e's knitting and spinning blog

I'm still here

2008-05-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago my oldest was one. I was chasing him all over the place and having a lot of fun with that. When my husband would go out of town it was just Zak and I. He was my little man. Hes 11 now and looking forward to middle school. He is a fascinating person who looks at things differently than most people. We had a disussion the other day and he said," You know Mom, I'm a glass half full kind of guy." I had never thought about it but he is and I'm glad:-)

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Dust,work for my 3rd graders teacher,drop off and pick up my fil car,try to finish my shawl,pick up my kids

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Chocolate,almonds, dried fruit,cereal,pretzles

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

help my family, help my husband's family, give the rest to the Baha'i Faith:-)

5) Places I have lived:

In order :North Carolina(Ft Bragg my Dad was drafted in the Vietnam War), Detroit(inner city), Indianapolis, Ft Wayne, South Bend

7) 6 people I wanna know more about:

Anyone who wants to play!!!!! please leave me a comment so I can come see your answers!!!I promise to try to post pics Monday. I've been knitting and spinning like a fiend lately!

I'm back!!!

2007-12-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

I got a new camera for my fortieth birthday:-) So I'm trying it out. Excuse the sheepy pajama pics!

yay!! I finished Tangled yoke. It still needs to be blocked but this is going to get worn! It fits beautifully. I really loved knitting it. I'm on a serious Starmore kick right now too. I'm setting about collecting the books. I really want to get In the Hebrides and Pacific Coast Highway someday. I have no delusions of getting Scottish Collection;-) My newest purchase is Stillwater. I'm working on Rosarie right now which is only available as a kit from VY. I have collected the yarns and pattern for Mara which is my next up. Then I want to do Grapevine or some other textured pattern from Stillwater. The textured patterns in Stillwater have such delicacy and refinement!

shh, I'm ignoring my blog

2007-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm pretending like it's not here! I'm just really busy and trying to sort things out. Hmpf! I should be getting on Ravelry by next week. How will I deal with that!?! I'm knitting lots because it is easy to carry and not at all spinning because I don't get a long enough period of quiet time to do that. Maybe next month!

Tiny Tim Personalized

2007-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is a poor picture of a lovely shawl. My friend Vicki of Simple Knits created the pattern and it is for sale on her website. I love this leaf pattern it is very open and rounded. I plan on doing this one again. Maybe in silk with beads.

Right now I'm ready to cast on for the Tangled Yoke cardigan. I'm treating myself because I finished socks for my uncle in two weeks- socks on 0 dps- 80 stitch socks! This is a personal record!

I made said socks because I had asked my uncle to paint a berry motif on my Tiny Tim and I knew I would see him this weekend and I knew he'd have it done.

Thank you all for the good wishes. I have decided to stop feeling sorry and make lemonade. We have great help and he wants to do well. I really can't ask for more!

So many lovelies!

2007-08-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have so many lovelies to show you but haven't found two minutes to rub together!!! This weekend is Michigan Fiber Fest so I won't be finding any until next week. The kids started school Weds. so it has been crazy hectic and stressful to the max! I looked at pictures of me last year before May and I look at least 5 years younger. We are on a long difficult ride but we are on it as a family:-) Think of us. You don't think mental illness strikes children so young but it does.
Happier knittier stuff- I finished Vicki of Simple Knits and my bud's Cascading Leaf lace shawl and it was so wonderful. I loved it. I used some gorgeous fall colored Fleece Artist merino. I love this shawl and plan to use my Fleece Artist Silk at a later date.
I'm so close to finishing the Puffed Sleeve Cardi from Stephanie Japel's fitted knits it is insane! I love this and made a few simple mods but it was a great fun knit.
I ordered some light blue silky wool to do the Tangled yoke cardi from IK and hopefully next week it will come and I can cast on for that. I put Katherine Hepburn cardi on hold and Mina's little fair isle cardi on hold until the whirl wind slows down but both will be done by the new year!
I am so looking forward to michigan Fiber Fest. I promise to post with pics next week. I know but I mean it really!!!

2007-07-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yay!!!! I'm so happy! I figured out how to use pictures on the computer that I use most. The other computer was not allowing me to post pics lately! Humpf!!

I have to appologize to my secret pal! I ate the chocolate she gave me and I forgot to take a picture of Evelyn Clark's Butterfly Garden Shawl pattern. I love eveyln Clark!! I have put into use many of the things she sent to me already! This was part of my packed box of goodies! So much thought put into it. I love every
bit of it!

Now this is a picture of my Elizabeth Cardi on me Elizabeth! I love Rowan patterns. Everytime I make one it fits beautifully(except of the time I subbed an inappropriate yarn-of course it fit beautifully before I washed it!).

This is a Charlotte made out of my Friend Liz's handspun she gifted me!

This is my latest handspun out of her roving. She has an Etsy shop called Chocolate Princess. Nayy just a happy customer and friend!

Too Busy

2007-07-13T03:47:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I didn't post pics. This week wound up to be too busy. My Secret Pal sent me the most wonderful box. I'm happy to say the chocolate is all gone so the pictures of that won't tempt you at all. I already would the beautiful lace yarn too! I will take pictures next week. It should be a quieter week. I had to take kids to the doctors ,dentists and camp all week. One had poison ivy the other an ear infection. Poor guys!

I feel bad...

2007-07-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

I feel very bad that I haven't posted. It's not like I haven't knit. I just don't have the energy to deal with camera issues while the kids are around. I will try next week with the camera. They have day camp. I get two free hours a day for 5 days;-)
I finished the Elizabeth Cardi from Rowan, well finished except for the button band I'm avoiding like the plague. I also knit practically a whole sock in a week but then my fil tried it on and wanted to know if I could make the ribbing tighter. Pooey back to the frog pond. I think I have to switch to two circs. As much as I LOVE my 5" dps I think they are too hard on my hands now. After the one sock in a week fiasco My arm hurt and it took a week of practically no knitting to get it back. I ordered some kni picks 16" circs 1 1/2's.
The back of my Katherine Hepburn Cardi is almost finished! Unfortunately the ms3 has caught my attention big time. I'm doing at least two stoles. One in Aegean blue zephry(it was in my stash) with crystal soft edged triangular seed beads size 8 in a clear aurora borealis finish and I'm waiting for indigo zephyr for some bronze beads I picked up. They were the most expensive beads but I had to have them. I'm hoping to have enough beads and yarn left over to make a bag to match the shawl.
Mina's little Debbie bliss cardi is stalled but at an advanced point which means it is likely I will finish it at a later date. Probably in the fall. I love picking up half finished items because it seems like I only have to knit half a sweater and it is an fo. I forget all of the previous knitting!
I should have great blog fodder at the beginning of the week that will motivate me to resolve my camera issues.

The computer is being mean!

2007-05-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

I am such a luddite but I think one of our virus blockers is not letting me sign in on the computer I can download pics. Wahhhh!!!!

So, I finished the Lavold shell and I love it.

I started and ripped and started the Katherine Hepburn Cardi. Swatching is clearly not my friend. I always end up with the needle size they recommend I don't know why I bother. I am back to where I was before I had to rip. Sheila Ernst has perfect colored buttons for this. I won't order before I get close to finishing though. I am too fickle and you never know something else may steal my attention. I doubt it though I love knitting the pattern.

I also started a cotton fairisle for my daughter. It is from Great Kids Knits by Debbie Bliss. We started the spring with a Lavold fetish and have rolled into early summer/late spring with a Bliss fetish. This will definitely be the year of the sweater. I'm kind of glad because I have a lot of shawls and few sweaters.

Now, I have been going through really hard times with middle child so I have been extemely busy. I haven't had much time for anything between him and the end of the school year. I'm looking forward to the break summer vacation provides. Which is one of the reasons I haven't been blogging. So I will finally answer the meme for which I have been tagged but will not tag anyone. If you are my freind and want to be tagged consider yourself tagged-tag your it;-)

Seven unusual things about me

1. I grew up in a rough part of Detroit. My parents grew up there and we just didn't move until I started college. I still have nightmares about people breaking into our house. It made me a pretty aware person though.

2. This leads me to my next one which is I attended High School in Canada. I lived in Detroit and attended Catholic Grade school there but it was still pretty rough. We are talking about drugs in a catholic grade school 30 years ago. So my parents gave me a choice -all girls catholic school in the burbs or go to my uncle's Canadian Alma Mater. Not much of a choice eh.

3. Which leads to my third one. I'm only second generation american(my mom and her sblings were sent to boarding school in Canada because my grandparents were originally from europe and that is just what they did. Thankfully by the time I went there it was only a boarding school for boys so I commuted.)

4. Which leads to the next one. My parents both being first generation american, my life style and views were not so far from 'the old country' so when I moved to Indianapolis and started attending college I was kind of a misfit. I was much more comfortable with the foreign students. It was there I met my now American but then Iranian husband:-)

5&6.which leads me to 5&6 My husband gave me the greatest gift (although I love him dearly it was not his love), he introduced me to the Baha'i faith. I think deciding your faith as an adult is unusual. I was always unsatisfied with my Catholic faith though I loved it and repected it, I felt something was missing. When my husband and I got into religous discussions I was shocked to find his religous beliefs were mine. I couldn't belive there was an actual religion for what I believed. I don't think of it as converting, I think of it as embracing.

Six is that I speak Farsi fluently. Unfortunately I can't write or read yet.

