones) for the packages that are sent out for Valentine's Day.

If you go to the OFA's Red Scarf Project page, you can see lots of pictures of pround students showing off their scarves. I am working on one now. They don't have to be red, just unisex, because you don't know if a girl or a boy will get it.

Here is the info, straight from their site:

Scarf Size: Approximately 60" long and 5" to 8" wide. Scarves should be long enough to be wrapped around the neck, with tails long enough to be tied in the front.

Style: Think unisex collegiate. Ask yourself if your son, brother, and/or husband would enjoy receiving the scarf. Fringes are optional. Your scarf should drape and tie easily.

Yarn: Preferably DK, double fingering-weight, worsted weight, or light bully yarns. No laceweight, super-chunky, or mohair yarns as there are many people who find mohair too itchy. The yarn should be soft.

Color: Red! However, this could mean burgundy, cherry, russet, red stripes with other colors, or multicolor hues including red. Other unisex colors, including black, navy, teal, olive or gold are also welcome.

Finished and tagged: Yarn ends should be securely sewn in. For a personal touch, attach a tag saying "Handmade for You" with your first name, city, and group affiliation, if any. Donors have also included washing instructions, messages of encouragement, gift cards, burger bucks, books of stamps, etc.

Scarves will be accepted between Sept. 1, 2008 - Oct. 31, 2008. They need to be mailed to:

Orphan Foundation of America

The Red Scarf Project

21351 Gentry Drive

Sterling, VA 20166

Even if you don't knit or crochet, you can help. Spread the word! In fact, Scout of Scout's Swag is having a contest. If you promote the Red Scarf Project on your blog, Ravelry, Flickr, etc. before Monday, she will enter you in a drawing for some lovely yarn and a $25.00 gift certificate to her store! Details here. And you don't have to knit/crochet/sew a stitch! But you should, you really should.

School's In!

2008-08-09T20:29:00.003-05:00

School has started, and everything is going well so far. Scheduling is crazy, with one child close to the house but having frequent band practices, the other child all the way across town (Kindergarten!), and my school (work) somewhere off to the side. I will add my school (grad school classes) in a whole 'nother town on the 18th. I will go Monday and Tuesday nights, and all three classes should be easy & fun. They probably will not be as much work as the ones I have had the last three semesters.

I have been participating in Ravelympics 2008, on two teams. I am spinning 4 oz. of a lovely purple merino in the Handspun Heptathalon event, for Team Splurk (spinning + Plurk). I am also trying to finish Lorelei's log cabin blankie that I started . . . umm, five years ago. That is in the WIP Wrestling event, for Team Red Sox Nation. For those of you non-knitters, WIP stands for "work in progress."

Also for those of you who don't know, Plurk is a great time-waster. It is like Twitter, only better. At least that's the consensus of what I have seen from people who use both. Of course, now that school has started I haven't had time to Plurk much.

A List

2008-08-01T22:14:00.002-05:00

I have a lot of things that I want or need to do, and I hope that by putting them in a visible form it will encourage me to spend more time doing these things and less time 'piddling' and doing things I am not as interested in. So, here goes:

Need to:

organize sunroom

make that tabletwoven belt

Bagatelle stuff

go through the box of Miss Priss' schoolwork from the past year

go through all the "what on earth is in this box?" boxes

finish Nana's socks

Want to:

do some dyeing of yarn

spinning

knit that Danish tie shawl

weave

organize yarn / fiber stash

cataloge WIPs

add pictures to ravelry projects

make new garb

finish my quilts

get into the pottery studio

finish test knitting sock pattern

In my dreams:

post stash to ravelry

post knitting books to ravelry

I will edit this post as I think of more...

Motivation

2008-07-29T19:19:00.003-05:00

Plurk has motivated me to update my blog. I have finished another room, the second-worst in the house. I present to you the sewing room:

It's not really a room, but a section of the downstairs that is blocked off by my storage shelves and cubbies:

On the other side of the blue shelf and white cubbies (my cheap acrylic storage, decent yarn is on the other side and really good yarn is upstairs) is the TV area. Working around the room, you can see the rest of the shelving on that side (and the 'door') and my fabric storage (unspun fiber is on the other side).

I am very happy with how it has turned out. I still have to organize my fabric and yarn, but it will do for now - the goal is for me not to be ashamed for someone else to see it, and here it is on my blog, so I need to work on other areas of the house next.

My sunroom is next. It is where I do my painting, jewelry making, and all other artwork except for knitting and ceramics. I will have to move some things around in the closets in my sewing room (if I haven't used what's in them in the past year, I probably can get rid of it) so I can move some things I don't use so much down from upstairs. Then I will have space to get things done. Right now I don't have space to move up there!

The Swing of Things

2008-07-27T18:00:00.003-05:00

Well, school is finally over for the summer and I have a week before I start teaching again (as long as everything goes as expected). I have spent all of my free time organizing, trying to make my house something that I'm not ashamed for other people to see. I started with the laundry room, which is also my closet. One of the perks of living in a 100+ year old house is very little closet space. Instead of ankle-deep in laundry (or deeper), like it used to be, it now looks like this:

That is all of my dresses, suits, skirts, pants, and SCA clothes. No more dirty clothes on the floor! The washer and dryer are here:

That is 'line dry' stuff on the small wheeled rack (I love it!), and everything else - tops, coats, sweaters, purses, shawls - is in the two closets and the small drawers below them.

Spare linens are in the top cubbies.

I have been able to keep the laundry room like this for about a month, so I hope it is permanent. What I am really excited about is this:

It used to be the computer room (but now we use laptops and don't need the big desk, CD's, etc. I have been calling it the weaving room or weaving studio. Joe calls it (insert drumroll and in a deep voice, announce) "The Loom Room of Doom" - dum dum duuuuum.

He built the shelves for me:

and I have spent three days working on it and my sewing room (hopefully pics to come on that soon). I hope to post more later!

I Can't Believe It's Been So Long

2008-05-11T10:05:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. I am done with grad school for a couple of weeks, and I will be done teaching for the summer in two weeks, and things are going well.

On the knitting front, I have finished a pair of socks from some pink & lime yarn I got from the fiber festival in Murfreesboro a few weeks ago, and have started some socks in the Frootloops pattern from Knitty.com - but I will probably frog them as the yarn is too colorful for the stitch pattern.

I hope to update and post pictures soon!

Clay Conference Pictures on Hold

2008-02-20T16:24:00.005-06:00

Until Apple sends me my computer (which I have been trying to buy since Monday, Feb. 11), I can't show all of my Alabama Clay Conference photos. So I will show you what we found on our treasure hunt today. Miss Priss got a metal detector for Christmas. We took it out for its first real test today. You find a bunch of junk - but for all the foil candy wrappers, bottle caps, nails, and can tabs that you find...

...occasionally you find real treasure!
Yep, we came back a penny richer. But we didn't need the metal detector to find the real treasures:

Update Coming Soon - I Hope!

2008-02-12T14:48:00.000-06:00

I went to the Alabama Clay Conference this weekend, saw some friends, and had a good time - I even got some knitting done! I hope to post soon, but it will probably be Monday - too many tests and babies due and inlaws coming and my apprentice and her whole family visiting, and our group's event... Yep, probably Monday.

New Year's Break

2008-01-19T11:37:00.001-06:00

DSC03405
Originally uploaded by astabeth

I finally finished and turned in my Advanced Printmaking class (yay!), but it was on the first night I had new classes, so I have homework already. No rest for the weary. But I have a little room for procrastination, so I am updating my Ravelry stuff. Here is my first contribution:

Astabeth's Lush Scarf

Yarn: Classic Elite's Lush - 50% Angora / 50% Wool, Aran weight, 2 skeins

Gauge: Not critical; I got 18 stitches per inch in garter stitch

Needles: US8 or whatever gives you appropriate gauge or drape

Stitches: sk2p = slip one stitch, knit two together, pass the slipped stitch over

Directions

Set-up:
Cast on 25 stitches. If you want it wider, add stitches in increments of 6.
Knit 7 rows for the garter stitch border.

Pattern rows:

Row 1 (wrong side) and all odd # rows: Knit 3, Purl to last 3 stitches, Knit 3

Rows 2, 4, and 6: K4, *yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1; rep from * to last 3 stitches, k3.

Row 8: K5, *yo, sk2p, yo, k3; rep from *, last rep will end with k5.

Row 10: K4, *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1; rep from * to last 3 stitches, k3.

Row 12: K3, k2tog, *yo, k3, yo, sk2p; rep from * to last 8 stitches, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k3.

Repeat these 12 rows until you are at the end of one skein, do not bind off. Cast on with the second skein and make another identical half.

Finishing:
Weave the ends together - kitchener, three-needle bind-off, or your preferred method. Block gently.

Sources:
Stitch pattern is "Spider Stitch" from Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

2007-10-22T22:39:00.000-05:00

Just had to pipe up for a second to say

GO SOX!

2007-10-14T18:49:00.001-05:00

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Goddess. You are constantly giving and are unconcerned with reward, you simply want others to love knitting as much as you do. If someone wants to knit miles of novelty yarns, you are there for them. If someone wants to learn short row shaping, you can help. There are no taboos in knitting, only opportunities to grow. Everyone should have friend like you around if they want to learn to knit, and there's a good chance that your passion has rubbed off on a few others.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!

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First Couple of Days

2007-08-23T08:21:00.000-05:00

Last Friday was the first day of school for Miss Priss. They don't have to wear uniforms on Fridays, so she got to pick out what she wore:

She was excited to be there, and just wanted me to hurry up and quit taking pictures.

They were ready for her:

She didn't care when I left - she was busy with the Play-Doh.

On Monday she had to wear her uniform:

She was upset when she had to leave school on Friday. She was very happy to be going back:

She is getting used to wearing her backpack.

In less exciting (and photogenic) news, I have started grad school - night classes. We'll see how it goes. I think my classes will be pretty easy, but time consuming (one has eleven papers due by the end of the semester).

With a certain someone gone to school everyday, I should have some time before work to get homework done.

Please...

