Reminders

We were reminded last night that Nature in still in charge. Only a smallish earthquake but still enough to let us know that we only have limited control over what happens. No damage here, other than my nerves.

Here's another reminder. A Stitch in Time is having it's mid-year sale. It started on Friday and runs to June 15. Knitting yarns, needlepoint canvases and books are all 35% off. There's an extra one time 10% off if you bring your email sale flyer or your sign-up confirmation.

No more earth-shattering news at this time.

Handmade

I went to the San Gabriel Bead Company's staff boutique. Among other things I got was this yarn. I'm pretty sure it will be a hat. The yarn is a combination of commercial yarns and some handspun. I got some stitch markers and a leather cord necklace as well. It didn't look very busy when I was there but it was early. One of my students showed up while I was there, along with her three sisters and a friend. I think they all bought something. Hooray for that!

I really like to buy made by hand stuff, especially when it's made by someone I actually know. We don't have a lot of craft fairs around here and I don't see much in the local shops. There may be stuff out there that I don't know about though. I did go to a fair a week ago at the local Waldorf school. I didn't get anything that time. A lot of the ceramics looked like left overs from the 70s. Or else it was too cutesy. I wanted to get something from Janice Rosema but it was a little too expensive for my budget. Maybe next time when I don't have car insurance to pay.

What happened to

my blog. Nothing, actually. I just haven't thought that I had much to say. No new projects to report and very little progress on most of the things you might already know about. (So, John, that's what happened.)

I do have something now though. My friend Hannah,(the H in L&H fame), is participating in the annual Spring boutique at San Gabriel Bead Company in Arcadia. It starts tomorrow, May 1 and goes through Sunday, May 3. I went last year and found several things that I needed. I'm planning to go this year too. I've seen a couple of the items that Hannah has been working on, so I know it will be worth going. If you're in the area, please stop by. Go here for more information, including a map and the boutique hours.

It's not much

but it's all I've got. I've been working on these socks off and on for about a month. I'm anxious to finish them, just to have something finished. I took them with me yesterday to work on while I visited with my friend Susan. I ripped most of what I knit since I had introduced an extra yarn over five rows back. I'm on track now and just might get them done today.

I should be working on my shop sample project but I need a break. Maybe later today, if I do finish the socks and don't find something else to distract me.

It's supposed to be Spring

but you can't tell by the weather. I know that in some parts of the world 48 degrees (9C) would seem warm. My brother in Utah thinks I'm a wimp because I think that is cold.

Yesterday was the big Pasadena marathon. The one that replaced the one that was canceled last fall due to bad air from all the brush fires. They didn't cancel it this time even though there was a huge rain storm that passed through just as the race was getting underway. I've never seen so many soaking wet people at one time, except maybe at the beach. I was pretty soaked myself by the time I got half way through my walk so I cut it short and came home to un-chill out.

And to work on the sock. I'm using my Signature dpns that I got for my birthday. They're ideal for working all the left and right twists in this stitch pattern. I do think I'm going to rip the heel and re-do it using short rows. And I'll probably change the reverse stockinette on the sole to stockinette.

I'm using Socks That Rock in the Xmas Rock colorway. It's a lot more intense than the photo shows. Had to use a flash since there was next to no sun when we took the picture yesterday.

What's new?

I don't mean to gloat but I am so happy with my new yarn. I went on a yarn field trip last Saturday and brought this home with me.

A = Handmaiden Casbah in Blackberry; 81% merino, 9% cashmere, 10% nylon.
B = Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose; superfine merino 100%
C = Pagewood Farm in Mississippi Mud; merino and nylon. No percentages given.

I can't tell you where I got it. I've been ordered to keep it a secret to protect our sources. It's a long way from here though. I'll be going back, if there's anything left after I do my taxes.

Meanwhile, I've been knitting on this:



Araucania Ruca Multy, 100% sugar cane. It's a wonderful yarn. I thought it would be hard to work with, but it's not. No splitting and I haven't found a single knot. It feels good in my hands. Very pleasant.



I'm making a shop sample but it's also sized to fit the shop owner. The pattern is from the latest Verena magazine and I'm making some adjustments here and there. It looks like it's going to be very pretty.

Face what?

So, now I'm on facebook but I don't know what that's supposed to do for me. And I can't make much sense of the emails I'm getting. Where am I supposed to go to find all the details of how to use this to enhance my on-line life? Is there a tutorial or am I supposed to just intuit how it works? Is this really going to improve the quality of my everyday life?

Meanwhile, I've been buying some new yarns and as soon as we have some decent sunshine I'll be taking and posting some pictures.

I've said it before, I'll say it again

Orange you glad?

I'm not all that crazy about crochet but I do know how to do it. It's not something I talk about very often and I definitely don't want to teach it. But once in a while I see something that I like. Like this shawl from Knottie by Nature. It's called My Blue Jeans Shawl.

I had some Cascade 220 in stash that I thought would work and I thought I had enough. The pattern doesn't have precise information but I was pretty sure I could make it with what I had. It didn't turn out that way.



I was about half a skein short of what I needed. I couldn't find any in any of the shops around here but L to the rescue. She had a whole skein in her Cascade leftovers. It was a different dye lot but I can't see any difference.

Be there, be square

So, it's daylight savings time again. That doesn't particularly bother me since I live my life on cat time. I either got up at 3AM or 4AM this morning. I'm already thinking about when I can go to bed tonight. But anyway that's not what the picture is about, except I had to use a flash since it's still pretty dark. Plus it's overcast.

