knitdad goes gray

Apologies

2011-04-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

It happened again. Another virus! I'm apologize to everyone who got that stupid email. I have spent the last six hours getting rid of the virus. I hope no one got burned.

Knitting is not happening all that much right now. No motivation and I've been reading a lot. But I'm going to my knitting group tonight, so there'll be at least a few rows on the cardigan I started last November.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Extreme Novelty

2011-03-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

What we used to call novelty yarns are now referred to as fashion yarns. Well, I don't see how you could call this yarn anything but novelty. It's about as playful as any yarn I've ever seen. From Pagewood Farms U-Knitted Nations, it's called Giant Purls.

Here it is in the skein.

And here it is in a ball. Wound by hand, very carefully. This is pretty close to the actual color of the yarn.

And a close up.

This was an easy Sunday afternoon knit. Maybe a couple of hours once I got it into a ball.

Trust me. I've already heard all the witticisms about knitting with balls.

Another Boneyard

2011-03-01T04:37:00.001-08:00

Man! Thanks some bright blue! It's no where near the color of my latest rendition of the Westknits' Boneyard shawl.

That's not quite it either, but it's closer.

It's more like this. Maybe a little brighter but still this one is the best I got from several attempts.

This is Rowan Summer Tweed in a now discontinued color. I used four skeins. I had planned on using all six that I had in stash but the shawl was getting big enough and I was truly tired of working with the yarn. It's stiff and unyielding. Every stitch was becoming an ordeal. So I'm done.

I do like the finished product though and I'll be starting another one sometime soon.

I just found out that I've won both Westknits books in the Selfish Knit-a-long that the Westknits Ravelry group held during the month of February. I'm really tickled. I've had Book 2 on order since late January and it hasn't shipped yet. So I cancelled the order. I have Book 1 but only as an e-book. Now I'll have hard copies of both books.

Actually I'm much better

2011-02-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

I'm at the end, I hope, of the first cold I've had in years. Just the coughing and tissue consumption left. Maybe by the weekend I'll be over it. I worked Monday but probably shouldn't have. Hope no one caught anything.

But I have been knitting, some.

This is my Windschief hat. It's a Stephen West pattern. I really like his designs. This one comes with a pattern for a cowl using the same motif of twisted knit stitches. The yarn is Noro Retro, two skeins. I've wanted to knit something with this yarn for a long time. I'd use it again but probably knit it on a larger needle. I used a 7US but the yarn calls for 9US. Anyway, the hat is done and I'm back to working on some WIPs.

Practically more of the same

2011-02-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

Things are pretty quiet around here. I don't have much to report. I'm going to be working at Skein, where I used to teach before I moved to A Stitch in Time. I'll be there today, tomorrow and Saturday (2/16, 2/17 & 2/19) in case anyone wants to stop by for a lesson or a visit.

I'm still knitting hats, among other things. This one is my fourth or fifth Turn A Square by Brooklyn Tweed. I used some scraps from some very old Reynolds Paterna. I guess they don't make it anymore since I couldn't find it anywhere on-line. I used to have a lot of it but some local moths started using it as a drive-thru. This was all I managed to rescue. I really like this pattern. I've yet to make it in anything like the original yarn.

I also knit this ribbed hat using some Colinette Iona that I recycled from a beret I was making. I realized I wasn't going to have enough yarn to finish so I frogged it and made the ribbed hat. This is another yarn that no longer exists, according to their website. I didn't read the pattern very carefully so I worked a 2X2 rib instead of 3X3. That meant I had to create the decreasing at the top. It worked out just fine. I didn't get a final picture, one with my daughter wearing it, but it looked really cute on her.

I'm still working on the latest Boneyard shawl as well as the cardigan I started back in November. The rows are long so progress is slow.

Also, I had a birthday last week.

Yarn omelette

2011-02-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the groundhog doesn't actually see or not see his shadow? The whole thing is decided weeks in advance by a committee. It's true. It must be. I read it on the internet.

This is so wrong. First, Santa Claus, then the Easter Bunny and now the Groundhog. I'm so depressed. But I hope that committee was right. All this crazy weather needs to end and "they" said he saw his shadow so we only have six more weeks of winter. Or was it that he didn't see his shadow. It hardly matters.