2007-08-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

I have a favor to ask. But first:

Here is the sweater I thought I'd make big, baggy, and way oversize for Miss Priss. It was way oversize, but at least the proportions were right. I thought in a year or two it could be for around-the-house and she could grow into it. It was so big on her, I let the 13-year-old try it on:

So I sent it home with her. It was pretty hideous, anyhow. I used EZ's EPS with bulky yarn so the pattern at the yoke is humongous and I had to decrease during it. And bad patterning with two different size yarns. Oh well, I'm learning. It's only my second sweater, anyhow. Ernie has directions to bring it back when Miss Priss is big enough.

My request - anyone who reads this, if you would, please say a prayer for my mom. She had breast cancer about 10 years ago that had spread to her lymph nodes, and it seems to have returned. She has a bone tumor in her leg, and there is very little bone left there. It is fragile, and if it breaks she will be in even worse shape. They are going to remove what they can of the tumor hopefully later this month and reinforce her bone with some metal. Then she'll go through radiation and everything just like she had to last time. We all need your prayers right now.

Now, to make me feel a little better, here is some Miss Priss. She likes to play dress-up:

She is such a character! She has on her favorite shoes (light up cowboy boots that her aunt got her), a disco-type dress-up top, and a pink pearlescent belt. And her father's camouflage hat.

She starts school (4 year old Kindergarten) tomorrow. I can't believe she's so big. I was a little concerned when I looked at the list showing what she should be able to do at the end of the year (recognize her name? She can already write it!), but I will ask about that tomorrow when I drop her off. If you look in the sweater picture at the top of the post, you can see behind Ernie some of the words that she can already read. I hope she's not bored.

A parting shot:

Well, It's Official

2007-08-11T07:36:00.000-05:00

...I'm a teacher. After over a week of training and working on my room, I had students Thursday and Friday. I was a little nervous, but I had a great time both days. And I'll be more comfortable once I learn all the students' names.

I'm going to like this so much better than my year at the laboratory school, where I was thrown in to teaching K-6 with no curriculum, no mentor, no training, no anything.

Everyone at the school where I work is really nice. We had Monday to work on our rooms, and I had everyone from janitors to assistant principals coming by to introduce themselves and welcome me.

I am only part time, which is good because I'm working on my Masters. I have two classes of Art Awareness (that's art appreciation) and one Art I.

And all the new teachers got $100 at the local teacher supply store to get stuff for their rooms. I'm going today to get a stapler, tape, dry erase markers... all kinds of stuff.

Not much knitting done lately, but I am working on a pair of Magic Stripes Socks. The mystery shawl has fallen by the wayside. Maybe once I get my lesson plans ready I can work on it for a little while every day before I have kids.

Image Heavy, Minor Knitting Content

2007-07-22T09:44:00.000-05:00

This has almost ceased to be a knitting blog. I did get some knitting on my Prisoner of Azkaban scarf at the Harry Potter Party. Friday night we went to our local Books-A-Million for the activities. They were very disorganized (lots of disappointment over the costume contest foul-ups), but we still had fun. I went with Hermione Grainger (on the left) and Luna Lovegood (center front), and we ran into a Gryffindor friend of ours when we got there (on the right):

Whenever there was an activity in the kids' department, my child ceased to participate (she couldn't resist the lure of the books):

There was wand making:

...but we had already made ourselves wands earlier in the day (from top to bottom, mine, Hermione's, Luna's):

We saw Fluffy:

...and Madame Pomfrey and Professors Umbridge and Trelawney:

My child left early - she was starting to wind down and couldn't seem to forget we were in a bookstore:

We had a good time, despite the jerks who had endings written on their t-shirts going through the store. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

In other news, I did get a job, teaching 2 Art Appreciation classes and one Art 1 class at a local high school. It's part time, so that will give me time to work on my Masters in Education.

I am excited to hear that Nervousness.org is being worked on. One of the projects I plan to teach this year involves making ATCs, and I learned about them and made my first ones through Nervousness. I tried playing recently, and only had two participants sign up, and both were really late sending things. The current site is but a shadow of the former site. I hope it returns better than ever!

I have finished the body (up to the armpits) and two sleeves (up to the armpits) of my first Elizabeth Zimmerman Percentage System sweater. I am making a big, oversize one for Miss Priss that she can grow into. The yarn matches her eyes. I hope to join all the pieces today. I still haven't had time to work on the Mystery Stole.

Dressed to Kill

2007-07-19T20:47:00.001-05:00

This is what happens when your daughter loves dinosaurs and Polly Pockets:

Take a closer look:

In other news, Mystery Stole #3 is kicking my backside. I can't seem to find any *guaranteed* uninterrupted moments to work on it. Plus I've had a lot going on, including a new job and starting a new school for a new degree. So I am still on (I think) row 91. On clue 1. And clue 4 comes out tomorrow. I expect once school starts and I get into a routine, I will be able to work on it. I hope.

Some Amazing Stuff!

2007-07-09T17:56:00.000-05:00

Check this out:
Knit-Night Cupcakes

Mystery Shawl 3

2007-07-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

Still on clue one.

One More FO

2007-07-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

It' s been a long time since I posted a finished object, even though I have finished a few. Here is my most recent:

The Jayne hat and its happy recipient!

I'm Back, at Least for a While

2007-05-16T18:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I have graduated (yay!) and am out for the summer. So I have finally been able to play with this:
which I have been using to turn this:

into this:

Then, I have been using this (a wooden wheel, cup hook, and a dollhouse turning):

to make this:

... and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I am shooting for different skeins but similar colors, and trying to decide what I'll make of them. Right now, socks and gloves are what I'm thinking. I want to stripe with the different skeins. The wool is superwash Merino mill ends.

I also recently finished my first Moebius knitting (yes, I know that's missing some dots, but I'm lazy) with some blue-violet cashmere from SP9. Also working on some odd balls that I got on vacation last summer. I've made a short neck scarf out of one and am working on a hat out of another. And I'm working on a pair of cotton Tabi Socks. It's good to be out of school!

2007-03-28T11:54:00.000-05:00

Alabama Mothers Deserve Midwives

My latest project (non-knitting).

I Have the BEST Secret Pals!

2007-01-22T07:19:00.000-06:00

Mail goodies came my way over the past couple of days:

I will try to gather all this up - I thought I had already taken a pic of everything unwrapped. This is from knittinkninja, my SP9 secret pal. She sent me two skeins of alpaca, a skein of hand dyed sock yarn, EBONY DPNS FROM LANTERN MOON, a buggy finger puppets pattern, the Schurch Sock book, a cute card, some stickable super strong star magnet thingys, and a cute fridge magnet.

She always sends something for Miss Priss. This time it was a stuffed gray sheep that has been dubbed "Cheesy," a sheet of stickers, and some bangle bracelets.

I don't know how she did it, but I absolutely love everything she sent me. If you're reading this, Amanda, I definitely did enjoy the spoiling!

The next day, I got a package containing this:

This is my Knit Mitt Kit Swap kit. I received dpns, markers, and needles, along with a card, some Noro Silk Garden, a pattern, chocolate, some Burt's Bees hand cream, and a handknitted felted bag. Thanks, Olivia - I love it! The bag is going to be my new take-to-school knitting bag.

2007-01-16T02:19:00.000-06:00

Lorelei's Babies

Something we did just fooling around over the break - warning: it's long and repetitive! I need to edit some.

Back to the Usual

2007-01-14T12:53:00.000-06:00

Well, school is back in session and things are returning to normal. My one goal, of getting the house clean over the holiday break, has flown right out the window. My bedroom is clean. That's it. And it still needs vacuuming.

I am getting my last SP9 package ready to send, along with the Knit Mitt Kit Swap package. I hope to mail those Tuesday!

I am currently at work on the bag for the KMKS. And I have finished a strip and a half on Lorelei's log cabin blankie. Pics to come.

Lorelei's Babies

2007-01-07T21:18:00.000-06:00

We did this just fooling around - if I knew it would turn out so well, I'd have brushed her hair. Warning - it's long and repetitive and in need of editing.

Why I Love Snow

2007-01-01T13:17:00.000-06:00

[This is for an SP9 contest]

Top 10 Reasons I Love Snow:

10. When there's a lot, you can make an igloo (sort of)
9. I don't have to drive in it
8. Snowball fights
7. The visuals - the way the sky looks, the snow in your headlights as it swirls across the road, the bits of white you see when there is snow in your eyelashes
6. I don't have to shovel it
5. Snowmen
4. Catching snowflakes on my tongue
3. Making snow angels
2. It's rare where I live (see #6 & #9) so I seldom get to see it and when I do, it's a real treat.
1. Because of #2, when there is snow here, everything closes - the schools, most jobs / businesses. It's a free day to play!

My daughter is three and a half and has never seen real snow.

Anticlimax

2006-12-31T21:47:00.000-06:00

Well, the hubby and Miss Priss are sick and in the bed asleep. Our lone New Year's Eve company has ditched us for a game of D&D. So I am upstairs on the computer.

Happy New Year's, everyone!

*pout*

Oh, well. It could be worse - I could be sick, too!

------------Begin Knitting Content------------------

I did start calorimetry, though. I was smart and checked the knittyboard before I started it. It turns out everyone's seems to be coming out way too big, even when they get gauge. I went down two needle sizes and cast on 108 stitches instead of the recommended 120. I'm using Patons SWS - first time I've used it - and we'll see how it goes. I love how the yarn looks.

------------End Knitting Content--------------------

It's Been Busy

2006-12-27T19:04:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is our last day of traveling.

In gift news, I got 4 knitting books, a textile history book, and 10 packs of Rit dye!

More news later.

Happy Holidays!

I've Never Done This Before

2006-12-20T21:55:00.000-06:00

I didn't know it would take two days and three trips to the grocery store yesterday and two today.

The result is an aching back and lots of goodies!

Holiday Knitting

2006-12-19T12:10:00.000-06:00

This is a blurry pic of completed Christmas knitting for this year. Clockwise, from top right, are Greta's socks, Oisie's fingerless mitts, Nana's fingerless mitts, and Nana's socks. I do have to go back and chain between the fingers on Oisie's because I had her try on Nana's and she didn't like that there was nothing between the fingers. I'll leave Nana's alone and if she wants chains I can go back and put some in.

Right now I'm trying to finish a scarf for Oisie's birthday (tomorrow). Better go!

We Now Return to Your Regularly Scheduled Knitting Content

2006-12-15T10:08:00.000-06:00

I finished my second pair of Christmas present socks yesterday:

I think I like them better inside-out:

I also finished one of a pair of fingerless mitts, and am working on the second. Christmas knitting, full steam ahead!