I got some more dpns. Square ones from Kollage. I've started yet another pair of socks. This time in Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. I like the needles partly because I could get them in a 7" length. I don't like them as much as the Signature ones I got for my birthday. These I purchased with my own dwindling supply of hard earned cash. I don't notice the squareness when I'm knitting with them unless I consciously try to. The stitches stay securely on the needles. I think I'm getting back into metal needles, especially for socks. I have some trouble with K2tog when I'm working at sock gauge and am always apprehensive that I'll break one of the bamboo needles. I haven't yet but I feel like I have to be extra careful. The new Signature and these Kollage are strong enough that I don't think I have to worry.

Something else new. The New Knitting Stitch Library by Lesley Stanfield. I'd never heard of this book until I saw a reference in one of Charlene Schurch's sock books. Anyway, it's been on my wish list for a couple of years and I finally got it for my birthday. I haven't spent much time with it as yet but it looks pretty good so far.

My Signature

Another birthday present. A gift certificate for a set of Signature dpns. (Thanks L&H) They are amazing! I wasn't sure if I'd like the metal. But I sure wanted those stiletto points.

I've used a lot of different kinds of needles in my day. Casein, bamboo, aluminum, plastic. You name it. I don't know what the metal is in these needles but it's very light. There is a coating on the shank of the needle that keeps the stitches securely in place and yet allows the work to move easily to the tip of the needle. I haven't had one single needle fall out. They're as secure as bamboo, perhaps even more so.

My first project on these dpns is some socks using Zauberball sock yarn. I got the needles in a US2. My most frequently used size. I think the yarn is a bit thin for this size so I'll be ripping and going down to a smaller size. I'm getting ladders that I don't usually get. The Zauberball doesn't have much give and it really needs to be knit plain so I can't get away with ladders. I got the yarn in a couple of different colorways.

Sampling

I went on a quick yarn shop hop with a friend last Saturday. One of our stops was at Itza Knitterie in Glendale. And I bought my first ever Great Adirondacks yarn, Silky Sock. I can't find a link to their site. Anyway. this is some pretty slinky stuff. 70% superwash wool, 20% silk and 10% nylon. The color is a bit washed out, as usual, but it's a perfect blend of neutral. My favorite combo.



We had already been to Unwind in Burbank. That's where I got a couple of skeins of Noro Chirimen. I didn't remember having seen this yarn before, although I was assured by my friend that I had. This is a newish yarn from Noro and is 60% cotton, 24% silk and 16% wool. I think I'll use this for some Maine Morning Mitts. (Download the pdf.) The holidays are coming!



And one last thing. I got this at A Stitch in Time where I work. I'd never heard of this yarn before except for an ad I had seen in a magazine. It's 100% superwash wool in a sock weight. Fibra Natura Yummy is made in Turkey but designed in the US. I'm excited to see how this will knit up.

So, yes. I'm still buying yarn.

It's new

Some of you may remember that I had a huge pot of amaryllis on my balcony. That pot has gone to live elsewhere. But, thanks to a kind friend, I have a new one. This one was supposed to bloom at Christmas but it was a bit late. And the blooms have gone now but I'm hoping that next year it'll come back and maybe start to multiply.


Also new. Namaste knitting bag. A birthday gift from L&H (of L&H fame). It's brown corduroy and has lots of suitable pockets. No hazardous velcro or anything that would snag the knitting. The only zipper is on the outside of the flap. I really like this bag.

It has some neat striped fabric lining the flaps. It's not all that blurry in real life.

I'm still working my way through all the birthday comments. There are a few folks that I don't have links for so I'll say thank you here. I was really happy to hear from so many people. Does this old heart good!

It's been a while

What with being seventy and the general malaise that goes with that, I just haven't been focused enough to get around to posting. I'm getting over myself though.

I don't have anything in the way of a finished project. Maybe next week. I just didn't want to let a whole month go by without saying something.

And if you're one of the few people who still check out my blog, thanks for bearing with me.

Done. The back balcony anyway.

Cats, even older cats, can move pretty fast when they've a mind to. My cat never goes outside. He doesn't have any natural defense instincts other than to run. He's a rag doll and the attack instinct has been bred out of that breed.

But what I was meaning to tell you is that Patrick went outside this morning. I opened the slider to the balcony so I could take a picture. The cat came up to see what was going on and before I could grab him he was out on the balcony.



No. I didn't get a picture of him. I was too busy trying to get him back inside before he decided he could maybe jump off the balcony. Fortunately, he's also easily frightened by sudden noises. I think my neighbor must have seen him and rattled her slider. That was enough to cause him to run back inside.

I don't know what he was looking for, if anything. It might have been just the chance to try something new. Or he might have been wondering where the workers were. He hid from them the first couple of days they were here but by the third day he was watching them from the safety of the den. In any event, he's not happy that he can't go outside and has been giving me some very accusatory looks. And he think he might be cursing me as well.

Work on the front balcony starts this week. I don't think it's going to be as traumatic as the first one. And there's no window for Patrick to look out. I guess he'll just be scared of the noise for a couple of days.

Knitting? Haven't been doing much. Still working on the same two scarves. I took yesterday off and read a book.

In process

I knew you'd want to know. Here's the current status of the balcony repair. Any time now there should be some guys here to begin applying the new water-proofing stuff. Three or four more days and it will all be done. And better than it was when it was new forty years ago.



Meanwhile, I'm working on a scarf. And playing FreeCell. There's another scarf in the works but I didn't get a picture yet. Maybe tomorrow or the next day.

So far

There's a hole in my balcony. The cat broke a lamp. How's your New Year going?

I've started two scarves so far but haven't finished anything. I have lots of stuff left over from last year that may get done this month. Or maybe I'll just continue starting new projects.