7.We haven't been able to do it lately but I love scuba diving. My husband and I both love the water and animals so scuba diving was not a surprise:-) Unfortunately living in the midwest with small children is not conducive to scuba diving. We are hoping to do the Great Barrier Reef next year. Inshallah!!

progress

2007-05-09T06:22:00.000-07:00

I'm getting there with the shell:-)

I've got two more projects lined up. I want to do Audrey from Sophisticated Lady by Elsebeth Lavold and I bought some Knit Picks shine sport in Apricot for the Shetland Shawl Turned Vest by Veronique Avery from Lace Style. It was the straps that got me. I love details and this piece had the details. I'm already dreaming of the perfect two buttons for the back and I don't even have the yarn yet! I'm also lusting after the Katherine Hepburn Cardi from the same book and Knit Picks Shine sport works for that too but I want to knit a piece with it first before I invest in the time it will take for the Katherine Hepburn Cardi. On Rosie is some merino cross in a perfect for me red from a local dyer at Winterhaven farms. Very nice stuff. (the color is closer to the darker red than the washed out one)I'm spinning it bulky. After that laceweight I needed to switch up!

Speaking of lace weight. I decided to try my hand at Eunny Jang's Print 'o the Wave shawl.

Knittin' and Spinnin'

2007-04-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

I get a bug every year. Some type of knitting project that I must do. Lace was it, then socks, back to lace, a bag fetish here and there. It is finally sweaters!!! I all of a sudden am obsessed with sweaters. That doesn't mean I don't do lace, or socks,or bags it just means I obssesively knit the objects of my desire. The others are not so obsessive;-)

I finally discovered Elsebeth Lavold. Everyone was mad about her two years ago and I was busy obsessing about something else-probably lace.

I'm busy knitting away on the back of Ylva fromViking Knits Two. I'm doing the shell in silky tweed. These pictures are from a day ot two ago so I now have the middle medallion done and am getting close to the armhole and cool braid along the armhole. I like the fact that her motif is on both the front and the back. It is more work and most people don't see the back but I love details. She is all about these little details.

After that I want to do Audrey from Sophisticated lady. I'm also going back to the Elizabeth Cardi from one of the Rowan Books. I have the back and one of the sides done so I only have to do the other side and the sleeves!

I also finished spinning the laceweight merino silk from Lisa S. This stuff is more yummy than silk alone!! I got 1210 yds out of 4 oz. I am very happy!This is a picture of unwashed yarn. It is even prettier now!

2007-04-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

This is just a taste of my two weeks.

We are Baha'is and we went on a pilgrimage to Israel. Our Prophet Baha'u'llah was sent in exile to Akka to the famous prison there. They basically didn't like the fact that people loved Him. Isn't this the case for all of the prophets? We were able to visit the prison and say prayers in the actual room that He was imprisoned in. One of His sons died in that prison falling through a skylight. The hardship that He and His family endured is unbelievable and indescribable. Eventually they allowed house arrest.(He was obviously a person who didn't deserve prison so the authorities eventually came around and allowed house arrest) We were able to visit the various houses in and around Akka that He lived in. Then in Haifa on Mt. Carmel there are holy places for us as well. There is a forerunner to our Prophet and His Shrine as well as our Prophet's son who was His successor(although not considered a prophet in and of himself)are in Haifa on Mt. Carmel. The gardens surrounding the houses and shrines were the most beautiful places I've ever been. The feeling of calm and peace were palpable. Even surrounded with people you often felt as if you were the only one there. It was just amazing!

I will leave you with words from our Prophet, imprisoned for 24 years for preaching this- " So powerful is the light of unity that it can illumine the whole earth" -Baha'u'llah

Gone Fishing

2007-03-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

See you in two weeks with lots of non-knitting pictures.

New Edition

2007-03-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

I love him- meet Tiny Tim!

Baby Brother

2007-03-22T05:45:00.000-07:00

This is Rosie(the Paul Simon song always runs through my head-she's really my Rosie child:-). I got her almost exactly two years ago. I love her. She has not given me one ounce of trouble. She's been very patient as I learned how to spin. Definitely a golden child. I don't take her out much though. She's a little heavy and she's my only baby. I don't want anything to happen to her. This is what she and I are spinning right now, it's Lisa Souza silk/merino 50/50.

So I've been pining for a travelling wheel. After many considerations(there are so many wheels out there!). I decided that majacraft is my brand. I love the smoothness and the no fuss. I'm engineeringly challenged:-) That really only left me with the Little Gem which is very nice but has different treadling than my Rosie and the breakdown a little more complicated than I'd like. However I did like spinning on it and it fits all the the investments I've made towards my Rosie. I have a lace kit and a jumbo flyer and bobbin set and more than a few extra bobbins. The little Gem sadly is out of my price range right now. Well this story ends well hopefully! Saturday we will be welcoming Rosie's little brother to the family... Stay tuned:-)

This is my floppy jacket she is done! I love it I would do it again. It's from Maie Landra's new book.

sp10

2007-03-16T03:05:00.000-07:00

SP10 Questionaire

1what is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I love wool and I love silk. I'm gaga over Koigu and Fleece artist. I love high twist yarns. I love finering weight (sock) and laceweight. I love anything by Lisa Souza!!! I've really wanted to try Vesper sock yarn and I love Hello yarn!

What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I'm not crazy about fibers that are not natural. I do have some exceptions but I can't think of one right now. Some of the really special novelties I like.
I'm not crazy about bulky or singles yarns. I don't love softly twisted yarns

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?Mostly plastic bags(embarrasing!)

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting for fifteen years. I learned after I got married and my husband would go on long trips. My knitting would keep me company!

I love learning new techniques I'm definitely an advanced intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Not yet:-)

5. What's your favorite scent? I love the scent of almonds,oranges,roses

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?Yes cocolate!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?I'm not so crafty other than knitting ,spinning and crocheting!

Do you spin?Yes,Spindle and on a wheel!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? I like oldies, blues and old alternative-REM, the Police...

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love all colors especially deep rich colors. I like solids and variegateds. I don't have a favorite color it depends on my mood and the shade of the color! I'm not so crazy about pastels.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?I have a lovely husband, a son who is 10 , a son who is 8 , and a daughter who is 6-the dog Jack is a brittany spaniel and very sweet!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?Only scarves and usually lace ones(I'm a lace addict) I love mittens too.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?Lace! I knit lots of socks too. I love purses and the occasional sweater!

13. What are you knitting right now?Ha ha ha! Many things and I don't remember all of them now but I'm almost finished with my Koigu Floppy jacket, A shawl and baby sweater for my prayer shawl knitting group, three pairs of socks, three shawls and thats all I'll admit to;-)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? They are the best!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?Only circular aluminum and wood are my favorites.

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

17. How old is your oldest UFO?5 years? I started knitting again 5 years ago after a five year hiatus. I had many family preoccupations for 5 years and couldn't knit but I went back to it 5 years ago and haven't stopped. That's why I know that my oldest one is 5 years.

18. What is your favorite holiday?Thanksgiving- I get to see all of my extended family.

19. Is there anything that you collect?yarn and spindles.

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 pretty much get any books I want and have subs to Interweave knits and Vogue Knitting. I don't have any Goddess Knits shawl patterns and am drolling over all of them!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?I haven't tried any of Lucy Neatbys tricks and I'd like to.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?Yes but I just do standard socks I have never measured my foot. I'm an 8- 81/2 american.

23. When is your birthday?November 27th. The year I was born it was Thanksgiving. My mother waited 39 years to tell me that(and I'm 39 now)

My New Pet

2007-03-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Princey is my new pet. DH brought him from his trip:-) I like to think he is a cahsmere goat;-) He could be from India. Hubby went to India, Kuwait and Jordan. So I'm sticking with a Cashmere goat from Kasmir!

This is also a pic of my floppy jacket. I'm on the fronts. Then sleeves and ten edging! Woo hoo!

New Book

2007-02-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

I bought the sock book! Yes I have most of the patterns but it is so well laid out and I don't have to go looking:-) I passed on lace style for now. I may get it later but there was really only one thing I might knit. I want Stephanie Japel's book Fitted Knits but will wait on that too. It looks really nice though. I love her designs!

I had to blog about my Prayer Shawl sweater before I give it away. I've started(well Weds.) a prayer shawl group and we will knit items prayerfully for people for variuos reasons. This is for a young lady in my community who is having her first baby. My friend Liz M.

dyed the washable merino sock yarn this rose garden colorway. I snatched it up! It is a simple top down raglan with a picot edging. I like simple with details:-)

This is my fleece artist sock. It needs a mate. I'm working on it! I'm in love with fleece artist everything.

I'm also working along on my floppy jacket. I'm more than halfway done but this is not one that looks very good in pictures until blocked and on a person!

Snow Emergencey

2007-02-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very snowy day. The worst part was the drifting. Last night they called off school for the thrid day in the last two weeks. I woke up to sunny skies and very little additional snow. Unfortunately everything is closed. I was going to take the kids to the library but it has been closed for a snow emergency. I'm taking them out to lunch instead. Restaurants never close! It's just funny because yesterday it was awful, the roads, the wind, the school bus got stuck. Today just a great day for climbing snow mountains.
I started the Rippling Waters scarf by Dorothy Seimens with my Celtic Colors Fleece Artist BFL singles. I think it is going to be cool!

Handspun Pal Does it Again

2007-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

My Hanspun Pal Vivien did it again. I can't believe she considers herself an intermediate spinner. Her spinning is so even and she definitely listens to the fiber and works with its properties. The varicolored blue was spun by Vivien and then dyed. Unfortunately my pictures are not coming out as beautifully as the real thing. The darker blue is a blue merino with a silk ply. It is a beautiful boucle type yarn. All three skeins Vivien sent to me coordinate really well so I think i might do a scarf with them. I'm still enjoying looking at them too much to actually knit them! Check out her blog! http://spinayarn99.blogspot.com/

Vivien also sent this amazing silk top. I am going to spindle and savor this! Pictures again don't do justice! Vivien has been the best Handspun pal!