I'M DONE!!!

2006-12-14T11:08:00.000-06:00

I am FINISHED for the semester! I am going to SIT ON MY BUTT and KNIT ALL DAY! ...as soon as I clean up the kitchen and living room and do some laundry.

The firing of the wood kiln went very well, the salt worked and glazed the pieces. All in all, I was very happy. I also made pictures.

My honey (the one in charge of the wood):

Our friend Mike (the one in charge of the fire) raking out the embers:

We covered the chimney when we salted:

The fire is really looking for oxygen in this one:

Opening up (for anyone into ceramics, that's cones 8, 9, and 10 FLAT on the top shelf!):

What I turned in:

Now this blog can resume knitting content!

No Posting Right Now

2006-12-08T09:47:00.000-06:00

...because I am in the middle of FINALS! Trying to get all this stuff done. And firing the wood-fueled salt kiln tomorrow morning through Sunday night. And turning lots of stuff in on Monday and Wendsday.

And then I'm done.

And that's a lot of ands.

SP9 Goodies!

2006-12-05T20:52:00.000-06:00

I have the best SP9 pal! Yesterday I got a great package.

Watching Lorelei open her goodie was almost as fun as opening mine:

She was thrilled with her snowman bag and her play-doh ornaments:

And I hit the jackpot:

In addition to the lovely handmade card, I got dark chocolate with almonds (gone already), a lovely smelling candle in a tin, a star full of gold bath gel, some birdie stitch markers, some wool to dye, and some lovely baby alpaca in a purple colorway. And One-Skein Wonders - I have already picked out several projects that I want to make.

Curse finals! Come on, Dec. 13!

Thank you, secret pal!

You Know You're a Redneck...

2006-12-01T18:26:00.000-06:00

...when the people who own the property behind yours accidentally set your property on fire...

(after the fire dept. left)

...and one of the fire trucks gets stuck in the front yard (which is already full of about 15 volunteer firefighters' SUVs)...

...and the kids all have to get their picture made on a fire truck...

...and a backhoe has to come and pull the stuck fire truck out of your front yard.

Not to mention trying to put out small fires that kept popping up after the fire dept. left, the neighbor trying to put out 5' diameter fires WITH A WATERING CAN, calling the fire dept. AGAIN, and trying to walk your almost-eighty grandmother out of the woods when the flashlight dies and you get turned around...it was a long Saturday at my mom's. The relatives from out-of-state got a show to remember.

I've been sick this week, so that's why I haven't posted.

In knitting content, I finally finished Mona's scarf!

Next, I plan to try to turn this:

...into something a little more 'attached' than this:

I also finished spinning & plying the black (red/blue) yarn. I have 350 yards. Yay!

Back to the schoolwork.

Finished Objects

2006-11-24T10:16:00.000-06:00

Finished Project #1:

At left, with the recommended needles; at right, with what I will probably use for fingerless gloves:

And, what I am prouder of:

Lorelei's sweater is finally finished!

I didn't block it; I think it would have looked better if I did. I was happy with the seams, it was the first time I had done much mattress stitch.

And she seems to like it (thank goodness)!

It's Been an Image Heavy Day

2006-11-18T16:27:00.000-06:00

...And Now We Wait

2006-11-18T15:47:00.000-06:00

Setting up. We used RIT dye - Rose Pink, a mix of Royal Blue and Evening Blue, a mix of Royal Blue and Rose Pink, and a mix of Evening Blue and Rose Pink. Basically, a blue, two purples, and a pink. I only had girly-girl colors on hand.

The two skeins, side by side, on plastic wrap:

She daubed. I daubed and poured (a little).

It's going to be more ombre than space-dyed (if I'm using those terms correctly).

All ready to be wrapped and heat-set:

Now we're just waiting for it to cool.

THIS Is What Kind of Saturday We're Having at My House!

2006-11-18T13:37:00.000-06:00

First, a little fingerloop braiding:

Next, an outdoor project. There was a moment of panic when the camera didn't want to work:

Dyeing prep for some stash yarn, with a little help from the very vocal Munchie:

Need. Bigger. Skeins.

Then a break for lunch. Maybe more pictures later. Gotta eat and go look for dye.

Knitting

2006-11-16T12:55:00.000-06:00

Here is my washcloth for the SP9 contest:

I still have to weave the ends in. It's going to Joe's aunt because we are going to her house for a visit. I hope to take Lorelei's sweater and work on the sleeves. Maybe if I decide she can wear it tomorrow I can crank them out tonight. Yeah, right.

I also taught my nephew to knit while at my mom's Tuesday:

He SO gets it. He wants to knit something big. I told him the next time I was at Nana's I would leave him needles and some yarn. He still needs a little reminding of what to do, but he's only in second grade. Heh. Corrupting the youth.

Knitting Swap Idea

2006-11-12T21:52:00.000-06:00

I have an idea for a knitting swap/contest. I would like to get any potential kinks out before I make it public (okay, so I know this is public, but only 5 people read it), so I'm posting it here to get feedback. If you know anyone who has hosted a swap, I'd love their feedback, too.

-------------

I love finding bargains when it comes to knitting. There is a warehouse store near me that occasionally gets in $25 - $30 knitting books and sells them for $4 - $7. I occasionally find vintage needles at rummage sales. And I sometimes find very nice yarn in the bargain bin and buy it, not knowing what I'll do with it.

I think that is why I find knitting swaps with a price limit fun. I'm on a tight budget, so I can only spend the limit. I don't want my spoilee to suffer, so I spend extra time and energy finding good bargains and creating special things to go in their package.

That is where I got the idea for the contest. Everyone gets a secret pal, and everyone is required to spend $XX (give or take $0.25) on their pal. No more, no less. Tax and shipping do not count. The contest is to be creative with your spending. You are allowed to make things for your pal, but if you purchase ANYTHING it will count toward your dollar amount.

You will have a month to assemble your package. You must include an itemized list of what you spent, and where the items that you didn't buy came from. Any pre-owned 'stash yarn' you send should be pet and smoke-free.

After all the packages have been received, the recipients can nominate their spoiler for prizes - either best package or most creative use of funds.

---------------------------------

So, what do you (is anyone out there?) think? Do you think anyone would go for it? And what $ amount? I had originally thought $20, but the 12 year old said I should go for $10 to make it harder. But I pointed out, what if you find June Hemmons Hiatt's Principles of Knitting for $10? Then you wouldn't have anything else to spend (assuming you'd give it up). I guess you could sell it on eBay for $200 and REALLY have a nice goody bag to send... maybe she's right.

Input? Anyone??

Time Wasters

2006-11-12T21:22:00.000-06:00

As if I needed to waste more time (with the end of the semester coming up, and being hopelessly behind in a couple of classes), yesterday I cast on the above. It is only a gauge swatch. What is insane is the size:

I'm guessing that I'm going to get about 16 stitches per inch with sewing silk and size 0000 needles. What's also insane is that Eleanora of Toledo's stockings were knitted at 22 stitches per inch (although it is contested, that was a common gauge at the time).

Now, people have knit hosiery at that gauge, recently. I'm not that crazy. Just curious as to what I'd get. Since there seems to be no other reason why I would knit a swatch out of sewing silk with no intended purpose, I will chalk it up to procrastination.

No progress on anything else...

Sorry, No Pics Today!

2006-11-10T15:24:00.000-06:00

I don't know what kind of crazy straws I have in my head. I am supposed to be in the ceramics studio getting a semester's worth of work done. Instead, what am I doing? Going to the library. I got some goodies:

Knitting - Anne Bartlett
The Birth House - Ami McKay
(both fiction that I can drop from my wish list since the library had them)
Carding, Spinning, Dyeing - Elisabeth Hoppe
Spinning & Dyeing the Natural Way - Ruth Castino
Pine Needle Basketry - Judy Mallw
Greetings from Knit Cafe - Suzan Mischer
Shibori - Wada / Rice / Barton

I am tired of spinning and taking what I get. What I get is usually lovely and very nice, but I want to know more about twist, grist, and etc. I want to be able to look at a lb of wool and say, "Okay, if I spin it to 16 wpi, I can get XXX yards." (Can people really do that?)

I have a friend who is a high school art teacher. She is teaching ceramics and crafts this year. I am hoping to do an artist-in-residence with her next year (if I can't find a teaching job). I'm okay on most crafts, but have never done basketry, hence the pine needle book.

I am plugging away on the Lush scarf, the denim socks, Mona's scarf, and a new washcloth to post later for an SP9 contest. I'll post pics when I have something to show.

I also started a fiber book - pics to come!

Wow, a Whole Week!

2006-11-08T21:33:00.000-06:00

It's been a whole week since I last posted - I don't think that's happened in a while. I do wish blogger had a calendar feature like some other blogs, so you can see at a glance when you posted.

I had a wonderful weekend in Atlanta! Not much knitting, but some spinning and chocolate and dinosaurs.

Now, the reason for the post. My Knit Mitt Kit Swap questionnaire:

The Questionnaire:
Are you allergic to any fibers?
No.

What are your favorite colors?
Jeweltones, green & purple. I'm also fond of certain pairings (turquoise/coral, chartreuse/hot pink).

Are you a new mitt knitter? How long have you been knitting mittens?
I have made fingerless mitts and socks, so I shouldn't have any trouble. I've made lots of naalbinded mittens, and the construction is the same.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?
Depends on the pattern. Solid for cables, but I mostly like multicolored.

What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn?
Wool, alpaca.

Where do you usually knit mittens?
Anywhere. They're easy to transport.

How do you usually carry/store small projects?
Crammed in my purse on dpns. When I can get them, I like the small, zippered plastic bags that nice sheets / pillowcases come in.

What are your favorite mitten patterns?
I use this pattern most often.

What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques?
Fingerless, in the round.

What new techniques would you like to try?
I would like to try thrummed mittens and fingerless gloves (where there is a little bit of each finger). I would also like to try dyeing some self-striping sock (or mitten) yarn.

What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens?
Bamboo dpns

What are some of your favorite yarns?
I am on a tight budget, so I usually get what I can at the local craft store. I don't have a local yarn store. I like to get natural colored yarn and dye it. I like Lush and pretty much everything I've felt with alpaca in it. I also like wool/silk blends. I'm not big on novelty yarns.