But that isn't what I started to write anyway. You know the expression "you have to break eggs to make an omelette." Well, that's what I have going in my house right now. I told you about having to move a bunch of stuff to get to the loom that I was giving away. Well, all that stuff is still stacked, willy-nilly, on the far side of my bed. Or it was. Some of it is now in my living room while I go through each of the bags (there's a lot of them) and decide which projects that were started sometime in the past, are worthy of saving and which ones need to be frogged. Also, which yarns can I comfortably donate or give to friends. The stack of yarns to be donated isn't anywhere near as big as it should be. I'd show you but I'd die of embarrassment.

No pictures of anything I'm knitting. The Boneyard shawl proceeds apace. It's going to be awesome in its tweedy blueness. I've done a few rows on the top down cardigan. That's my Tuesday night simple knitting for when I'm at knitting group. I also have a pair of socks that is only about four months old. The first sock is more than half way done. Pictures soon.

In one of the bags I found a scarf that I started four or five years ago. It's cabled and I used it to practice cabling without a cable needle. Taking a break from sorting, I tried a couple of rows. It was fun. I think I'll go work on it some more.

De-loom-inating

2011-01-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

I have a small table loom that was given to me by my weaving instructor a few years ago when I thought I might like to weave. It's a hand built copy of a well known brand. It's been sitting, covered, in my yarn stash room for at least five years. As it turned out, weaving didn't really hold my interest.

I've been trying to find someone to give it to and I'm hoping that today will be the day. A friend of a friend is coming by later this morning to look at it. I had to move a lot of yarn and other stuff to get to it. I still have to give is a good dusting. I also have to take the loom part off of the table it sits on or I can't get it through the door.

I found some stuff I had been looking for when I moved the loom. A number of finished pieces that I had put aside for my gift stash. Some more yarn that I couldn't find for a shawl. The second pair of socks I ever knit. I really need to get that room organized. If the loom goes I'll get some more wire cubes and stack them against the wall where the loom was. So I hope that happens.

Here's a small project I'm working on. It's a scarf called Bumble Up, a Spud & Chloe pattern. The pattern and yarn to make it were a gift from my friends L&H. It's been at least a year since they gave it to me. I wonder how they knew I'd be switching my color preferences to gray and neutrals. Anyway, the yarn is Misti Alpaca Chunky and it's so soft. I'm using some size 11US/8.0mm needles. I haven't worked with anything that large since the Great Scarf Explosion back in 1999/2000. I've been working on this scarf when I take a break from my other projects. I should be done in a day or so.

Here's my other current project:

This is my fourth Boneyard Shawl. I'm using some Rowan Summer Tweed from stash. Something I've had since '02. I lost it for a while but found it quite by accident a few days ago. The shawl's quite a bit larger now. I was struggling with the M1 increases. I went to A Stitch In Time and got an Addi Turbo lace needle and that took care of that.

I guess I'd better go dust the loom before it's too late.

p.s. The loom is on its way to its new home.

Pogona, a scarf or shawl

2011-01-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

I finished the Pogona shawl about an hour ago. I made it for the Selfish Westknits knit-a-long. The idea behind the KAL is that since everyone had been doing so much holiday knitting, no one had had time to knit anything for themselves. I'm not much one for knit-a-longs but this seemed like a good excuse to make one of Stephen West's patterns. I've made three of his Boneyard shawls (I'm starting another one as soon as I finish this post.) I've also made Herbivore. I have his e-book as well. I like most of his patterns. They're simple and well written.

I used a lot of markers. It was easier than paying attention to my work.

In other news. I'm in the middle of a major de-stash. I've run out of room to store any more. It's just unrealistic to think I would ever use up all I have. To make matters worse, I just received four large containers of yarn that has been in storage for a couple of years, since we had a yarn yard sale. My friend who has been storing the yarn is letting her storage space go. This was what was left over. Another friend called this morning and has five or six large boxes of yarn she needs to find a home for. She's having to move and doesn't think she'll be able to keep her yarn. Fortunately her taste in yarn is a lot different from mine so I'm not tempted to take it but I'll see if one of my knitting students would be interested.

Not that I'm only saving gray/grey (my spell check says that grey is wrong) but I'd like to have just stuff that's simple in structure, easy to handle, and good quality. I think you can still be a yarn snob even with those limitations.