This is was a gift of roving from my dear friend Jessica. She went to Nova Scotia and brought back some Fleece Artist BFL. The color of the roving is called Celtic Colors and was a specially dyed color for the shop she purchased it at. I got 328 yds out of my 50gms so it is already on the needles and destined to be one of Dorothy Seimens scarves called Rippling waters scarf.
My felted project bag is done. I wanted a huge tote so I used up stash and swap yarn and created this. Sheila Ernst's button sure tops it off doesn't it?

I think it is interesting to note. I thought that all this two color knitting dominant hand stuff was a bunch of hooey. If you look closely at the bag you can see where I switched color in the dominant hand for a while and then switched back. It is more pronounced in person. I don't mind it but it was a good lesson!

It Hap-pened

2007-01-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

How may titles can you get out of word plays with hap I wonder!

It's finished and I'm itching to start another even though I have lots of other things that I should be working on. It came out to be a perfect size. I will measure and give specs when it is finished blocking.

I decided against an edging but did a picot bind off instead. I think I will do that on my second one too. I have to say laziness aside( laziness is a big factor) I think that I really like the simplicity of the picot as opposed to an edging. The hap is a very uncomplicated pattern iand it lends itself to simple treatment.

This is kind of like pictures without make-up but I couldn't wait to post pics. Here are pics of my unblocked hap. See this tiny bit left. I was not sure we'd make it!!!

A Hap

2007-01-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

I've had a few questions about the Hap so Im going to share what Sharon Miller wrote in her new book Shetland Hap Shawls. "A Shetland Hap was and is a serviceable warm shawl." She gets more technical later and talked about how haps were originally knit edging first then stitches picked up around the edging and starting with the border knit to center. "...the shawl knitted 'borders inwards' with almost invariably,an Old Shell patterning." You can see them being dressed on the front of the book.

Mine will be a modern version of the originals, modern construction and colors. I knit a diamond shape and picked up around the diamond. I am now knitting the border and then will knit on an edging. Here is a picture of the sack of hap with it's balls of ksh in it. You can kind of get a scope of the size in relation to the ksh balls.

I would say I have about 8-10 more inches to finish:-)

Things have been hap'nenin' round here

2007-01-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well not exactly round-it's square! My Hap is coming around. All of the colors are represented now so it is at a blogworthy point

I also started the Floppy Jacket by Maie Landra. I love Koigu. It makes me happy:-)

Handspun secret pal goodies

2007-01-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to open the package from my Handspun Secret Pal. I joined this Interweave knits sponsored swap at the last minute. I figured what the heck! I asked to be paired internationally. Both my secret pal that sends to me and my secret pal that I send to are in Australia! It is summer down there right now but they are still spinnin away;-)
My secret pal sent the most beautiful handspun skein of two ply. One ply is a seafoam green merino and the other is a multi colored coordinated silk ply. It is so beautiful!!! I'm trying to think of what to make with it- you know how it is when you get that special skein and you just want to look at it and pet it!

She also sent me some merino and silk to try my hand at it. The colors are brilliant! The spindle is my new hatchtown spindle I won. Thanks Jen!

hat

2007-01-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

This is what i did with the 3oz of roving from www.chocolateprincess.etsy.com:-) I love it but it is for my sil. She got a new coat that matches this.

These are the socks in the handspun by chocolate princess aka Liz:-)

This is the Lisa S. 50/50 silk merino south pacific.

I'm also working on two shawls and finished a gorgeous silk tee that needs to be modeled for full appreciation. It's for my mil so when I can snap a photo I will!

Still spinning

2006-12-27T04:59:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with lots of things right now. The discovery of silk has led me to finally start spinning Lisa Souza's 50/50 merino silk South Pacific I bought at Convergence. This stuff is heaven!!! It has the crunch and sheen of pure silk. I can't wait to finish it and ply it up. I'm taking suggestions for shawls on this one. I have in mind something oceaney. I would do Legends of the Shetland Sea but I think that it will be too busy. I'm thinking maybe Peacock Feathers? What do you think?

My friend Liz started an Etsy shop(www.chocolateprincess.etsy.com) and I bought some of her roving(spun yarn pics to come) and handspun sock yarn. I started knitting a sock with the handspun....I am addicted to handspun sock yarn. She magically spins perfect sock weight yarn. I'm doing a soch from Charlene Schurch's sock book. I think it's the chevon pattern. I'm so addicted and her prices are amazing for handspun!

This is my favorite holiday gift and it has an amazing story behind it. I had been wanting an orifice hook by Sheila Ernst but at this time of year it is a luxury I couldn't really afford. I kept going back to the page and looking at them and almost hit the send button one time but the old consceince got the better of me. Buying a holiday gift for my friend Jessica was easy. She had knit the Pacific Northwest Shawl earlier this year in a light celery color and Romi had a shawl stick that sported a stone in that very color. I had been looking for an excuse to get this for Jess so I grabbed it. After exchanging gifts we were shocked to learn that each had bought the other exactly what they had wanted. Here is the catch though- neither of us had told each other that we wanted these things!! Jess had gone to purchase the stick for herself and found that had been sold( to me for her!)! Crazy isn't it!!!

This is A Mary Ella bracelet from Knitty that I knit for my cousin. It is a quick addictive knit if you have a little bead and thread experience!

I'm posting as is because blogger won't let me post pics for some reason. I will try to go in later and add some.

my head is spinning

2006-12-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

I finished the handspun sweater with the green yoke but gave it away too quickly to take pictures;-) I have some spinning pictures though. My birthday was November 27th, next year is the big 4-0. I just don't care very much today. Maybe I will next year but I doubt it. I'm thirty nine and I just found out that the year I was born the 27th was Thanksgiving. Turkey day, how ironic! Where am I going with this? My main birthday present was the lace kit for my Rosie! I'm dying to dig into Lisa Souza's Merino silk fiber in South Pacific but I felt I had to work up to it. So I ordered some merino silk from the woolery with my kit. I had a blast! I spun 962 yds from about 7 oz. I measured 21 wpi. I'm thinking I might do Evelyn Clark's (favorite designer)butterfly garden with it.

Up now is a little taste of a friend's roving. Her blog is herehttp://knitandspincrazy.blogspot.com/ and her store is here http://chocolateprincess.etsy.com . Her colors are very nice! I bought some of her sock yarn too and hope to cast on for the sock over winter break.
And here is my new obssesion thank you very, much Jessica! I am so in love with silk!!!

shrug it off

2006-12-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

One down! I've been slacking. I've finished a few things but gave them away before taking pictures. Pooh!

This is not blocked and black so the picture isn't the greatest.

darn blogger

2006-11-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

Blogger will not download my pics! I download them and it says it is downloaded but then no picture shows up! Phooey!!! As soon as it will try to download the pics and post. i've been very busy!! I wanted to give you heads up on Romi's sale I bought a gorgeous pin for a freind and was lusting after one my self and then I found out Romi was having a sale!!! Check it out!!! http://www.designsbyromi.com/pages/sale.html

Blogger is now being cooperative here is a shadowy picture but you really can't appreciate Romi's pins until you hold one in your hand!

Houston, we have skulls!

2006-11-07T05:45:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post my progress. I finished the bag:-) One of the sweaters is almost finished and at the last minute I decided to cut(oh my!). My handspun flower basket is finished and we finally have skulls!

The bag took me all of two weeks. It is perle cotton size8 one bobbin and size 11 seed beeds one hank. The pattern is Diana from purse paradise.

The sweater is the forsythia(sp?) sweater from the spin to knit book with some changes. I did two by two ribbing and decided to cut it. Really people cutting is not that big a deal. I did not steek it so I just crochet steeked on either side of the middle purl two in the ribbing. Then I cut it. I did have my dear mil reinforce it with sewing because I was not using a sticky yarn like shetland. Now I'm on the hunt for buttons. The green is an Indigo moon batt(1lb) That I pushased at M$W. I am making my way through my puhases!! The red is called Kathmandu Aran and I am loving its tweedy goodness. Unfortunately the weather did not allow for a very good picture.

The flower basket is also a M$W purchase. It is Blue Moon fiber in merino tencel with matching glitz. This was my downfall. Suffice it to say glitz does not draft like merino tencel which does not make for a very even single!

The hat is the third try. I used Dale falk with size three needles and like the pattern called started with a provisional co so that I could later go back and do a hem. I cam out huge!! I wasn't totally loving the hem idea for a ten y/o boy anyways. Then I thought I don't want to knit this thing on ones so I should get sock yarn and it must be washable and it must be today. ( Those of you who have 10 y/o boys know that they go out play hard in the snow, get even wool soaked come in for hot chocolate and twenty minutes later want to go out. You need to be able to throw it in the dryer or buy fifty sets to make it through the day.) Stupid me bought Regia because that was all we got locally. It wasa too stingy and looked like lace one threes. All the while it is fermenting in my pea brain. I went back to the original yarn with the size threes but did a rib bottom on ones and everthing is dandy and on track.

Just please don't ask about the dreaded snake scarf...

What I've been doing

2006-10-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is sad. I am doing so many things but loving it! This is a picture of my "active" wips please don't ever ask to see the inactive ones. I just don't even want to know myself!