What yarn do you totally covet?
Noro Silk Garden or Socks that Rock - never had any of either & would like to try them.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object?
Would like to have time to design my own and money to buy the yarn for them.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?
I love my Knit Picks options, but I usually use 5 dpns for socks / mittens. I went from 4 dpns to 2 circs to get rid of the ladders, but like dpns more. I recently discovered that I don't get the ladders when using 5 dpns, so that's what I use now. I prefer circs for anything bigger than a sock or a glove. I prefer nickel plated or bamboo.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be?
That musty-smelling but oh-so-lovely skein of heathered 1940's wool with the vintage label down in the bottom of your aunt's closet.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack?
I'm partial to dark chocolate, but don't eat much candy.

What’s your favorite animal?
Cat. Sheep (llama, alpaca) would be too obvious.

Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts?
Super warm mittens. I do fingerless mitts already.

If you were a color what color would you be?
I have a shirt that is woven so that when the light hits it one way, it's purple and when it hits a different way, it's green. If that answer is cheating, then I'll say blue-violet.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature?
Heading into the town where I live, you cross the Tennessee River. I love coming over the bridge when the sun is setting and the light is reflecting off the river. It makes me love where I live.

Do you have a wishlist?
At Amazon - link is in the sidebar.

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today?
I hope to have fun! This is my only current swap other than SP9 (I have a two swap limit due to time & $). I had so much fun with the funky scarf swap that I felt 'safe' spending my extra swap slot with Scout & Bev.

Alice in Wonderland

2006-11-01T10:35:00.000-06:00

We take a break from the regularly scheduled knitting posts to bring you Alice in Wonderland.

She was still half asleep from her nap when I got her dressed. It took a while for her to wake up.

Earlier that day, she had told everyone in the grocery store that she was going to be Alice in Wonderland.

She was quite the ham. She had an absolute blast trick-or-treating.

Happy Halloween!

It Ain't Rhinebeck...

2006-10-28T19:56:00.000-05:00

...but it's all we have down here. Today Lorelei & I went to Harvest Days in Murfreesboro, TN. There is a fiber festival, dancing, dulcimers, and funnel cakes. I went for the fiber, of course. I was pleased that my mom & dad & grandmother went with me, along with my nephew:

That's at a convenience store on the way. There were news crews there:

I wish I could find out if Miss Priss made it on the news. Anyhow, I spent all my birthday money:

I got a pound of "Finn" wool, a pound of "80s Merino" wool, a wonderful pound of silver baby alpaca, a little over a pound of dyed merino top (colorway: Blue Danube), four oz. of black alpaca, two skeins of handpainted sock yarn, a new spindle, a "PreColumbian" spindle whorl on a handcarved shaft, and a "Felted 100% sheep tallow soap bar" for my secret pal. It's sheep tallow soap with roving felted around it to make a scrubbie of sorts. I also bought a set of 5 size 0 bamboo dpns, very short ones. With the needles came two packs of seeds for pumpkins (Black Futsu Winter Squash and Akahime (sp?) Japanese Pumpkin). Quite a haul! I am using the size 0 dpns now to test a swatch of brown three ply that I spun a while back. We will see how it goes.

Birthday Goodness

2006-10-25T17:14:00.001-05:00

Well, I had more of a celebration yesterday than today. I got to school and found out that I had UNCONDITIONALLY passed my portfolio review. Whew! Glad that's over with. Then I checked my mail (I only check my campus mail about once a month) and I got a scholarship! I didn't even know that I was in the running. I guess I was in the system from when I applied for the Art Dept. scholarship. AND I got lots of compliments on my fingerless gloves.

Then, when I got home, this was waiting for me:

A package from my secret pal! Inside was this:

...and these:

The polka dot package was for Lorelei. She didn't waste any time:

...getting it open:

Inside was EDIBLE monster money!

She won't eat it (she won't eat any candy but chocolate, her choice), but she has fed me a couple of the pieces she has broken. She has been going through the house with her toy shopping cart 'buying' stuff with it. She was thrilled.

My goodies:

In no particular order - a Mason Dixon Ballband warshrag, some lovely french soaps, a yummy peach lip balm, a 'Knitting is Knotty' sticker, two skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk (the only silk I've ever had was a skein of recycled sari silk - this is NICE!), and a skein of Mongolian Cashmere (never had cashmere either - yay!). Thank you SO MUCH to my secret pal - this is the best! I said to my husband, "what will I do with it?" I was envisioning all kinds of possibilities, and he said, "you'll pet it and show it off to everyone and roll it into balls and look at it." He nailed it. He also said I'd know the project when I came across it, and I know he's right. Right now I'm just enjoying petting it and showing it off. I'll have to go through books and shop for ideas later.

In other news, my funky scarf swap pal emailed me that she finally got her scarf and the mugs I sent her. I was getting seriously worried! I'm glad she got them okay.

I have finally cast on and started the first of the sleeves for Lorelei's sweater. Got to finish it before it gets any colder.

Whew! That was a long one!

Spin to Knit

2006-10-22T13:40:00.000-05:00

I am very pleased with how the blue/red/purplish-black is looking. I spun and Navajo-plied one bobbin so far, and I liked it so much that I had to try knitting with it to see how it would look. Here it is on US 8s:

It is a lot softer than I thought it was going to be. And even the back of it looks good:

I like it so much, I wanted to keep taking pictures of it!

Wow!

2006-10-16T15:55:00.000-05:00

Three posts in one day! I really AM procrastinating!

The (dubious) Jacob wool I mentioned in the comments:

Also, my first stitch markers (do you think my Secret Pal will like them?):

I hope it's okay to post pictures of goodies for our spoilee on our blog. They'd only have to go through hundreds of blogs to find their spoiler, so I'm guessing it's okay.

One Down, Forty-one to Go

2006-10-16T08:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I put my UFOs in a database. I am really procrastinating finishing my midterm & portfolio work (due tomorrow). Anyhow, I have columns for what I call it (like Lorelei's Hat), brand of yarn used, color / dye lot #, size needles, future recipient, % finished, where I got the pattern (book, company, or URL), and notes. Somehow the forty on my scrap of paper wound up being forty-two when I got them all listed.

I was dismayed at the number of projects where I don't know the needle size. Like one of a pair of fingerless gloves. So I did the database to keep it all straight.

And I finished one project! I had made Joe and myself hats from EZ's Knitting Workshop book, with the intention of making Lorelei one in the future. Now she and Joe have a periwinkle blue hat with gray decoration, and I have a gray one with blue decoration. Hers is knit with bigger needles to give it a chunkier look.

Sorry about the flash shadow - it's pouring outside and we (obviously) need more light bulbs inside.

The Organization Continues

2006-10-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know what's wrong with me. I guess I got tired of having patterns and books scattered throughout the house. I still haven't found my latest Interweave Knits. Maybe it got left in Virginia. Oh, well. Anyhow, today I turend this:

Into this:

...and this:

...and this:

In other news, I got this on eBay for a steal (hope it's worth it):

It looks like it will spin okay:

I also got my scarf from the Funky Scarf Swap in the mail today (the photo doesn't do it justice):

I love those two colors together. Sorry for the crappy quality of the photos today, I've been busy!

FO (singular), UFOs (very plural), and Mail Goodies

2006-10-11T11:14:00.000-05:00

The Funky Scarf Swap scarf will go in the mail as soon as it's dry. Maybe tonight. This is how it looked when I got done with it:

I attempted to block it. I wet it and gently squeezed out the water. I spread it out and tried to get it even. All the pictures I've seen of blocking something in a lace pattern were lightweight shawls with points where the pins are all in the pointy bits. I didn't know how to block something with straight sides. I didn't have a whole lot of pins, either.

Does this look right at all?

You can see the pattern better. You can also see the big honkin' error where I made a leaf two rows too long. See it?

After I finished that (and lots of projects for school), I went through to organize my UFO piles. And I cleaned out my knitting bag. I have FORTY (count 'em, 4-0) UFOs. Seven of them don't really count, as they are in the bag with the pattern and yarn and haven't been cast on, but 33 have been cast on and started. And that's just what I found walking through the house! I didn't look in the pile o' stuff by the bed or downstairs beside (and behind) the recliner.

The first ones I need to finish are these:

From L to R, Mona's scarf (a present from LAST Christmas!), a baby sweater (the baby is now a toddler, but I could finish it for my niece), and Lorelei's sweater (started two years ago, but I had enough foresight to start it big - but she can wear it now and I need to finish it before it gets any cooler).

I also combined and sorted the others, kind of:

The clear bag is 2 pair of fair isle socks, the smaller bag is all my unfinished socks and fingerless gloves (except the pair in my purse and the pair by the bed), and the big bag holds everything else.

Doing this helps me get excited about some of my old stuff and (hopefully) inspires me to finish something. I used to make up rules, like finish two before I can start a new one, but that doesn't work.

I also got mail - my husband called me at school yesterday and said I had a box. "It looks like yarn." I had him dig farther - "It looks like that stuff you had on the porch last week," meaning some unspun, unprocessed wool.

It was this:

Raw alpaca. I swapped some Knit Picks needles for it on the Knitty boards. It came with this:

Unspun recycled sari silk! I have never spun any, and it looks to be quite the adventure.

I just read what I just typed. My standard of what constitutes "adventure" has drastically changed over the past few years.

Now I just need to find info on spinning sari silk...

Knitting and Spinning and Socks, Oh, My!

2006-10-06T17:27:00.000-05:00

...and here they are, in reverse order.

The socks that killed me:

Sock Wars is over, for me at least. I'm dead, killed by these lovely red Socks of Doom. Here they are on my feet - they fit me like they were made for me. Duh. They WERE made for me! This is the first time that I can think of that someone has knit something for lil' ol' me.

In a quiet moment Wednesday morning, I plied the rest of the brown mystery wool that has been hogging my bobbins. Three plies will do that.

I had a little left over, even after trying to even out the bobbins to run out at the same time. I Navaho plied it to knit up just to see how the yarn does. That's what the little skein is. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. It's still pretty lightweight - someone suggested a lace shawl, but I have no idea how much yarn there is. Hmmm. I'll have to think on it. Anyone have any suggestions? Or ideas? Or HELP?