M1R, M1L

2011-01-17T19:33:00.001-08:00

It's what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks. I started this top down cardigan at the beginning of November and then put it aside so I could get my holiday knitting done. I picked it up again at the beginning of January and got as far as the underarms. It's been on hold for a couple of weeks pending my daughter trying it on for size and fit. And that happened last night. Looks like it's going to be fine.

And this is a shawl I'm making as part of a knit-a-long with the Westknits Ravelry group.

What these two things have in common is the increases, M1L and M1R. I'm getting pretty good at it. The shawl is almost done, a couple of inches to go. The cardigan not so much. The sleeves and body are just beginning.

I really need to think about getting a better camera. These colors are just a hint of what they really are. I tried shooting them this morning in natural light and it was worse. I'm thinking about building a light box but I don't know where I'd store it.

More "good luck"

2011-01-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

It just keeps coming. Today I twisted my ankle. I can walk but it's not pretty. Damned Dansko shoes. I like 'em. They look good. But I just can't walk right in them.

I also have misplaced six skeins of Rowan Summer Tweed. I've had it in stash for a long time and I came across it the other night and decided it would be perfect for another Boneyard shawl. (I'm doing a KAL with the Westknits Fan Club.) Somehow, in tidying up, I put the yarn away and haven't been able to find it. I did find some Araucania Nature Wool that I had forgotten so I'm using that. It's probably a lot easier to work with anyway.

I had pizza for lunch and I'm having the leftovers tonight. Sometimes life compensates.

OTT

2011-01-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get so bogged down in all my projects, all my stash, all the things I want to knit that I get almost frantic. It's overwhelming at times. Teaching a couple of days a week, trying to get all the holiday knitting done and all the time I spend on Ravelry, it's enough to make you forget why you started in the first place.

But then, every so often, I get to go to TNNA, the National Needlework Association's big semi-annual trade show. (I couldn't find a decent link.)It's an amazing experience. Your mind explodes, your eyes start to glaze over, you get weak in the knees. And that's just the first row of booths.

I went today. It's being held in Long Beach at the Convention Center. I don't know how many vendors are represented but it's just about every major yarn company and lots of smaller up-and coming ones as well. There is so much yarn and so many pattern and book selections that you begin to lose track of where you are. And that doesn't even cover the needlepoint half of the show.

I made some notes of yarns I liked and met with my boss, the owner of A Stitch in Time in San Marino, and went over what I had seen and what my favorites were. She will check everything I liked and decide what we'll be having in the shop in the coming months. I can hardly wait.

When does the good luck begin?

2011-01-05T18:52:00.001-08:00

This is the last photo I'll be posting for a while. Something happened to my photo upload program and I'm still not sure how to use some of the other ones I have.

So far this year I've managed to get a virus that has affected my email. I've spent some time and money talking to the people at AT&T and they think they have fixed the problem. I'm not so sure since I'm still getting messages that emails have been bounced. Well, that's an improvement, I suppose. Still not quite what I paid for. So it's back to the phone tomorrow.

And the washing machine broke down in the middle of my second load. That was Tuesday. The technician showed up late today to repair it. So, I'm a couple of days behind on my normal schedule/routine. I hate that. The last load is in the dryer right now.

So, I'm not so sure that the good luck dinner on New Year's Day is actually working.

About the photo though. I'm making a cardigan using some yarn I got in a swap or a destash. It's called Kelly and is from Filtes King which appears to be a Canadian company but it might be German. Anyway, it's cotton and feels like dried grass. But it's easy to see what you're doing. I made the pattern using my pattern making program. I've done a bit more since I took that photo. That was two skeins. I'm just starting the fourth.

I was hoping for some sunshine to get a better photo but that hasn't happened so far.

1/1/11

2011-01-01T15:58:00.001-08:00

It's only day one and I'm already behind. I had planned to finish this Boneyard shawl last night. But I was tired and sleepy and I could tell that there weren't enough hours left in 2010 to get it done. I was sound asleep shortly before midnight.

Those are some really washed out photos. I used six skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite in color 2049. I started with five but had to get one more so I could put the wide border that the pattern stipulates.