Okay, clockwise from top left- handspun self designed icelandic/shetland cardi, on top of the cardi is the morehouse rattler snake, next periwinkle swallowtail shawl with sheila ernst's needles, the We be pirates hat in sock yarn,Sivia Harding's angel pearls scarf in black ksh, Purse Paradise Diana bag in #8thread and size 11 sead beads, socks -my pattern- out of fleece artist, handspun top down raglan from Knit to spin-finally a great idea to use the not quite enough but good amount of handspun!!! That is a fun pattern.

Does this give you a head ache?

This is a picture of the most complete wip, the Diana bag. I'm so in love with knitting with thread and beads I can't wait til it's finished so I can co for the next one!

long time no post

2006-10-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

It's finished and blocking! It's been finished for two weeks but I haven't had time to block it. My handspun , Ann bud's sweater pattern(with lots of alterations and additions. I love it.

I also took a leap and knit something for one of my children, the ones that like me to knit for them but refuse to actually wear what I knit. I think that she will wear it purely for the panda buttons. This was a top down formula again my additions:-) And patons merino. I had no idea it was such a nice yarn!!
The Mystery stole may be done tonight. I picked up icelandic handspun sweater and am doing major redesign that will actually make it better. This will be the ultimate design feature ;-) This is an old picture I am almost up to the arm steeks! Yay!!!

2006-10-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

It's finished!! I haven't been able to blog because of computer problems but I've been a spinnin' and knittin'

Obsession

2006-09-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

I am obsessively knitting a sweater out of handspun. It is a deep ribbed shawl collared cardi. I started it a week ago and I'm really getting there! These are its parts. I'm almost done with the first sleeve too. I'm nervous about the shawl collar as I'm kind of winging it without a formal pattern. My best friend(wink wink) Ann Budd helped me out the decreases and increases for shaping. Her books are indispensable!!!

This is my current spinning project. Wensleydale from Miss Morgan, a sweet girly, wensleydale sheep. I'm hoping to transform it into a cabled vest.

Sorry for the crappy pics. The wensleydale is a beautiful silver witch I did not at all capture. It has been continuously grey here. Yuck!

I'm finding myself more focused on learning from each spinning project. I purposely made a softer yarn with less twist with this wensleydale. Wensleydale is not short so a softer yarn , it seems to me , would be more appropriate.

After this project I am breaking out the lace whorl for the first time and christening it with Lisa S' merino silk in south pacific. Ohhh, I can't wait. I have the perfect set of beads for that fiber too. It will want to be a shawl I'm assuming:-)

MIA

2006-08-29T09:51:00.001-07:00

Not really mia-I'm actually old enough to remember mias- I'm just really enjoying getting some extra time.

All three of my kids are in school at the same time and riding the bus so I suddenly have free time. Everyone said "You won't know what to do." Ha!!!! I still don't have enough hours to do all that I want to do.

I'm now cleaning my black hole called the loft. We have a loft in my bedroom that we have not organized since we moved here. Now that I could actually use it I'd like to have it clean.

I'm almost finished spinning the bfl from Lisa Souza and I think that is going to be my next sweater project. It is worsted/aran weight. I think I'll have about 1,000 yds. one skein is just bfl and the others are(850 yds) one ply shetland one ply bfl. I'm thinking very basic to show off the colors. Any suggestions? I'm thinking just a basic cardi with the only bfl trimmings.

I'm off to free more needles from stalled projects:-)

I hate posting without pics but this weekend I should finish my mystery shawl!!!

revelling

2006-08-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

pics

2006-08-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

This is Marti and I and two of our children. the rest of them were too busy;-)

This is my quicky wedding stole. I bought this skein from Lisa S at Convergence thinking I would finish my sil's stole sooner. I got the brilliant idea to crochet a shawl to be able to be finished in time. I love this I can wear it as a stole and then in the winter as a scarf with my winter coat. Fun stuff!!!!!

Sorry

2006-08-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

Our main computer is in time out so no pictures:-(

I'm getting along on the mystery shawl 2. and knit a cute little stole out of Lisa S. sock! in What a Melon. I love this colorway! It is hot pink and grass green on a white backround. If you grew up in Detroit you will understand what I mean by it is so Grosse pointe;-) Very Lily Pulitzer. I crocheted a net stitch backround then gave it a flouncy little edging. Hopefully someday I can post a picture with my dress.

I'm getting very itchy to start a million projects that I will never finish.

Book review- Grettings from Knit Cafe.
Im starting to guage books by how many patterns I would knit from them realistically. This is one that had a couple that I definitely would knit. There is the cutest baby blanket ever!!! Those of you who know me well know I would never knit a baby blanket but this is on my list of must do's. There is also a shoulder shawl that I am in love with-easy as pie pretty and have lots of stash to cover it!! There were also a couple of sweaters I would like but realistically Iprobably won't do and a pair of socks I probably will do. I am getting obsessed with knee socks. It seems a good alternative to other things with a jean skirt in the winter.

My sil's wedding is this weekend so you will not hear from me in two weeks for sure. My brother will be here tomorrow and we get to hang out for a few days ,hen wedding then my bil and sil and nephews will stay with us. I love them so much!! We will have so much fun:-) Then get readsy for school to start. Akkkk!!! This has been the weirdest fastest summer in history!

Mystery Stole 2

2006-07-26T05:49:00.000-07:00

I can finally devote my time to the mystery stole2. I finished the wedding stole and gave it to my sil.

I'm seriously moving along on the mystery stole now. I've completed all of the clues given on one side and started the clues on the other side.

When I did the provisional cast on I forgot to purl the first row of my actual yarn and knit the set up row. Ugh! I had to pick up a pattern row then go back and do the purl row. Thankfully it worked out! Somehow it came out really funky but I looked at the stole and figured out where reverything needed to land and adjusted accordingly.

I'm doing it in Knit Picks Shadow, colorway Vineyard with some mysterious nickle needles.

Spinning Experiment

2006-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

At Convergence I bought all of Lisa's Petroglyph BFL fiber but it isn't enough for a cardi which is what I thought I might like to make with it.

I decided I should take this as an opportunity to expand my horizons and experiment a little. I decided I would double my yardage if I plyed it with a solid and it would make the color changes more subtle. The only solids I had are carded fiber and the BFL was a combed fiber. Would the two preps work?

Whenever I have a problem I pose a question to my friends at FT and I get answers! Joanne suggested I make a sample. I did I made a sample of the bfl by itself, with targhee(cream colored), and with dark shetland/icelandic. I really liked the shetland color with the petroglyph and felt that it worked fiberwise too. So I went for it. These are the results. Vicki later told me that Satakeili(sp?) from schoolhouse press is a yarn that is one ply combed fiber on carded. Cool huhn!

I love it:-) Now I have to spin the rest consistently!

Mystery Stole 2 and Wedding shawl

2006-07-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

I've been dutifully trying to finish the stole for my sil's wedding. It is for her. Her colors are pinks and I thought this light pink is more interesting and wearable than white. It is my design, if you want to call it that.
It is basically a trellis chart with a beaded border. I wanted to make it easy because I drag my feet on deadlines. I also think anything with ksh is very elegant and appreciated while something you might slave over will not be understood. I bought the beads from Earth Faire, I love them!!! They are triangular and catch the light so beautifully.

I'm also working on the mystery stole 2. It looks like it is going to be gorgeous. I'm using stash-knitpicks shadow in vineyard. It just looked like a perfect match to me!

I'm also spinning some of Lisa Souza's bfl in petroglyph but am considering plying it with something else but haven't decided what. Akkk!!

2006-07-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

I've been pondering the internet and friendships made on the internet. People always think I'm weird because I claim people who I have never met as my friends.

Well sorry! They are friends. Ms. Souza is one of them:-) What a gal! I really enjoyed meeting her face to face but I know her from the time we spend on a mutual yahoo group. I felt like I was seeing an old friend!

I wonder if penpals were like this in the old days. Why do people question internet friendships but not pen pal friendships. Boggles the mind...

Convergence

2006-07-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

Convergence was not like other fiber things I've been to. There were lots of beads, which I didn't take pictures of but bought my share.
I hit my favorites

Golding- two spindles, celtic knot 1.9oz and a tsunami purple heart 0.9 oz. I am so in love with my Golding spindles. They have me spindle spinning again.

Ms Souza's booth- I got big hugs(the best part:-) and bfl in pertoglyph and merino silk in south pacific. I got a hank of sock! in what a melon to make small shawl for my sil's wedding but I don't think I'll malke it cause I have to finish her shawl first;-) Sheila Ernst shawl pin and great buttons which I didn't photograph bad me!

This last week I spent on a retreat with my family. It was very refreshing and hard to get back to life as we know it again.

FO

2006-06-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is an fo!! This shawl is so addictive because of the color changes. I love Koigu.

We had to take my younger sil to Ft Wayne for a retreat so we decided to kill two birds and take the kids to the Ft. Wayne children's museum. It is one of the best in the country. It is also less than five miles from Cass Street Depot one of my favorite Indiana yarn shops. They have a nice selection of Koigu so I got some in berries with a hint of brown and light blue. Very yummy. I swatched for a cardi but I have to finish the obligation shawl(sil wedding before I start anything new).

I will try to take a pic of both wedding shawl progress and said swatch soon. I will be out of commision this weekend as we have an intensive religious class we are hosting for the weekend. My whole summer is like this. Come down from one thing and then you have another. I guess it's better to be busy than bored;-)

MSW aquisitions

2006-06-06T03:20:00.000-07:00

My computer is totally funky right now. I'm going to limit my post as much as possible. We will be on a Disney vacation for a week so you won't hear from me for a little while.

This is some Blue Moon fiber I got from The Fold, colorway-Fire on the mountain 50/50 merino tencel. I added glitz by holding it with the fiber as I spun the second ply. I wouldn't do this again. The fiber drafted differntly from the glitz adding a frustrating futz factor. I would comb it in but not in the near future. The result was very beautiful though. This picture doesn't show the shine!