Now that the brown stuff is out of the way, it's time for this:

It seems to spin up as a black yarn with some depth and variation - or maybe that's just the light in the basement, where my wheel is. It's not as dark before spinning:

Anyhow, I don't have time for spinning - and very little time for knitting. I have lots of deadlines at school next week. I feel guilty just taking a break at the computer, but I'm eating while I post, so it's not like I could be working.

I have managed - through bits in the car and while listening to speakers, etc. - to finish one half of the scarf for my Funky Scarf Swap pal and start the second half:

Which is good, because it has to be mailed next week. I hope my pal likes it!

Back to the studio...

SP9!!!

2006-10-02T16:02:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! After finding out about the Secret Pal thing just after the signups for SP8 closed, I can now FINALLY participate in one. On to the questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

My favorite thing to knit with now is Lush - I have a couple of balls I bought when I had a little extra $. I like anything soft. I hope to finish a pair of fingerless gloves and a scarf out of the Lush before it gets too cold. I am on a budget (I did budget for my pal, though!) so I don't get to knit with nice yarns much. I like alpaca, and I think I would like cashmere if I ever tried it.

I hate whatever the fuzzy, furry, manmade stuff is that is sold under the Yarn Bee name at Hobby Lobby. I am making a scarf out of some for someone (they picked the yarn) and it's impossible to see what you're doing or rip anything out. It's even hard to get the yarn out of the skein - it comes out in sticky clumps.

I don't mind manmade microfiber stuff that's soft - but I prefer natural fibers. I occasionally knit my daughter toys out of acrylic & I don't like to knit with that. I've never knitted with linen and would like to try it sometime.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

My straight needles are in a zippered vinyl bag with a pocket inside, except for the long ones, which are in a tall tin (I think wine came in it). I don't use them much. I mostly use circs or dpns. My circs are in a zippered pouch, all mixed up. I keep my Knit Picks Options set in their case, along with a couple of small circs that I bought with them.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I have been knitting for almost three years. I learned from a book. I would consider my knitting skill to be intermediate, my knowledge of techniques to be advanced, and my finishing skills to be beginner.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, there's a link on my blog.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

I like lavender, sandalwood, rose, patchouli, rosemary, almost any kind of flower or herb.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I like dark chocolate. I am trying to eat healthier than I used to, and don't eat sweets much, but I really like dark chocolate. Anything with caramel, pecans, and coconut, too. I also like chai.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I spin, weave, dye, tablet weave, and I'm about to get my BFA in Ceramics in May (yay!). I also do encaustic painting, beeswax collage, and mixed media artwork, usually relating to women's issues. I am currently beginning yoga (just learning).

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Hmmm, that's hard to answer. I don't listen to a lot on the radio now. I like what I guess you could call '80's Modern Rock - REM, the Cure, etc. I also like Crosby Stills & Nash, Pink Floyd, the Pogues, Concrete Blonde, U2, Lorenna McKennit, etc. I would like to hear more Indian / Middle Eastern music - I like the drum rhythms and instruments.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like jeweltones, and greens and purples. Don't like orange much. Except I do like red-orange with turquoise.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I have a three year old daughter and a wonderful husband (ten years in January!). We have two outdoor cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I don't wear mittens or ponchos much - I don't like not being able to use my fingers and I'm never sure what to wear under a poncho. I will occasionally wear a scarf for decoration, and I love a hat when the weather's cold or wet.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Small items that don't require a lot of finishing. I like to knit fingerless gloves, washcloths, scarves, hats, socks - anything easy to carry around with me.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Socks for Sock Wars, a scarf for Funky Scarf Swap in a lace pattern, a log cabin blanket for my daughter (upstairs hanging-out knitting), socks and gloves for Christmas presents. I need to finish the sleeves for my daughter's sweater, too. This, Sock Wars, and the Funky Scarf Swap are the first knitting swaps I've done online.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circular or DPN, depending on project, and bamboo for smooth yarns and nickel plated for yarns that won't slide. One of these days I'd like to try some hardwoods.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yes, got lucky & found them secondhand.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I have crochet items that will always be UFOs since I learned to knit! But my oldest knitting UFO that I can think of is a little over a year. But I probably have older ones that I am blocking from my memory.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween. We decorate the house, take Lorelei trick or treating, and go to a friend's house for dinner afterward. There is none of the stress associated with family gatherings, huge dinners, relatives in town, and presents. Just lots of fun.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Umm, besides knitting needles and yarn? I collect small pieces of pottery by local artists - I pick up a piece when I go to a craft fair, if I can. I collect old weaving / fiber odds and ends - the huge old thread bobbins and shuttles, things like that. I also collect toy cast iron stoves, but I haven't done anything with them in a long time.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I subscribe to Cast On, Spin Off, and Interweave Knits. The only things I can think of right now that I would really like to have are Vogue Knits and two pair of small size 2 circs. I have never looked at a Rowan magazine, I would probably like to see one of those, too.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Can't think of any. I love to try new techniques, so when I see one, I go for it. I do want to try knitting a lace shawl, though. I think blocking scares me, I need to learn about that. The scarf I'm knitting will be my first real blocking experience and I'm nervous.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I don't know the measurements, I can measure when I get home - but I wear a US size 9 or 9-1/2 regular width. *Edited to add: 8" around at ball of foot, 9-1/2" long.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

Oct. 25

Yay! That was easy. Although it would have been easier to answer a couple from home instead of school.

Sock Wars Saga

2006-09-30T08:18:00.000-05:00

I am very easily distracted. There are some things I can only knit when I am alone or everyone else is asleep. Apparently, the "Rib of Doom" is one of them.

From the time I started the sock, I didn't care much for the color. Or the yarn - it was a wool / acrylic blend that was light on the wool. And it seemed a little thicker than DK, but I got gauge on size 5's, so I thought it would be okay.

I cast on, knitted the leg, turned the heel, decreased through the gusset, and began down the foot.

Then I noticed an error in my rib pattern six rows back. No biggie, I'll rip and redo.

Then I noticed an error in my rib pattern before I turned the heel.

That was the proverbial straw. I went back to my stash, but saw nothing in DK weight. Then, behind a huge ball of red worsted - some blue peeking out! The blue was too heavy to use, but it reminded me that I had stash BEHIND what was visible!

I have now cast on with a lovely 100% merino wool, in a shade that I don't hate.

All is not lost with the other pair. I am working on socks for Christmas presents this year, and I think my MIL will like the color.

I can only describe the color as "country purple." I like purple, just not this purple.

By the time I ripped out to the first mistake (it's almost a whole row so I can't drop stitches) and reknit, I don't think it would take much longer to start over. So the purple sock is in the WIP pile, and I have cast on and done the K1P1 ribbing and am working on the leg in the "rib of doom" pattern. This is so much more pleasant to knit with! I'm happy with my decision.

Sock Wars Update

2006-09-26T14:07:00.000-05:00

The niece won, for a while. I finished the bonnet, cast on for the first bootie, and fell asleep. I tried to work on the bootie the next morning, in between getting myself and Lorelei breakfast and getting ready to go visit, but in the process I got going in the wrong direction somehow, and gave it up. I took the bonnet. Maybe I can do the booties sometime soon.

I got the first sock mostly done yesterday. I am halfway down the foot. I threw it down in disgust when I saw a mistake in the "rib of doom" pattern about 6 rows back. I will have to rip back tonight and fix it.

I am in a dilemma about the length. The size on the chart we received looks wrong. My assassin emailed me for my foot length, I may have to do the same to my victim. I am finding conflicting information on the internet.

No pictures because I'm posting during a break at school. Pictures of completed socks to come (hopefully)!

Arrrgggh!

2006-09-23T10:28:00.000-05:00

No, that's not me being a pirate. That's me freaking out.

I have a new neice (not as much advance knitting notice as one usually gets, since she was adopted and I tend to hold my breath until all papers are signed - not that I'm afraid of jinxing anything, just nervous) that came home late last night. I'm working on a bonnet and booties for her, and hoping to finish them tonight, since my in-laws will be here to visit them. Joe is sick, and Lorelei has been sick, so we aren't going. I hoped to send the knitted items in lieu of the visit.

I had been thinking that I could finish these (from Kristin Spurkland's Knits from the Heart and get right to work on the scarf I'm knitting for the Funky Scarf Swap (see button in sidebar, I'm in too much of a hurry to embed).

But I forgot about Sock Wars (button in sidebar). I got my mission today. I checked the forums, and my target is antsy, checking constantly for the pattern and not a peep from her since it was posted. I hope my assassin is not so aggressive, since I'm going to finish the bonnet and booties first.

Then the socks, then the scarf:

I may not have time to post for a few days...

Of Needles and a Scarf

2006-09-18T08:08:00.000-05:00

I really like the Options needles. I also bought some of the (non-interchangeable) circular needles in smaller sizes than are available in the set, and I think the joins on the set are smoother than on the circular needles. The Options needles are much smoother / "faster" than the plastic Denise set, and I didn't have the problems that I had with the Boye set. I think the Boye set was aluminum and I constantly had one of two problems - either the needles would loosen and come off the cables, or, if I got them tight enough to prevent that, the bottom of the aluminum needle would flare out where the cable was screwed in and cause problems. Then I would have to get out a set of files, and thus began a vicious cycle.

Did I say that I really like the Options needles?

I have started the scarf for my funky scarf swap pal. I have started it (and ripped it out) six or seven times. I have never used yarn like this before, and am struggling to find a stitch pattern that shows it off to its best advantage. I'm now on the pattern I think I will use, but I may need to go up a needle size - I'm not sure that it's going to drape well enough at the size I'm at. The recommended needle size is US7 and I'm using US8's now.

See the flecks of gold on the yarn? I hope that it's "funky" enough. I hate to use only one color. I'll do one repeat of the pattern and see how it is going to drape. It's not like I haven't frogged it a bunch already. It holds up fine, though. Glad it's not mohair!

KnitPicky - Resolved!

2006-09-14T07:21:00.000-05:00

This morning, I added a hit counter to my blog. I also posted that I was disappointed that I had not gotten my KnitPicks order from Sept. 1 yet.

I didn't know that anyone (except a couple of local friends) ever even looked at my blog. But it must be so. Because while I was at school a lovely-sounding lady from KnitPicks left me a message letting me know approximately where my package was, and that the delay was partially caused by the weekend and holiday right after I placed my order. Maybe they're psychic. Anyhow, she was very reasonable and nice, and I appreciated the message. Once I realized that someone must have seen this and let them know, I immediately set out to amend my unnecessary griping and explain what has transpired since.