I haven't woven the end or blocked the shawl as yet. Maybe tomorrow.

I fixed myself a "good luck" dinner today. Black eyed peas, ham, sweet potatoes and corn bread. I don't know if it's working yet. The first piece of cornbread fell on the floor and went everywhere. The second piece and all else was good.

I've been browsing my books and Ravelry. I have lots of ideas for projects for the coming year. Now I need to quit looking and make some decisions.

For all intents and purposes

2010-12-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

I'm done with my holiday knitting. This is what's left of things that need to be wrapped and distributed. There's still one thing on the needles but it's a surprise.

There are three hats, a pair of mittens, a Boneyard shawl and a scarf. I've already given one hat, a scarf, a cowl and a pair of socks.

I'm so ready to get back to some of my own projects. It's always exciting to plan and figure out what I'm going to make for friends and students. Most of my holiday knitting gets done after Thanksgiving so I don't have a lot of time to get it done. It's always worth it.

Now it's back to that cardigan I started at the beginning of November.

We've had a little rain

2010-12-22T16:25:00.000-08:00

You may have heard. It's been pouring most of the afternoon with lightening and thunder. We don't care though.

If only we had a fireplace.

I found the batteries. They were in the pencil sharpener. So far my knitting photos are terrible. So it'll be a while yet until I figure out how to make something recognizable. But I am knitting. Hats and cowls. Isn't everyone?

Well, drat!

2010-12-18T02:32:00.000-08:00

Here I was, all set to take some pics and post them. I can't find any batteries around here. I had some rechargeable ones but they're not in my old camera, or the newer one. I wonder what I did with them.

So, today, in addition to going to get gift wrapping stuff, I have to buy batteries. Anyway, I'm virtually done with my holiday knitting. I've sent a few greeting cards and consumed way too many cookies and candies. And there's still a week to go.

It's a rainy weekend here in Pasadena, CA. Shoppers are going to be cranky. I know I am.

If I can get out and back early enough I'll still be able to take some pics. Not much to show really. Mostly I'm still trying to reacquaint myself with Blogger.

Also, thanks to everyone who welcomed me back to the blog world.

Don't be so shocked!

2010-12-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

So. It's been a while. I've been ruminating. Sorta. Haven't really done much knitting until recently. I think I'm ready to resume.

Things have changed a lot with Blogger and how things are done since I've been here. I'm not sure I can even remember how to do what I used to do. I'll be playing around for a while, I expect.

And I have to get out my cameras and make sure they're in working order. Not that I have a lot to show right now.

About gray. I'm currently really attracted to it, even though I still buy yarn in all colors and still knit some of them. I want to focus on gray and design stuff using that color (and some other neutrals). So we'll see.

Reminders

2009-05-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-25T07:16:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-03-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-03-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-11T08:16:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-09T07:25:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-02T05:25:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-27T05:44:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-07T08:32:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Einstein had it right, more or less

2008-12-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

It's cold here. 36F this morning when I went for my walk. I know that if you're in Chicago, for example, that will not seem cold. Just remember that a couple of weeks ago we were having temperatures in the 90s. It was so cold last night that the lady who usually sleeps in front of the local post office had moved into the lobby. I think I woke her up when I went in to drop off some letters.

I don't have any photos today. Everything I have knit recently is for someone's Christmas gift and I'm not sure which people might be reading this. I should be able to post a couple of things by Monday though.

Are you ready? I am. Relatively speaking, of course. I'm still waiting for one package from Amazon and then I'll get the balance of the gifts wrapped. It's been a little more difficult this year to figure out what folks wanted. I think most of us are a bit leery of spending a whole lot plus no one seems to have much in the way of wish lists. And what lists there are seem to be oriented toward the practical.

It was a strange feeling yesterday when I realized that I had finished everything, including the gift wrapping and the addressing of cards. I suddenly had several hours ahead of me where I didn't have to be doing anything. Made me feel sort of useless. I suppose I could have picked up an old project to work on but I just didn't seem to have any focus left. But it's party time today so I'm feeling relatively better.

The joy and woes of too much stash

2008-12-18T10:25:00.001-08:00

I got all the boxes of yarn moved to make room for the construction people. I'm glad it's done but it sure takes a lot of effort to re-stack all those bins. I'm definitely looking forward to our next yarn sale.