Mohair lock and Sheila Ernst buttons. I'm collecting Sheila's buttons:-) This is the most lucious batt from Indigo Moon. 60% alpaca 20% silk and 10% wool. It's 8 ounces. I have a feeling I'm going to need more of this stuff!

gift

2006-06-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Things have been kind of sad around here. The Friday after I came back from Maryland my sister-in-law,my brother's wife, passed away. She had been battling ovarian cancer for 2 and a half years. She was only 33. My brother and I have always been close. It is only he and I and he is four years younger. It has been heart breaking to watch them go through this and not be able to do a thing.

My friends at fibertradition yahoo group have been with me from the first diagnoses. Giving support, love, and prayers. They are an amazing bunch of ladies.

One of my fellow fters felt I needed an extra hug and sent me a shawl. It is so beautiful. I am so in love with these colors. They remind me of a cool forest. Thank you Laura! You have a big heart. This came at a great time!

M$W

2006-05-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my fun time in Maryland. Next time I'll post pics of my aquirements;-)

This is a picture at 8:15 am before official opening time!

Yes, I'm really here!!!!

Too cute!

The FT gang

Golding spindles- yes they are all that!!

I want to learn to do this!!!!!

Liz is too happy!!! I don't blame her! The shawl Angela knit is beautiful!!

This is just a taste. Notice no fiber pictures. I only took one picture of yarn! I was enjoying my time with my friends too much!

Wow!

2006-05-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

M$W was amazing. It was humongous!! Too much for me to take in I know I missed some things but oh well. I got plenty of beautiful things to keep me busy. Unfortunately you can't see them because the computer is acting up. I'm going to have to go to my Mom's and download but this is too crazy a week to do it I think.

Better than the stuff were the people. I got to meet a gaggle of my Ft freinds. Oh my! They were a wonderful bunch of ladies. Even more beautiful, gracious, funny and kind in person than cyberly if that is possible. I got more shots of them than the festival because they were my favorite part!!

Stay tuned for a picture heavy post when at all possible!!

M$W or Bust

2006-05-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Okay I haven't been a good blogger and this will be a pictureless post. I am about to burst with excitement. Maryland Sheep and Wool here I come. I crocheted a couple bags since I last posted, three small bowls and am almost finished with the knit silk tee. i will try to post some pictures tomorrow;-)

sorry knitters

2006-04-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry knitters, crochet definitely has my attention right now;-)
Here are pics of how my scrumbling is shaping up and some scrumbled paisleys.(I still knit though, almost finished with a pair of socks and working on my silk tee)

scrumbling

2006-04-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

scrumbling-(v) to play without restriction, to make up as you go along,make new rules, throw out the rules.
This is my definition of my new obsession. Scrumbling is freeform crochet. I am hooked:-)

Why I haven't Posted Lately

2006-04-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy and not knitting much but we did have fun in Mexico!
This is me ponitificating not even two days after returning from Mexico. We threw an engagment party for my Sil. So I am still recovering. Hopefully I will get back to my knitterly self soon.

Happy Spring!

2006-03-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Baby's got a brand new spring hat!

2006-03-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

I'm horribly unfaithful to my projects but here it is. I've joined the Sivia Harding Diamond Fantasy KAl. I'm doing yellow diamonds with Lisa Souza's sock!
I need to do spring stuff it's killing me;-)(that's my excuse anyway)

fo

2006-03-01T05:05:00.000-08:00

Picture courtesy of my daughter Mina! I finished the Go with the Flow Socks, Teal Sock! by Lisa Souza with size one needles.The color is not very representative it is much greener thus the teal name;-) The pattern comes from an old Ik. I want to get a few ufo's done because I'm am starting to hear the siren call of spring! Soon all winter projects will be put aside until the weather gets cold again and the spring projects will come out!

booty

2006-02-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

I got some booty(get your mind out of the gutter-pirate, not the other kind!). Mango moon has these spectacular circular needles called tattoo needles made out of bone and carved they have these cool cables that seem to be plastic cables covered with a satin fabric. I had to have them. I knit a little with them but was trying a stittch that didn't work well with these needles. They felt like bamboo and didn't snag at all! They would be great with any yarn that is great with bamboo imho.
The owners of our local yarn shop have really bent backwards to accomodate our guild and they give us discounts and then extra discounts on guild meeting days and now are giving us a special 50% off on a selected type of yarn on guild meeting days. Who wouldn't take advantage of that! This time it was 50% off any yarn put up in bobbins. I'm no fool I went for Adrienne Vittadini's Celia, a lightweight silk ribbon in a corally orange. I already have a pattern picked out for it and spring is looming. The winter projects will soon be stored in favor of springy stuff. So it may come up sooner in line than I think:-)
My freind Kristine of Strung out blog fame(excuse my computer ignorance,http://www.strung-out.blogspot.com/) Gave me this gorgeous skeinlet that was making her allergies flare. It is a wool, alpaca,angora blend that she spun herself. Thanks Kristine!!

navajo plying

2006-02-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

I have been bad and not working on my handspun sweater.

I have tried my hand at Navajo plying though. Idefinitely need more practice but felt pretty comfortable with it after 30 or so yards. This is about 110 yds of worsted. you can see where I missed the boat but also where I got better:-) I definitely like it and want to see what it looks like knit up. I think I want to make a little notions or treasure bag out of it.

I have been working on some old and some new projects. I had two skeins of the louet opal(pearl?-whatever) that was called for in the new Interweave Knits sock pattern. The socks take only one skein, 200 + yds. I couldn't resist! They are so cute and this yarn is very similar to koigu in feel.

I've also been trying to finish the teal socks, Go with the Flow- by Evelyn Clark, from an older last summer I believe, IK. They are very fun to make.I will miss them when I'm finished. I'm that way with a good book,I miss the chatacters when it is over.

My sister in law is getting married in the summer so I'm designing a shawl in pink for her. It's in KSH and triangular beads from Earth Faire. I love their beads!!! They have the coolest beads. I will definitely be buying from them again. When my order came I got little sample packs of different kinds of beads they carry. Very good selling point! I found some beads I can't live without! Wish me luck with this I'm awfully tired of pushing long legnths of beads out of the way:-(

handspun shawl

2006-02-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

My first handspun handknit was Fenna by Myrna Stahman with a few modifications of course. It was done in bulky two ply wild things wensleydale. I've made a few handspun hand knit items since then a hat, mittens , a short sleeved pullover.

This is my second handspun handknit shawl. The yarn for this is a merino silk spun into a single with my wheel and then plyed with a silk thread a la Galina Khemeleva. She spins hers on a russian spindle but mine was wheel spun. The single varied from cobweb to fingering so I chose Eveyln Clark's pattern A shetland triangle from one of the Piecework mags(winter 2004? maybe spring 2005). I feel the feather and fan is a very forgiving lace stitch;-)

I'm kind of excited about this! It is my one year spinning anniversary this month! I got my first spindle in Feb of last year and my wheel in March!

Now I need to get working on the mittens!! Once I get my mitten obsession over with I can go back to my forlorn handspun sweater:-)

Fixed

2006-02-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush (sans shaping)
Size 1/12 dpns
Sock! yarn from Lisa Souza's site(lisaknit.com) in the olive tones colorway.

The socks are fixed. Man! What a baby! It hardly took any time to fix em. Sheesh.

Someone has come to visit in our lake behind our house.

The socks, they are finished

2006-02-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

The socks are finished but are a study in why you must make notes while knitting. If you look closely at the toes one is much wider than the other. I assumed that I changed the pattern, which I didn't, so I made a different toe on the second sock.

I will probably go back and fix it although right now I'm mad and won't. This is what happens every time I make a mistake, which is quite often. I think," Oh no one will notice. It will be fine. I'm not ripping. Oh it's driving me crazy. I better rip. Oh but I don't feel like it..." until I finally get a little distance and decide it is worth ripping because it will haunt me.

Next up the Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark in a Piecework mag. I'm doing it in my purple silk and merino handspun and it is pretty close to finishing.

MSW

2006-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

Every year I get a little sad the first week in May. My cyber buddies take off and meet in the fiber fairyland called Maryland Sheep and Wool. One of our members lives close and throws a soiree and they get together and knit and spin and laugh and they see and buy amazing things that I only read about. Oh, they make sure they take pictures so that we cinderellas who don't make it get to enjoy vicariously. I really appreciate those pictures because I get to put a face with the personality that I know. The cyber buddy business is interesting. You can really get to know someone without ever laying eyes on them.
This year I decided to ask my husband if he and I could go and kind of get a weekend together as well as meet my friends and have an amazing fiber experience. Mt husband works like a dog, never complains about my less than perfect ways, and is very accomodating. Still to me this was a big sacrifice and I hated asking. He ,however, said "I think we could do that." last Thurs and then made reservations for a hotel, plane ride, and car rental on Sunday!!! I don't think he could possibly fathom how much it means to me. This is something that is totally for me ,not something he'd necessarily chose for his weekend. He's such a keeper I tell you!
Okay I'm sure you will hear more about M$W, as we call it on my favorite list, a
as we get closer!
I will leave you pictures of my handspun sweater. I was having a problem which I think I fixed.
I have done mittens with baltic braids before and no rolling so I thought I could do it on the hem of the sweater and get away with no rolling. Wrong!!! It was rolling and I wasn't frogging!! So I could pick up and do a hem or rip the braid. However I wanted that braid! So I kind of fudged and have a wonderful 'design element' which will cause everyone to think I am a designing genius when in fact I made a stupid elementary mistake. I guess that's what separates the men from the boys, as my dad used to say. The men can make mistakes and knit their way out of it creatively;-)

meme, late to the party

2006-01-24T07:43:00.002-08:00

A quick pic of my handspun icelandic sweater progress. I think the lace addiction is getting replaced(not really replaced because lace will always hold a very special place in my heart) with fair isle. I also am halfway finished with my brothers socks. Woo hoo!!