I think that part of my problem was that in the past I did not get the free shipping, which takes longer. I was spoiled by speedy orders. So I expected this one to be quicker than it was. Also, I think Lorelei and I both got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but that's no excuse.

Sorry I dogged KnitPicks online. Judging from the counter, only eight people saw it. I did get my shipment today, and am very pleased. And I can't wait to try the options needles!

Oooh, Icky!

2006-09-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

Our new mantra: It's just dirt, it's just dirt, it's just dirt.

Yeah, right.

Here is some of the wool, courtesy of Mark (the sheep) and Mistress Signy (the Pelican):

We filled a kiddy pool with water & dish detergent. Believe it or not, this is with the worst bits picked out and the wool pushed gently under the water.

Megan squeezes out rinse water:

It's now outside drying.

We were closely supervised through the whole process:

That's all for now!

Fun Is Coming...

2006-09-13T08:50:00.000-05:00

Fun is coming, and it's carried in six white plastic garbage bags:

Straight off the sheep. I only hope it was skirted. I was told two bags should be good and two bags might be unuseable. I guess the other two are somewhere in the middle.

Going to work on this today. Going to fill the kiddy pool now.

To Do List

2006-09-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

Both socks are done! Lush is on hold. I have a scarf to knit for the Funky Scarf Swap and one to knit for the Red Scarf Project. I have to spoil my SP9 pal (as soon as I find out who he or she is). And I will soon have someone to attack with a pair of socks! Links for all these are in the sidebar, I'm too lazy right now to embed them.

All this is on top of building and firing a wood-fueled salt kiln, making a bunch of sculptures, testing a bunch of glazes, reading a bunch of art history books, learning how to do relief printing, and working off an incomplete from last semester.

Oh, yeah. I also have a child around here somewhere that I need to spend time with. Not that my influence isn't felt. We went to the craft store with my MIL this past weekend. Lorelei picked out a ball of yarn as her goody. We passed a big table of coloring books. "Oooh, coloring books!" she said. I told her, "you can get a coloring book, but you have to put the yarn back." She dropped the book and headed for the checkout. Definitely my child.

Lushious

2006-09-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

I have started on my Lush scarf. I will need to buy another ball, at least. Probably two. I only have three and I know the Natalya Gauntlets will take close to two. Yep, better buy two more. If the store has any left.

I got all the way through the heel & the instep on sock #2 while waiting to be seen for a spider bite at the Dr. office. Four hours of waiting, being shuffled around, and filling out paperwork. I am now 2/3 of the way done with the foot. The end is in sight!

I started taking a Pilates class at school this week. I think I'm the oldest and biggest in there. It's free for students. Twice a week. Plus I've been using the recreation center equipment. I've lost between 18 - 21 lbs. depending on which scale I use.

I tell people I'm doing it to be healthy, but really I just want to knit myself a sweater without breaking the bank!

No Title Today

2006-08-25T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well, when I haven't been in bed with the covers over my head, or in class, or in the car - I've been knitting. Sock #1 done:

I think next time I won't use so much ribbing with the space dyed yarn. It is much prettier in stockinette - see the bottom?

The bad thing about being sick is that I got zero exercise Wed. & Thu. I'm going to try to get it in tonight if I feel like it.

Next to begin: Knitted dinosaurs for Lorelei. I am slowly using up all the yard sale acrylic stashed about my house. It always comes in handy for something!

Ugh. Sick.

2006-08-23T10:52:00.000-05:00

I am out of bed long enough to make some chicken noodle soup. And type a quick post while it heats.

On the needles:
I am making my own sock pattern and using some odd yarn - I don't even remember where I got it. It must have been on sale, because the label says $8.95 and if I paid that much for a ball of sock yarn, I'd remember it. I have two or three balls and the label says "Steinbach Wolle, Strapaz, Norweger Ringel." Whatever that means.
Have turned the heel and am decreasing along the instep on the first sock now. I have to remember that I did 45 rows before the heel flap - I really should be writing this down somewhere.

Also working on cabled fingerless gloves - another self devised pattern, and the earlier mentioned yoga socks. Pictures to come.

On the nightstand:
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill, Women's Work by Elizabeth Wayland Barber, Anasazi Boys by Neil Gaiman, and The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart by Jan Hunt. I haven't started the Gaiman yet, I'm halfway through the other three.

On the stove:
My food! Gotta go.

What Am I Doing to My Child?

2006-08-18T11:46:00.000-05:00

So, we have been out running errands and we pull up at the house. I tell Lorelei that I'm coming around to get her out of the car seat.
"Just let me finish this row," she says.
I say, "Okaaaay..."
"Three more stitches," she says.
I wait a second or two, until she says, "okay, I'm done."
We get out of the car and go in the house.

One of these days she'll be able to knit and she'll be saying it for real, I guess.

Success! (Finally!)

2006-08-17T10:53:00.000-05:00

Well, the third of the fingerless gloves fit my SIL. I had her try it on, and once she confirmed that there would be no fingers added, she proclaimed it "really cool." Whew! I'm glad she likes it. I am up to the gusset on the second one, and when it's done I can play around with my yoga socks and Lorelei's Fuzzy Wuzzy Hedgehog. I am stuck on the yoga socks. When going from a 1x1 rib over 66 sts. to a 3x1 rib, do I decrease two or increase two to get a multiple of 4 stitches? Or do I have a lone one stitch rib in the middle of all the three stitch ribs? Hmmm.

The hedgehog I am doing is in yarn Lorelei picked out - fuschia, turquoise, variegated, honestly, it looks like someone puked up a candy shop on this yarn. Adding in old fun fur left over from making a project for Ernie.

Back to the glove!

Funky Scarf Swap Questionnaire

2006-08-14T14:34:00.000-05:00

Let’s get the allergy part out of the way. Are you allergic to any fibers?
No.

Do you prefer any fibers over others?
I don't like acrylic, but some blends are nice. I really like alpaca. And wool. I haven't knit with linen yet, but hope to sometime. I like all natural fibers, but don't like the idea of a cotton scarf.

Thinking back to Scout’s post about what funky means to you, post an image of something that you think is funky!

Not as funky, but I like it:

I like the embroidery up the side.

Would you prefer funky yarn or a funky pattern?
Funky pattern

What are your favorite colors?
I like lime green, jewel tones, and bright or dark purple (more toward the blue side, not the red side). Pairings I like are lime green & hot pink, red-orange and turquoise, and bright jewel blue and silver.

What is your favorite piece of art?
I would have too hard a time deciding. I like Robert Rauschenberg, Dave McKean, Daniel Essig, the Pre-Raphaelites, Anne Geddes, and tons of others.

What colors would you never have up close to your pretty face?
I have no idea. Probably orange or yellow.

Would you prefer an actual scarf or a cowl?
I would prefer something that I didn't have to pull over my head.

When you wear a scarf do you prefer a wider/shorter scarf or a thin/long scarf?
Medium to thin width and medium to long length.

What is the climate like where you live?
North Alabama - cold enough for a scarf, but sometimes it would be more decorative than functional

Would you prefer a functional scarf (to keep you warm) or one just to funk-up your wardrobe?
One that would do both! Or one just to funk-up the wardrobe while using the cold as an excuse to wear it.

What else would you like your partner to know about you?
I am mostly a t-shirt and blue jeans type person, but I like classic / lacy / feminine stuff sometimes, too.

New Life, New Projects

2006-08-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

OTN:
1. the THIRD of the attempts at a fingerless glove that will fit my sil
2. a sampler - feather & fan & other patterns - it will eventually be a blanket for one of Miss Priss' stuffed animals, but I'm using it to play with patterns. Plus I'm mesmerised watching it - the yarn is SO ugly! Orange, peach, brown, and white. Very '70's acrylic. Yech. I keep thinking of 30 year old kitchen color schemes...
3. I cast on with the lovely brown & beige wool/acrylic blend from my vacation purchases, hoping to make a small bag. Well, I cast on too many stitches, the seed stitch at the top is wider than the knitting on the bag, and I think I'm going to run out of yarn. I may end up with a bag 8" in diameter and 6" deep - not even a bag, really. I see ripping in the future. But for now, I knit on!

The post title:
I have started a new program. Not a diet, but a program designed to help you change your habits gradually so that you can live 'in the real world' without constantly dieting. There are lots of tools and resources, and it's all free! I haven't seen anything like this for less than $20-$30 every month or two. If anyone's interested, send me your email and I'll send you an invite. Anything that has kept me motivated this long has got to be pretty good.

I discovered that I can wind yarn into balls while on the gazelle. Anything to distract me from the fact that I'm exercising!

Vacation Treasures - Image Heavy

2006-08-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

First stop: Johnson City, TN

Yarntiques had everything upstairs 50% off. And I had a conversation with a large bird. Here is what I got there:

Three skeins of Charlevoix (America's Alpaca) 100% superfine alpaca in a tweedy blue/gray, and 5 skeins of Landcapes 70% baby alpaca / 30% silk - one in gray, one in a burgundy, and three in red. I also got:

Two skeins of Silky Wool - 65% wool / 35% silk. Just dying to be dyed! And all of these were 1/2 off!

Next stop: Purls Yarn Emporium in Asheville, NC:

The two skeins of Regia I got on my first trip. One for me, one for my mom. But I was hoping to find something with earthier tones (no blue) for her fingerless gloves, and since I fell in love with the brown & blue, I decided to keep it, too. Maybe I will make the yoga socks out of it. Or yoga socks out of the bright stuff and fingerless gloves out of the blue & brown. Yep, that sounds good.

I went back a second time for the light up needles. I had to think about them before deciding to buy them. I had to decide what size (I got 6's) and whether or not I really wanted to pay $15.95 for them. I did. The saleslady was very honest about them - tips aren't the best, too bright for using in movie theatres, but they will let you knit in the dark.

They aren't bad once you get used to them, and the good news is that you only have to have one on to see what you're doing. It doesn't matter whether it's the one you're knitting off of or on to, either.

The Louet Kid Mohair I bought because I had just bought some 6/0 seed beads to try beaded knitting for the first time, and I wanted something to go with them.

Next stop: Yarn Paradise, in Biltmore Village in Asheville.