One of the things I've discovered about my stash is that it rarely has a yarn that works for what I'm wanting to make. Or if it does, I can't find it. I think yarn has a fashion life just like clothing and cars.

But sometimes I find something that I've forgotten about and it's a real joy. This scarf for example. I don't remember buying this yarn and I only had two skeins. Judging from the label I'd say I got it at Unwind. It's Plymouth Patches, a mixture of three different yarns wrapped around a common core. It's whimsical enough for a quick neck scarf and it worked up really fast.

Closer and closer

2008-12-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

This is my almost final project for holiday knitting. I'm calling it "the not quite enough ruffle scarf". I used three skeins of Filatura di Crosa Porto Cervo cotton that I got at Skein last summer. It's just a garter stitch worked on the diagonal with an improvised ruffle along one side. A short scarf that can be folded and wrapped closely around the neck. I would have tried the ruffle again if I'd had time and more yarn. I was envisioning a bit more swirliness along that edge.

If I have enough time I will make something similar for another friend or to have as a backup in case there's someone I have forgotten. But first I have to rearrange my furniture. As if there weren't enough going on at this time of year, I have some construction/repair work that needs to be done and it's supposed to start on Monday. The contractor said he would have to go through my condo to get to the balcony and will have to haul all the debris back through. All four of the balconies in my building will be repaired and everyone has to go through the same mess since none of the balconies are accessible from the ground level.

It's not a lot of work really to move stuff around. It's just inconvenient. And, since we're supposed to get some more rain on Monday in addition to what we're getting today, I'm not sure if the repair work will actually begin on Monday. But my part will be done.

Anyway, I'm getting closer and closer to being ready for Christmas. We had our shop Christmas dinner last night and we'll be having a luncheon on Friday for the knitting group, and anyone else who happens to be there. I'm looking forward to it.

Holiday decor

2008-12-15T07:16:00.001-08:00

My holiday decorating is done. It takes less than five minutes. Every year I think about putting up a tree at least one more time. I go look at trees. I consider the price and the likelihood of my cat resisting the temptation to play with the ornaments and realize that I don't really want to go to the trouble. So I go find this needlepoint pillow that I did a few years ago. I plump it up a bit and pick off any cat hairs that I missed when I put it away. And I'm done.

I have only one more ruffle to knit on the edge of a scarf and my holiday knitting will be done. I have the bags and tissue. So I'm planning on being done by this evening. I still haven't bought cards. I'm not sure that's going to happen. But maybe. I still need some ideas for my non-knitting friends and relations but most everything is done in that category too. Just waiting for delivery. I wonder what I'm forgetting.

We're having a nice old-fashioned rain today. Nothing fancy. Just plenty of it. It's been a while. It sort of messes with the outdoor decorations and causes all kinds of havoc on the freeways. But hey! We're not sitting here with no heat or electricity like the folks in the northeast. And it's probably all going to be over by tonight.

Crunch time

2008-12-01T08:50:00.000-08:00

Only 24 days (and nights) to get it all done. I finished one pair of socks and discovered a very serious mistake in another over the weekend. That pair will be re-knit but not until after Christmas.

Going through my stash I found a shawl I had started a year ago. That might get done although the yarn is like knitting rocks. A few rows of that and I had to switch to something else. So I started a hat using some vintage yarn. I think the hat might end up on my head.

Fortunately I have been finishing things throughout the year. Just have to decide who gets what. I may be adding a scarf or two and a pair of fingerless gloves. Otherwise I'm feeling fairly confident. I do have some yarn that some people have been lusting after.

But I still have to knit those remaining things and get it all wrapped. I think I might have to make a list.

Ugh! The day after

2008-11-28T07:30:00.001-08:00

I'm sitting here trying to convince myself that today is Friday, not Monday. I almost never go to Robert's on any day other than Sunday. But since Thanksgiving always falls on Thursday I went over there, had way too much rich food, and got home late. Just like when I go over there on Sunday.

My usual feeding habits are by no means spartan. I try to keep things within a range that doesn't do me too much harm. Thanksgiving can be a killer, almost literally. I will be paying for all that butter and sugar for several days. I did have both the pumpkin and the pecan. By that time though it was anti-climactic. It felt good to go for my walk this morning. Slim-Fast is today's choice.