Sorry I'm late with the meme.I've been super busy!

4 jobs I've had:
first job- sold jewelry, second job- sold records(yes there were records in those days), Third- day care and fourth- elementary teacher.

4 movies I can watch over and over- Now you will know my dark side. Everyone else has these funny romantic stuff oh well here it goes
Jaws, The Godfather 1 and two and Scarface(the one with Al Pacino) if I named more it actually wouldn't get much better- old Richard Gere movies- Officer and a Gentleman etc. is about as romantic as I get.

4 T.v. shows- I really don't watch more than CartoonNetwork most of the time but I like Project Runway (which I haven't seen yet this time around) What Not to Wear, Knitty Gritty, Biography

4 favorite Foods - This is really hard 'cause I like food- Chocolate, almost any pasta ,brie tomato and french bread sandwich Fesenjan a persian stew with pomegrante juice ground walnuts and beef or duck with basmati rice

4 places I have visited- a tour of Europe, Malta, I went to High School in Canada,and Key West a couple of times

4 places I'd rather be right now- Someplace warm,not hot- South of France - San Remo, Italy- the family cottage pretty rustic but where I consider home, who needs showers or bathtubs?
These places are places I'd like to be with my husband though not alone necessarily, we get no time together and I miss him:-)

4 websites I visit daily- My yahoo groups that I love especially Ft! and the numerous blogs I read That should count for more than 4

I'm not tagging anyone because1. most of my friends have been tagged and the2. others are pretty busy and3. this has obviously made its way around the blogespere because 4.I got tagged twice before I could even respond:-)

too many things going on

2006-01-17T07:58:00.001-08:00

Once again I've got too many projects that I actually like working on so things are not getting done. My brother's first sock is a few rows to go til the toe so that is moving Demi-pictured here -is a bit stalled. It has been a long time since I've done cables and I don't read cables like I do lace -yet- so I need quiet time to work on this project at this stage. Ha! The only quiet time around here is when I'm passed out in bed. I really like this though so we will see.

I also started my Lopi sweater as I am very close to finishing the spinning and I couldn't wait. Not much to see here yet basically the braid and a little more than half a repeat of the rose. I am kind of designing as I go along, I guess it will morph;-)

Did you notice those great stitch markers? Now I consider fancy stitch markers luxuries and have never purchased any. Sunday at our guild meeting, my friend and fellow blogger Kristine, http://www.strung-out.blogspot.com/ , gave these to me. She actually made these for me! And I got these great cards too. She said the green sweater looks like something I'd wear. She is so right! Thanks Kristine!

Blueberry is done

2006-01-10T06:36:00.002-08:00

Well I finished blueberry on the weekend and she is blocked dry and sewn, what little was to be done. I changed the pattern quite a bit. I kept the sleeves in the horseshoe lace, made it much longer and did not do any fancy bindoffs. I liked the way the lace curves on the bottom.

I also started some socks for my brother. He is going through a nightmare and I can't help in the least. It made me have this urge to knit him socks. It seems silly and I don't even know if I could actually give them to him now. Considering what he is going through socks seem so trivial but I needed to do something and think of him so socks seeemed like a good idea. These are my version of Nancy Bush's Gentleman's fancy socks in Lisa S's olive tones. This is one of those colorways that touches my soul. I am very weird about color. It really effects me. This color is very introspective and calming to me. It is like a deep dark evergreen forest. Unfortunately you have to see it in person to appreciate the depth in color. I am going to have to do something else in this colorway too.

I have decided to frog the Sally Melville collared sweater, sorry Sally,It just wasn't doing it for me. I will do the Jolie sweater from Vintage Style by Rowan but not before I finish my newest start!

Last year I snagged 8 balls of magpie tweed in a really nice mid grey color from a rotating stash box that my favorite list does(hey fters!). I have been pondering what to do with it. It is so good , one of those things I'd never buy for myself. So it had to be the perfect pattern and I found it. Demi from Vintage knits. http://www.theknittinggarden.com/patterns/ro-vintagestyle/demi.htm. I am so in love with this I got a few rows up and had to frog so I have no progress to show but it will be very easy and quick. Once you set up the pattern(correctly!) it moves very easily. Now that the kids are back in school i won't be able to knit it in two weeks like blueberry but I can tell this one won't be a ufo. Istn't it funny? I usually can tell which ones will be ufos but I still cast on:-)

buttons!

2006-01-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

Button,button who has a button? Me! Sheila Ernst and her husband(www.glasspens.com) made this and sent it out to me to finish off my cardi. Lisa Souza was raving, but you truly cannot appreciate these babies until one is in your hand. Sheila purposely offset the shank so it would hang better on my cardi. It was worth every penny!!! I am going to have to find reasons for more of Sheila's buttons.

The last time I did(one) toe up sock I swore never again... Well never is a long time so I started one. this sock yarn was expensive so I want to eek out every yd possible. I'm using a free toe up pattern from Elann. It is a chevron pattern. I thought it would show the stripes off very nicely.

oops

2006-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

I forgot to talk about the breed I'm spinning! The icelandic is a very nice, spins itself, fiber. The fiber that I am spinning is both undercoat,thel and outercoat, tog. I am guessing it would be a very different spinning experience with only thel. It is not a very soft yarn. I am spinning it just like light lopi. I read somewhere that spinning guru Judith McKenzie said to spin a fairly spun single and then spin it back through quickly the opposite way to get a nice and lofty single. This is working well with my spinning style:-) i am planning a fairisle jacket for this. Hopefully it will be even enough to achive this.

Socks are finished and new booty

2006-01-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

I finished my socks which means I can cast on for knit net's silk sack:-) I bought the sari silk. I finally broke down but I didn't lose my mind. I'm hoping I can eek it out with just one skein of the mango moon with two skeins of brown sheep in roasted coffee.

My lys had a sale so I splurged on two skeins of Schaeffer's Anne in Watch plaid and a blues. I am in a sock frenzy. I'm getting close to the heel in my lace sock. Even the heel has a lace pattern on this one! These take much longer so I am keeping two socks on the needles at all time a plain and a fancy. My next plain will be a pair in olive tones sock! from Lisa S, www.lisaknit.com. The lace pair is in her garnet.

My sweater should be done by the end of the week. It is definitely an obssesive knit:-) I altered the pattern quite a bit but I think it will be more classic.

I have spun 700 yds of my black lopi style and probably have at least 400 more yds to spin. Then on to the grey!!! This has been a lot of to spin.

Knitting up a storm

2005-12-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

Not having to go anywhere and do anything has done wonders for my knitting! I swatched with my handspun lopi style icelandic single. I'm in love! It will not take long to spin the yarn for this. Although right now I'm really into my socks and sweater. I had to start a new sweater! I know I have two unfinished ones on the bottom of my workbasket but this one is different! It is a top down lace cardi in Peruvian Collection Sierra Aran in Blueberry. The pattern was free from elann and the yarn with an extra skein cost 25$ It is going very fast because it is aran weight. Also no seaming!!! This is so up my alley! I decided to keep the horsesoelace on the sleeves too. They change to milanese lace and I think I'd prefer the continuity of the horseshoe lace.

I also finished the handspun mittens. Working with millspun feels very flat now.

Life has been throwing some curves for our family practically every December for the last five years. December brings much sadness. It is not a good month for us. Prayers, thoughts, lit candles, any of those are very much appreciated.

Wonder of wonders

2005-12-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

I thought my daughter would never get the itch. Not because she is so old that she probably won't ask anymore, she's only five. I thought this because I love knitting so much that she is jealous of it sometimes. I thought this jealousy would make her resent it. I never asked her if she wanted to try it not wanting to push in the slighest bit. I was completely wrong.

I can't believe what a natural she is. No sweaty gripping. No face twisted in concentration. No impossibly tight stitches. She was whistling while she was knitting! I didn't do this the first time i knit. She's only five. The possiblities. Even though I contemplate the possiblities I still don't push or even ask if she wants to I wait for her to bring her little knitting bag out.

Friday I decided I wanted to knit a felted bag so I did:-) It is the Retro bag out of Galway and Noro. I decided this because I am getting a 4"x4" weavette for Christmas and I want to make a flower to put on it 'a la Spin Off. How do I know? I bought it and wrapped it. That way I get what I want don't you know;-)

This will be the first installment of the sheep breeds spinning critique. I am spotlighting Targhee because it was my favorite. It is soft and spongey and just lucsious. I think it has been my very favorite of anything I have spun so far. It is a short fine wool.

One down

2005-12-15T05:17:00.000-08:00

One down one to go!

Handspun mittens

2005-12-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Last week Prudence of Pink Tea suggested handspun mittens. She must have read my mind! It's darn cold here and I thought that would be a great idea. This is out of handspun ,the green is kool aid dyed columbia. How fun it took me a few days to think of what pattern I wanted. I decided on peace fleece. I made a couple of pairs of these a few years ago and loved the pattern.

Next time I will start a review of the sheep breeds I have spun.

Fun Fiber Weekend

2005-12-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

Oh my, the satisfaction I am getting working with my handspun is great! I finished the Christmas Rose bag from Handknit Holidays. The plum is my handspun and the red is local alpaca mill spun. I really didn't think it would knit up so evenly.