Berroco cotton twist in a yummy purple / yellow-green that the photo doesn't do justice, Classic Elite Flash in a watermelony "Bee Balm" color, and my very first Noro - Sakura. Actually, it's my very first of all of these yarns because I am a budget knitter. I got to splurge because these were my vacation souvenirs!

But most importantly from Yarn Paradise - I finally got one of these:

I LOVE IT! It has lots of pockets inside, too:

...some of which I haven't even filled yet:

...not to mention the pockets on the front and the large pattern pocket on the back. I carry it more places than I do my purse!

We missed one yarn shop in Chattanoooga, but I was too tired to go anymore. We did find Great Balls of Yarn, though.

These were all half off, too. A ball of chunky wool/acrylic, a ball of Frog Tree 100% Merino wool, a ball of Artful Yarns candy, and a mystery ball in a ziploc labeled "Illusion." The last skein is what I decided on for my mom's fingerless gloves - she liked it. It is Artyarns Supermerino in an earthy green/brown.

And then a friend came over last night for a visit & brought me this:

(the yarn, not the child). I had actually been wanting to get some but had no need for it (yet). So now I have some! I had to let Lorelei in a picture because every time I emptied the stool of yarn to set up another photo, she would sit down and announce that it was her turn. She loves to be in front of a camera!

Another Quickie

2006-08-08T12:39:00.000-05:00

So, I am still working on the (late) present for my sil. My brother has suggested these. I had made a pair of these out of my lone skein of koigu, and he thought she might like some in black, maybe with a skull and crossbones on them somewhere.

The only black yarn I have is a bit thicker than the koigu. So I swatched, and figured out that instead of casting on 48 sts, I needed to co 32. Did the ribbing, felt fine when I stuck my hand in, and so I finished it.

I was using dpns, so it would have been a pain in the butt to measure again. Heh. The finished 'wrister' is very snug on my hand, and I have skinny hands.

I have two theories: either my gauge changed (doesn't look like it) or the thickness of the yarn causes the material to be thicker, and therefore have a smaller diameter on the inside even though I got gauge. Even though I don't think that would account for much, it might be enough. I like the second theory better.

I am knitting one according to the pattern (watch it be too big!) and am going to let her try each on and decide what she wants. I'll keep the other pair.

I promise, pictures of vacation yarn scores to come.

Home!

2006-08-05T19:07:00.000-05:00

We are home! We saw some beautiful sites and some wonderful shops. More details and pictures to come. My souvenirs are all yarn, except for a knitting bag and a pair of the light up needles. I also got a couple of books and some odds & ends. More pictures to come, too. Here is a sample:

And another:

I will post more when I have had a day or so to rest. Whew!

Quickie

2006-08-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

I finished the ninepatch and a yellow and green dishrag before we arrived. I did the yellow & green on size 7's instead of the 6's I normally use, so it was more of a dishtowel. The kitchen was a sagey green, and some of the placemats had purple, so I used a sage green & a variegated green / purple for two ballband dishrags, one the reverse of the other. And they were all in use before I left! I would have taken pictures, but I didn't want to set off the in-laws' weirdness alarms.

Just had to pop in because I had finished stuff - and it was being used! I have to tell my mother... at least someone uses my dishrags!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

2006-07-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

I can't wait! I will not be posting for about a week. We are also letterboxing on our trip (see here and here for more info), so I will hopefully have more stamps in my book. The one from a couple of years ago is lonely!

More to come when we get back.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

2006-07-27T23:20:00.000-05:00

I don't know what's with the songs as titles for posts lately.

Anyhow, we leave Saturday on vacation. We will go to Virgina for a few days to see Joe's dad & stepmom, and then to Asheville for a few days, and back via Chattanooga.

I already have addresses for yarn stores. And Earth Guild is in Asheville! I need some cochineal and a turkish spindle. I may also look at batik supplies.

So, I am spending lots of time on packing. Not my clothes, but my knitting. Which should I take? I need to take UFOs, but I also need some new, intriguing, promising projects as rewards in case I actually FINISH some of the UFO's.

I took my wild thrift sale suitcase (retro orange and green) and laid it out on the table downstairs. I took a box of gallon sized ziplocs. I proceeded to bag all of my UFOs, one per bag (unless they were small and similar, like two different socks that had half a cuff done).

The pile on top of the suitcase measured almost three feet deep before I finally realized that I was going to have to leave some projects behind.

I have a terrible habit of wildly overestimating the amount of free time I am going to have on a trip.

I am narrowing down. Lorelei's sweater is a must. The still unfinished Tie One On is going. Lorelei's cotton blanket goes (along with a huge honkin' bag of cotton). I am taking my shadow wool and the shawl pattern, and the black wool wrist warmers that are going to be late for my sister-in-law's birthday. I need to take a sock or two, for an easily portable project. And the ninepatch dishrag - it's finished except where I'm crocheting around the edges to tidy it up. It'll be a gift for stepmom-in-law. I'm also taking extra cotton. The dishrags are good mindless knitting, and I know this bright yellow won't match her kitchen. I'll also take yarn for the Jayne hat. And I know I'm forgetting something.

I'm going to leave the pile of yarn on the suitcase & see if it freaks Joe out.

Tennessee, Tennessee, There Ain't No Place That I'd Rather Be...

2006-07-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

We went to Tennessee for the night this week. I was working on genealogy and Joe's aunt had info for his side of the family. This meant very little knitting time, which I usually get up there.

The girls had a good time:

They fed the goats and climbed trees. Well, Ernie climbed trees. Lorelei was placed in them for photo ops:

I promise, more knitting content to come.

UFO List

2006-07-15T11:38:00.000-05:00

I have to get some stuff done. I am drowning in UFO's. I was going to list them (hence the post title), but instead I'll share a link:

http://whipup.net/

Pretty cool, no?

Party

2006-07-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

Well, the party went well. We got all the loot (I mean, presents) put away. She wore the dress that I made her (well, my mom helped). She was also very well behaved. I get to chalk it up as a success!

Birthday Preparations

2006-07-03T12:22:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is THE DAY. Lorelei's third birthday party. In-laws are here, cousins are here, etc. Not a good time for knitting.

Lorelei has requested a blanket. Ever since Ernie (the 12 year old) announced she was making one, Lorelei has been asking for one. "That's for Lorelei, right? That's Lorelei's blanket!" She has been spouting this at Ernie, and has been told no. So I bought a bunch of bright cotton and am working on a log cabin blankie for her.

Progress gets slower and slower. It's like the opposite of a mitered square. The strips get longer and longer as you go. Whew! Pics later.

Bernat Yarn / Sugar 'n Cream

2006-06-26T23:04:00.000-05:00

This is weird. I get an email from Bernat today announcing their new cotton line:

http://www.bernat.com/newsletters/summer2006web.html

Now I recently bought some wild cotton colors, and guess what? These are the same colors as the Sugar 'n Cream I just bought. Not only the same colors, but THE SAME COLOR NAMES. I don't forget names like Beach Ball Blue and Creamsicle.

I wonder how much they're selling it for. Wonder if there was a merger of some sort? Hmmm...

Random Wanderings

2006-06-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

Knitting washcloths. Today is my mom's birthday. Got her some neat light up garden spikes - with hummingbirds, dragonflies, and butterflies that light up on solar power. She loves stuff like that.

I'm not knitting her any more washcloths until she uses the one I've already knit for her.

Cotton washcloths are so mindless!

On My Way to Finished Objectdom

2006-06-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

This is the rest of Mother's Day that I have finished. I have one more washcloth to go. My mom, my grandmother, Joe's mom, and his grandmother all got or will get the same gift. A felted bowl, a Mason Dison warshrag, and a bar of handmade (not by me) soap. My mom and grandmother got theirs on Mother's Day. I haven't seen any of Joe's folks, so I have to get them theirs when I see them.

I have a second skein of the brown yarn plied. I went to the once-a-month spinning meeting in Huntsville Monday night. It was pretty good. I met some nice (and funny!) people. One was knitting a MD warshrag.

I haven't started anything new, except for a leaf pattern scarf thingy from some wool that Ernie brought me back from Germany. It is a bright green cabled yarn that she thought was 100% wool, but it sure doesn't look/feel like it. It does say 'wolle' on it, though. But I don't know German, so that could mean 'yarn' for all I know. I really like it, and it's not a color I would have ever bought, so I consider that a bonus.

I haven't returned to the Sweater-From-You-Know-Where-With-the-Very-Bad-Instructions yet. Still debating on the sleeves. I need to find some quiet time where I'm going to be stuck somewhere for a while before I pick them back up.

Three Posts in Two Days = No Post for Six Days

2006-06-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

I have been semi-productive. My aunt & uncle were down from Ohio for a few days, so we spent a lot of time at my mom's.

I FINISHED OISIE'S SOCKS!!!

The rib & cable socks from the Fall 2005 Interweave Knits are done. And they look and feel spiffy. I finished them at my mom's and gave them to my grandmother as soon as I was finished, so no pictures, but I had previously posted pics of the one finished sock; the other one looks just like it.

Recently I have spent a lot of time spinning some brown wool into three bobbins of singles. Last night I finished filling the third bobbin, so I spent a little while this morning turning some of this:

into this:

(the color appears truer in the picture of the bobbins). My first true three-ply! I have only navaho plied to get a thicker yarn before. The color variations are subtle but pretty. I am pleased with how even it is, but it's still pretty fine.

Yesterday I got to do my Mother's Day shopping. We went to Little Barn first, where I found something I'd been eyeing online for a while - recycled silk!

The sock yarn was inexpensive and I seem to have a strange compulsion to buy sock yarn, so I also came home with this:

But I really went there for the fiber. I needed more to spin. This time, I went for quantity over quality. It's all good quality, but next time I might spend more on some really nice fiber. This is what I got:

the two larger spindles at the top and the four balls of fiber. The big ball is dyed top that looked more icy blue until I got it home and saw it was pale lavender. The mixed is a remnant of some of their specialty blends. The blue & pink have sparkly fibers in them. Thought it might be fun drop spindle wool.

From there, we went to Yarn Expressions. I needed this:

to finish Mother's Day presents (felted bowls from the 'One Skein' book). And I decided I was going to buy this:

after debating it and wanting it for a while. People make a fuss over it, but it's almost $12 for a little bitty skein! But I broke down and got it. Now I have to figure out what to do with it.