I also spun two small skeins this week. One grey merino x and one shetland. I'm surprised by how much I really liked spinning the shetland. I was trying to spin with less twist and I was sucessful!! This was a much softer yarn though still my beloved worsted. Things afre starting to click. I'm beginning to understand how to get the results I want. I finally understand the difference between worsted and woolen. I am so sucked into the vortex I may never see the light of day again;-) The purple is the silk merino spun into 846 yds of lacey goodness!

handspun

2005-12-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

I am so loving working with my handspun. It is just very rewarding. I let my mom pick two skeins of my handspun for a hat and then made it in a day because she needed it and I was having fun knitting it!

I'm also working on a fair isle bag from Handknit Holidays. I had to get it, it was killing me. I'm technically not even Christian! What am I doing with a holiday knitting book! Well the patterns are very nice and we do still celebrate with my mom. That's my story and I'm sticking with it;-)

I'm knitting the Christmas Rose bag with handspun plum wool and store bought rosy red alpaca. I'm loving it! I don't do much fair isle anymore because it makes me a crazy woman. Kind of like koigu. I can't wait to see the next row, and the next row, and the next row... I'm much more calm with lace and other things.

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

We had a very happy Thanksgiving.
I was able to finish the shawls in time and gave them to my very grateful aunt, who is like my second mother. I was very happy.
Then decided to use stash and knit my cousin a scarf out of some Danette Taylor handpaint-no pics though I knit it Friday and she wore it home Saturday;-)
The ladies in our family do not hit the mall on Friday. We hit the antique shops. Living in a smallish town does have its advantages. Antiques can be a steal! I bought two pieces which I am especially proud of. The tatted piece was 10$ and the knit round table cover was 30$ plus 20% off of both for the holidays!
Socks for me are finally done and I can knit on whatever I please!!!

bad,bad girl

2005-11-21T03:26:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in forever. It's been busy around here. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

I have been working on the third obligation shawl. It is almost finished:-)

All other projects have been put aside. This is a list of my 'active' projects, Madli's shawl out of handspun cormo/silk,top down triangle shawl with various yarns+handspun in my own pattern, two pairs of socks,and two sweaters one in ksh from a Rowan book and one from the new Sally Melville book.

I also finished spinning and am in the process of plying some merino silk. I bought a bunch of fiber in different natural sheep colors and different sheep breeds and it has my creative juices flowing. I can't wait to get my hands on this stuff, it is killing me.

Well I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving.

spin, spin , spin

2005-10-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

We had a Knit 'n Spin at my house on Saturday. What more could you ask for: good friends, good soup, and lots of spinning and knitting? Unfortunately hubby had to use the camera so no pics:-(

Today my oldest had his first concert.

I was very proud. He has only been playing for two months!

I also spun up some more laceweight, this time Lisa Souza's sky drama merino. The colors are not true in the picture. They are much more reddish purple than blueish purple. I was bad and had to start a project with it. I am on my third obligation shawl though so I felt I was allowed;-)

Two needles in three days

2005-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

I broke two Brittany birches in three days. The first one, I haven't a clue. The second I broke shoving my foot into my beautiful peacock sock. Don't ask why I didn't try it on much sooner. But shoving my fat little calf and generous foot into a much too small sock was too much on my delicate birch double points. Thankfully I have two exta sets but the socks must be frogged. Boohoo, I got so far!
To make up for it my Andean Silk from Knit Picks came and I started the cardi on page 66 of the new Sally Melville book on color, Color Experience.

Obsession

2005-10-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

I can be a little obsessive. This week it was brought to my attention that as a guild we were challenged to knit a hat for the next guild meeting. We are knitting hats for the Y's woman's shelter. Well of course it was only 'bout 5 days to the guild meeting. I love an excuse to go buy more yarn-I didn't have any washable yarn! So I knit like a fiend and basically put out a hat a day. The last was the blue striped. My daughter loved the lavender striped so I had to do it in her colors, blue.
The obligation shawl #2 is so close to being finished. I have a month and a week to finish #2 and #3. I should be able to do it easily although I can't say I am going to feel like knitting this pattern again anytime soon.
The socks are going slow with all of this obligation knitting but I am savoring the colors of the yarn. Luscious!

Favorite Designers

2005-10-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about my favorite knitwear designers. Here is my list:
Kim Hargreaves
Evelyn Clark
Sharon Miller
Dorothy Seimens
Alice Starmore
Kathy Zimmerman
Myrna Stahman
Wow! Such genious! Right now as you can tell Evelyn Clark is my favorite because her designs make you looks like a genious without too much sweat or thought!
The sock on the left is Lisa Souza's peacock sock! soon to be go with the flow socks by Evelyn Clark, IK summer 2005 and the socks on the right are Lisa Souza's sock! in garnet soon to be merino lace socks by Anne Woodbury, Ik summer 2003. I'm getting my lace fix through socks because I just don't have the time to devote to a real piece of lace. Next year all three kids will be in school all day long. I will actually be able to get the house clean and have a few minutes to rub together for other things!

Waving lace socks done!

2005-10-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo , my waving lace socks are done! Waving Lace out of Lorna's laces Shepard Sock in blueberry on size one needles. The pattern is from Interweave Knits Spring 2004 by Eveyln Clark-one of my most favorite designers! Everything she does looks complicated but in fact is easy and makes you look like a genious!
Now I'm going to make socks with my Lisa Souza sock! yarn for me-me I tell you! I only have two pairs of handknit socks and one is 12 years old! Everyone likes handknit socks. I'm doing Lisa's peacock color first. I asked her to send me a surprise color and that is what she sent and I love it! I sure hope the Nancy Bush Vintage Socks book comes in the mail today(like I'd actually have time this weekend to start it anyways!). I can't wait to try out some of the patterns in there! When I get a chance to start I'll post.

What a Day

2005-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was at my lys, Sit 'N Knit, signing books. She was witty and fun. It was so nice to sit and knit with her. After the book signing she read one of the essays from her book. We were all laughing hysterically. Later there was less traffic so Stephanie, Betty, Kristine(of Strung Out blog) and I sat and talked and knit. Later Elizabeth (of Pick Up Sticks)joined us. What a great day! It was especially nice to meet Stephanie since she and I are on the same Yahoo List together,Fibertradtions. Some of the nicest, most knowledgeable ladies are on that list and I am always honored to meet one. I was pretty washed out after a few hours and had worn out my babysitter's generosity so I had to leave. It was a wonderful fibery day though!

laceweight, Orenburg style

2005-09-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Now that I understand that scotch tension doesn't mean to tighten the bejeebers out of it. I can actually spin as fine as my fiber will allow! I decided to start with the cormo from Galena's booth that I bought at the Michigan Fiber Fest. It is a very lovely light gray that has every so often streaks of darker grays. It also has a lot of vm and is carded not combed. I spun it with a short draw, lazily, not taking out all of the vm. I am having a blast and I have 8 oz. So I am going to have a whole lot of this laceweight as I am plying it Orenburg style with a silk thread. This gives it a really nice texture. I cannot wait to knit some up and see what it does.

Karis

2005-09-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Karis, she's finished! I am tired of ponchos so I decided to modify her into a cape(sm cape-capelet I guess) I ordered some red glass buttons to go on her. Tiny, delicate, frosted orbs. I think I will place them in pairs at the top when I get them and sew them on I will model it!

I also learned that scotch tension can not only be tightened but also loosened! Duhh! Thankfully the knowlegeable ladies at FiberTraditions Yahoo group enlightened me. Thanks Vanessa! Now I can spin any weight I want not just worsted or aran! This picture is a sample of a single doubled over on itself! Yay!!!

Been Tagged

2005-09-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Seems I've been tagged;-)

Ten years ago- I was fairly new to South Bend and teaching in the Title One Program on the West side at Marquette Elementary.

Five years ago -My third and(hopefully last child) was born. Very busy SAHM with three small children. Just makes me tired thinking about those days.

One year ago- Second child in Kindergarten and third in preschool-Halleluiah

Five snacks 1-chocolate
2-chocolate
3- chocolate
4-chocolate
5-chocolate

Five songs I know the words to-
1 Itsy Bitsy Spider
2Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer 3 okay I know the chorus and the beginning to a thousand
4pick an old REM song or Police or something 5 Some old drinking song my mom taught me it has black sheep in it:-)

Five things I would do with a million-
1 pay off all of our debts and put a million into retirement program
2 give a million to our church
3 4&5help family members get started and pay off debt

five places to run away to
1 our family cottage
2 south of france, Nice
3 Capri
4 Malta
5 anyplace alone with my husband

five things I would never wear
1 short shorts
2 short skirts
3 anything to tight and thigh clingy
4 too much fur or leather- a little is all right
5 bad fabric or cut

five favorite TV shows
1 What not to wear
2 How do I look
3 knitty gritty
4Biography
5who has time to watch tv? I was stretching with the other four, gimme a break!

five biggest joys
1 my kids
2 my hubby
3 reading and thinking about spirituality
4knitting
5 spinning

favorite toys
1 knitting needles
2 spinning wheel
3 cards, I like to play with my son;-)
4 any good book
5 computer- even though I am somewhat of a luddite

I have to pass this on to five people but will do it tomorrow because I have to, luddite that I am ,find their address and put them in!

Bad Bad blogger

2005-09-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

This back to school stuff is getting me down. I just don't seem to have much time:-(
I am so close to finishing Karis it hurts to look at it.

I also finished the back of the Elizabeth Cardi from A Season's Tale. I am procrastinating casting on for a front because of the ruffle;-)

The second of three lavender garden shawls is in progress in oatmeal. I got my Rowan mag and the River stole looks really easy and quick- size 10 1/2 needles. I'm actually contemplating making three of those too and giving my aunt the pick of the 6 and keeping the rest to use a church fund raiser.
I may just have lost my mind a teensy bit.

I swatched my handspun and plyed orenburg style cashmere and silk lace weight.
(not yet all spun up-not even close) Oh I am in love now for more time! this is not blocked though it would open up beautifully if I wasn't so lazy. I spun it on my Bosworth mini(featherweight?) and plied it orenburg style with silk thread and a Russian plying spindle. Kind of cheating because i didn't spin the single with a russian spindle but I knew this way would give me the best results. Who wants to mess up cashmere!?!

One down two to go

2005-08-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

I finished the Lavender Garden Shawl by Sharon Miller. It took two balls of Kidsilk Haze. I have done this one before but was a new lace knitter then. This time I was able to memorize it which made it go much faster and more enjoyable. I need to do two more. They are for my three cousins.

I think I should probably finish Karis now. It's been marinating for quite a while on only the edging.

Michigan Fiber Fest

2005-08-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful time at the fiber festival. I got to meet an online knitting freind in person. Vicki of Fibertraditions and her friend Roberta was a great knitter and person(not in that order).
We took two classes with Galina Khmeleva. We learned(ahem0 to spin and ply with handcarved Russian spindles in the Orenburg tradtion. it was chalenging but very fun. I definitely need to practice. We were given to try cormo, cashgora, pygora ,casmere,camel and silk,and yak and silk. I tried the cashmere and the cashgora. I have yet to try the others. We also plyed the Orenburg way, using a handspun single and a silk thread. I love this idea because a)I only have to spin half the yardage I would if I did a two ply
b)the silk adds sheen and stregnth
c) 4 oz of casmere is a lot less expensive than 8 oz
The use of these promted me to buy 8 oz of grey cormo and 4 oz of cream cashmere which are in the picture and a cone of silk thread. I also bought my russian spindles and bowl in birch for practicing. I didn't want to wait until I get good at it so I also bought two spindles for spinning lace, very light weight. One is a Bosworth featherweight in canarywood and the other a Meilke in lacewood(how appropriate:-)
The second class was a two day class on actually making an orenburg shawl. We made a mini shawl and went over blocking.
Galina is a great teacher I would HIGHLY recommend if you love lace knitting to take a class from her. She is witty, a great explainer and gives great visuals. She must have brought more than twenty examples of Orenburgs good and poor quality and showed us the differences.
I could go on and on. The festival itself is a trove of treasure for those of us out in the wasteland. I could get nothing like this where I live. It was great to be around others who share my passions.

all spun up and plied

2005-08-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

I spun that merino up and plied it. Ain't she purty! It's Lisa Souza's merino fiber in Birds of Paradise colorway. Next up Sky Drama by Miz Souza.
I probably won't blog much this week. I go to the Michigan Fiber Fest classes I signed up for. I can't wait from spinning to designing Orenburg shawls with Galina Khmeleva. I probably butchered the spelling of her last name I promise to blog afterwards about it and my acquisitions at the fest.

spinning

2005-08-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

I finished spinning the kool aid dyed roving last week because my yummy merino roving from Lisa Souza came. I was able to get a little bird of paradise in today! That is what is on the bobbin.I love the orange and really deep teal in this. It is so gorgeous. After this I will do the sky drama which is equally gorgeous. That is the picture of the gorgeous ball of roving. I plan to do the Annie Modisett cardi from the Fall VK # 2 I think. I have a small collection of handspun that I haven't used because it wasn't enough for a garment and too thick for socks. I think this cardi will fit the bill. The picture is a little dark but I have green, purple, pink, and blue at about a worsted weight.

Fun weekend

2005-08-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend at my family's cottage. It has been in the family for more than 60 years. I spent 17 summers there. I comes out to more than a few years of my life:-) This is the place that is always home to me. Wherever I roam the cottage is still there. Hopefully my generation will not let it go. It is hard most of my cousins work and we live to far away now to be able to go often.
On the knitting front I want to do everything yesterday. I started an (gasp) afghan for the first time since I was thirteen. I hate afghans but my dear little girl has been pestering me for a panda afghan. Thankfully she's tiny because it won't be very big. I have no patience for afghans. I also started a Lavender Garden Shawl by Sharon Miller. I have made one before and everyone who saw it loved it. This one is for my cousin,in lavender. Amazing I actually am making it in the color called for. The last one was a robin's egg blue. Pics of beautiful roving to come later.

The windy city.

2005-08-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

The windy city was fun. I had never been to the Field Museum. It was very cool but we pooped out much too quickly(the adults I mean). The kids focus was Egypt andDinosaurs. There was plenty of both. My focus was the gem room and the Asian boxes. Little tiny boxes carved, painted, inlaid, laquered. So intricate and beautiful. The gems speak for themselves.
Now that the shawl is finished I'm itching to start something. My mom has talked me into shoulder shawls for my cousins. I'm thinking about which patterns to use. I'd like to use two balls of kidsilk haze for each-which I have in stash as we speak. We'll see!

Woo Hoo

2005-08-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

I finished my Flower basket shawl. It came to a whopping 72" x 32". I just kept knitting until I had no yarn. I stayed up until 12:30 last night(unheard of). It is out of Lisa Souza's pony, a fingering weight, in wild things. I wish the camera could pick up the subtle color changes. You are a genious Lisa!
We are taking the kids to the Field Museum and the Rainforest Cafe in Chicago. I enjoy stuff like this as much as they do. They shine on vacations or outings. They never poop out and they think everything is interesting. It should be a very fun day!

itchy to do a sweater

2005-07-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

These are the flowers in and around the fence around the pool. sitting out and watching the kids swim, I get to enjoy this. Life is good!
I'm itchy to start a cardigan. I don't usually buy full price yarn for a sweater(or most stuff except maybe socks) but I may splurge because of the new yarn shop. I'm so excited to be able to see and feel yarn rather than virtual enjoyment! I really want to do a versatile cardi. I need one(or two or three). I haven't knit a cardi in three years and that was an oversized itchy faire isle. I want a real cardi.

coral socks finished

2005-07-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

My coral socks are finished so I had to cast on for new ones for me. Lime green Sammy, if your readin' this. The lovely model is our wonderful Brittany Spaniel, Jack. My husband wanted to name him Jacques but I nixed it.
I should have finished the bluberry waving lace socks but I wanted some too and those are for my mil who recently got socks from me.
These socks are my own little pattern.
I'm finished with the recommened repeats on the flower basket but I will knit until I don't have yarn so I will get a few more repeats out of what I've got. Hope fully I'll have pics of a new yarn shop in town in a few days.
I'm about to expire from excitement a real yarn shop within 20 min of me. Unheard of!!!

Tonight we stitch

2005-07-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

We have our Michiana stitchers group meeting tonight. What a fun bunch of ladies. We meet once a month at a coffee shop. Gosh we have so much fun. Tonight I think I'll really get finishing the coral socks then I'll go back to my blueberry socks and finish them.
I have to admit that peacock feathers has not been fun for me so I'm putting it on hold until the fall and hopefully it will catch my attention.
I'm doing another flower basket shawl because it is so fun and easy and helps me with a lace fix.
I'm going to try to go back to the garden shawl which also lost my attention since I don't have time.
I have wound my laceweight that I dyed for the highly modified romance shawl and think I will start it next week. The romance shawl by Dorothy Seimens has hearts in a rosebud trellis then an arrow chart then a double edging. I'm going to do the whole thing in rosebud trellis ten modify the edging slightly.
The picture is of the laceweight still in skeins. It was so fun to dye!!! I'm also putting a pic of me and my hubby for Marcia;-) He's the one in the light blue plaidand my fil is next to him, I'm in the magenta and my mom is next to me, My mil and her mother are on the bench with my three kids. We went to the zoo, all four generations of us. Now how many people can say that!

promised pics

2005-07-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Okay what is with the sideways Temple? I was in such a hurry sorry. It is such a beautiful structure.
Okay I have two sock pics, the Lorna's laces one down one to go in purple(blueberry) and the coral fixation twin in my own pattern. Both for others. Unfortunately the broadripples that I finished are in Tucson.

long time no post!

2005-07-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

I've been having computer difficulties as well as a vacation and major one week long company action. I hope you din't give up on me.
We went to the Baha'i Temple in Chicago. I love the peacefullness and I needed some spiritual sustenance as we are having serious health issues in our family.
Due to our busy days not much knitting has been going on. I will leave you with the promise of sock pics tomorrow.

Luddite I am

2005-06-25T05:02:00.000-07:00

This is how much of a luddite I am. The batteries in the camera are finito and I don't know how to change them. This is why I haven't posted in such a long while.
Since my last posting I finished one of the waving lace socks altered using my fav heel and cheater toe. This is such a wonderful pattern. It was beautiful in the magazine and if possible even more beautiful knit up and on. I guess you'll have to take my word for it;-) I also finished the last incarnation of the Maltese flag. I made a small goof but very livable.
I have also been fixated on Fixation, the cotton yarn from Cascade. I am obssesedly working on Rob from Threadbear's pattern Broadripple Sock from Knitty. I have put everything else down for this. I love this stuff.
I'll search my pics and find something pretty to put up. I might be something old but what the heck it's still an fo.

2005-06-19T09:14:00.001-07:00

Singles and mini swatch

2005-06-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Maltese flag for the Paxe project-Paci means peace in Maltese-My father's parents were from Malta and for my 10th anniversary my husband took me there. I got to see the house where my grandmother grew up and meet one of her sisters.