I also got a pattern that I have been wanting to use in a scarf with the Lush yarn I bought a couple of months ago. I've decided the three balls will be a scarf and fingerless gloves for me.

I did start one of the felted bowls. Now, off to dinner!

The Finished Yarn

2006-06-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

Yay! I have dry yarn. I was a little worried about how the pink/purple would look knit up once I saw it in balls:

But I think it looks fine knitted:

I was guessing I would need a US 9 or 10 needle, but I had an 11 handy. It was too big. So I grabbed a 9. It was too small. The fabric with a 9 is a little stiff. So I will eventually be doing swatches with 10's and 10.5's.

The narrow strip is on size 11, the wide strip is with 9's:

The yellow came out nice, too. It has some variations in the intensity of the color, which is good. I think it looks better than all solid the same exact shade:

That's on 8's. I think the knitting might look better on a smaller needle, but then it would be too stiff.

And that's three posts in two days. I'm off to clean house now.

Wow, That Was Fast!

2006-06-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

I love dyeing so much! It's almost impossible to screw up, because when you do, you can just dye over it. I began by mixing half the dye, two packs to about 16 oz. of water:

Once I started pouring, I saw the dyes were going to mix hopelessly, so I omitted the yellow. I mixed & used the second half of the Kook-Aid. I poured, wrapped in saran wrap, and microwaved. THINGS DID NOT GO LIKE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO. First of all, there was way too much liquid, and the saran wrap didn't seem to hold any in. Actually, it didn't seem to hold the yarn in either. Maybe it was supposed to be 8 oz of water for four packs of Kool-Aid. Hmm.

The pink wasn't bright at all, and I gave up on the microwave:

Once I hung them up, though, they didn't look as bad. The pink even looked okay. I did make sure the water was clear before hanging them up so the dye didn't migrate any more.

I had a small bit of shetland wool that I used with the yellow. I thought maybe part of the problem with the first lot was the wool had too much water in it, so I took the lazy way out and didn't wet it first. It sucked up all the color without even microwaving, but I hung it in the sun to dry just to be safe.

The good thing about having the summer off? No one cares if I didn't wear gloves! My left hand is bright, dark red-violet on the inside, and the outside is kind of scary, too:

Here are my results:

Now I have a big mess to clean up!

So Many Projects, So Little Time (Image Heavy)

2006-06-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

Lots of things going on - didn't get to go on my weekend trip due to car failure. Luckily, that is resolved. Luckily, it didn't cost as much as the original estimate. Unluckily, it still cost. Anyhow, want to see what a sweater looks like after it has been untagged, unseamed, unraveled, wound on the ball winder, and then wound on the swift?

My oh-so-intelligent two year old pointed out that it looks like ramen noodles:

Since I've got to wet it & weight it to get rid of the kinks, I might as well dye it, too! This is what is happening to it next:

I had intended to pair the colors - pink & yellow and red & purple, but after reading more I am not sure I will have enough kool-aid for the whole lot of yarn. Maybe pink to yellow to red to purple and let them make a little orange where they overlap? Hmmm. As soon as Miss Priss's TV show is over, we are gonna have some FUN! Dyeing clothes on, everyone!

As promised:

This is the decent and semi-decent yarn side. It faces my big green monster chair. The shelves near the bottom are literally crammed tight with yarn. There is more room at the top as I am still organizing. Not done yet. But I have got enough cleaned out that I could get to my fiber. It is in a short plastic drawer unit behind the recliner, with my lazy kate & spindles on top (and my Spin-Off magazines). Now that I can get to my stuff, I have actually been spinning! The almost full bobbin on the wheel is from the past 3 days.

The other side of the yarn cubby:

This side is for acrylic and crappy yarn. And half-finished projects from acrylic.

My loom is finally in the room where it will live:

Knitted Objects On Which I Have Made Progress:

This is the Sweater With the Bad Instructions. I am not allowing pictures of the soon-to-be-frogged sleeve into cyberspace. I took pictures; trust me, they're bad.

Sock one of two:

I have so many projects going and so many that I want to start. I bought a couple of patterns for Miss Priss and some cute fabric, but not today. Dyeing awaits! And since this is a knitting blog, here is the ubiquitous cat photo, showing what is waiting for me outside:

Indiana and a bowlful of wet yarn. Mmmmm.

Long Time, No Post

2006-05-30T16:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in four whole days. Wow. Well, it is because I was feeling a little frustrated with myself for reading about knitting and looking at knitting online and NOT ACTUALLY KNITTING. So I have progress to report:

1. Oisie's socks - the cable rib socks from an issue of Interweave Knits: One finished, 42 rows to go on the other one. I may finish tonight. Yay! Pictures to come.

2. Lorelei's sweater - a pullover from The Weekend Crafter: Knitting by Lark Books (warning: don't buy this book until you read my rant): Finished the back, undid the bind off on the front and did a three needle bind off to join the shoulders, picked up and knitted the neck, and wove in all loose ends except those at the patterning at the bottom, which I will weave in after I seam the sides. Tried it on her and it should fit this winter & next. It looks like a little tabard right now.

3. Finished unravelling the blue lambswool/angora thrift store sweater. I think it's going to be a cardigan for Lorelei.

What I didn't mention on #2 is that I also knitted almost half a sleeve on Lorelei's sweater, but I'm going to rip it all out. I thought the patterning in the pictures on the bottom of the sleeve was cute. It is more complicated than the patterning on the front and back. THERE ARE NO DIRECTIONS FOR THE PATTERNING IN THE BOOK. It says for the sleeves to do any pattern you like. Well, I like the pattern in the book. I (mostly) figured it out, but it looked like crap! That is because the FREAKING BOOK TOLD YOU TO USE THE SMALLER NEEDLES WHEN YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO! It says to cast on for the sleeves using the smaller needles and gives all the instructions, but neglects to tell you to switch to the larger needles, which should probably happen after the fourth row or so.

I should have known. The directions for the front told you (on 50 stitches) to knit across 31, put the last 19 on a holder, and then knit back and forth across the 31 sts, decreasing on each side every other row. Had I done that, I would have had one giant shoulder section and half of a huge neck located at the edge of the front. HELLO!?!? I decided what they meant to say was K across 19, put the center 12 sts on one holder, the next 19 on another, then knit back & forth across the first 19 sts, decreasing at each side every other row. Then do the same on the 19 sts on the other side. That seemed to work.

When I first hit that section, I tried to contact Lark books to find out if there was an errata sheet for this book. I haven't heard back from them yet. Oh, well. I now have half a sleeve to frog & redo. Plus lots of wasted yarn from cutting at all the color changes. Yech.

Morning Blog

2006-05-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

I think I have become addicted to posting. Or blogging. Or whatever. Anyhow, I took a break from the organizing when I ran across this:

When I found it, it was one ball (the back), a front, and two sleeves. Now all I have left to frog is the second sleeve. It is a thrift store sweater in a size that I couldn't wear. It is also a lambswool/angora blend. Very soft! But I think the angora content may be a little lower than when I started. I kept getting little tufts of soft white fuzzy stuff floating through the air as I wound up the balls. I don't mind doing it by hand when it's that soft.

I need to decide what I'll make out of it. Something warm and against the skin, I think.

I am going to check and see if the thin crochet cotton I posted a picture of yesterday would work as the bubble curtain from the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I need something to go over the window in my back door. I still want to be able to see out, but I would like to cover the fingerprints and smudges (Windex? What's that?) and the stickers. If that won't work, I think I'll go with Terri's suggestion and make placemats.

Back to the pit...

Progress, Progress, Progress

2006-05-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

I have made much progress in the yarn/fabric area downstairs. All of the furniture is where it goes, except for the loom, which is in the right room at least, and the loom's bench. I can see all of my yarn at a glance! I am debating whether or not to bag the wool to keep it safe. I will post pictures when I finish.

I also wound up some cotton. When I dyed the blue wool, the dyebath was not exhausted, so I threw in some crochet cotton still on the cardboard tube, hoping it would resist the dye in places. Well, it did:

One tube came out darker than the other, especially the half that was toward the outside. I wound them into balls today:

You can see how one is really dark on the outside and more varied on the inside. I don't know what I'll make with this - probably at least one headband, but then I don't know what. Maybe I'll try beading with it. Does anyone have any ideas? Is anyone reading this?

I think I need to wind some Sugar 'n Cream tightly onto a cardboard tube and throw it in a dyebath and see what happens. Hmmm...

Astabeth Knits

Handspun & Handknit

New Blog!

This Summer

Plexiglass Drypoint

Uneven Spinning and Other Things

Squeaking In Time

Loose Ends

The Red Scarf Project

School's In!

A List

Motivation

The Swing of Things

I Can't Believe It's Been So Long

Clay Conference Pictures on Hold

Update Coming Soon - I Hope!

New Year's Break

First Couple of Days

Please...

Well, It's Official

Image Heavy, Minor Knitting Content

Dressed to Kill

Some Amazing Stuff!

Mystery Shawl 3

One More FO

I'm Back, at Least for a While

I Have the BEST Secret Pals!

Back to the Usual

Lorelei's Babies

Why I Love Snow

Anticlimax

It's Been Busy

I've Never Done This Before

Holiday Knitting

We Now Return to Your Regularly Scheduled Knitting Content

I'M DONE!!!

No Posting Right Now

SP9 Goodies!

You Know You're a Redneck...

Finished Objects

It's Been an Image Heavy Day

...And Now We Wait

THIS Is What Kind of Saturday We're Having at My House!

Knitting

Knitting Swap Idea

Time Wasters

Sorry, No Pics Today!

Wow, a Whole Week!

Alice in Wonderland

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Birthday Goodness

Spin to Knit

Wow!

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One Down, Forty-one to Go

The Organization Continues

FO (singular), UFOs (very plural), and Mail Goodies

Knitting and Spinning and Socks, Oh, My!

SP9!!!

Sock Wars Saga

Sock Wars Update

Arrrgggh!

Of Needles and a Scarf

KnitPicky - Resolved!

Oooh, Icky!

Fun Is Coming...

To Do List

Lushious

No Title Today

Ugh. Sick.

What Am I Doing to My Child?

Success! (Finally!)

Funky Scarf Swap Questionnaire

New Life, New Projects

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