I'm in the middle of holiday knitting. Socks mostly. Several pairs at different points of almost done-ness. I went through some of my sock yarn stash yesterday. It was overwhelming so I just jammed it all back on the shelves. There are several colorways of Koigu that I had forgotten. And lots of Cherry Tree Hill sock weight. I'm going to do another two person KAL with L (of L&H fame). This time it's a huge circular shawl. Cast on 1300 (or 1800 if you're making the larger size)and join in the round and knit for months.

Thankful for

2008-11-27T06:39:00.001-08:00

so many things. Great friends and family, color, wool and time to knit. And for the rain we've had for the past couple of days.

It's Thanksgiving Day here in the US. Like so many of you, I will be sitting down to a turkey dinner later today. I'm looking forward to it. My diabetes dietitian said it would be okay to have a slice of pumpkin pie. I wonder if I could substitute pecan. Little does she know that I'm not all that strict with my diet. I just had the bank of glucose tests and I don't see much change from the last time. For which I'm also thankful.

I have no plans to go shopping tomorrow. I'll be working at A Stitch in Time. Several of my Friday morning students are away for the holiday so I don't know how busy I'll be. We're not opening early for Black Friday but we do have a sale that's starting. And I've heard from a couple of friends that they'll be in. So it'll be a good day.

Thanks for reading.

It's that time again, again.

2008-11-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while. My excuse is that I've had the worst cold I've ever had. Three weeks and still feeling the effects.

I haven't done very much knitting. A few small projects for holiday gifts. Fortunately I have some things that I knit earlier in the year to round out my gift stash.

We did have our yarn yard sale though. And I think it was pretty successful, even if we did have yarn left over. We're planning another one for late winter or early spring. There are still five boxes in my yarn room that I never got to go through. Too weak and bleary eyed. So I know I'll have some new stuff when we have our next sale.

And speaking of sales, it's time for A Stitch in Time's semi-annual yarn and needlepoint sale. Thirty five percent off knitting yarns, needlepoint canvases and knitting books. The sale officially starts on Dec. 1, but I think we'd be able to flex a little on that date and start with the discount the day after Thanksgiving. As usual, the sale price only applies to in-stock items. And no returns.

The mailing hasn't gone out yet so you're among the first to know.

The yarn yard sale is Nov 15, next Saturday

2008-11-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

I've been going through boxes and boxes of yarn. So far I have nine large, really large, bags of yarn that I've priced as low as I possibly can. I really need to reduce my stash. I'll still have an unrealistic amount of yarn left that isn't going to the yarn yard sale. Not this time anyway.

It's been a tough week as I've had some kind of virus/cold thing going on that has left me feeling too weak and sleepy to get as much done as I wanted to. Some boxes haven't even been opened. I still have a few days though before the sale so I'll probably get a few more bags full to take with me.

If you're interested in going to the sale, leave me a comment or email me and I'll send you the information. I haven't seen everything that others are contributing but I bet there's something you'll like. I just hope I don't come home with more stuff than I went with.

A long day

2008-11-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

In the spring I set my clocks ahead before I go to sleep. It's bad enough losing an hour but I don't want to know about it. In the fall I wait until the next day. I love the luxury of suddenly having an extra hour. My cat doesn't quite get the idea.

I suppose it's not entirely his fault. The clock did still say 4AM when he woke me up even though it was actually 3AM. This morning, since I had reset the clock, it said 4Am and that's what time he woke me. Maybe he can tell time and I don't know it. Or maybe I was just lucky. Either way, it was a longer day than usual.

Either way, I had the bright idea that I could knit this hat in a single day. And I could have two if I'd paid more attention to the pattern notes. Everything was fine until I got to the decreases. I misread one of the chart symbols and was knitting two through the back of the loop instead of three. Once I realized that everything was fine. When I got to the point where I needed to switch to dpns I decided I'd wait until this morning.

All I have to do now is wash and block it. And fix that loose stitch I noticed when I was trying to take a photo. Actually, it's not a loose stitch. I just didn't pull up the yarn tightly enough when I was drawing the stitches together.

More cake please

2008-10-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

You'd think it was June. Some more friends of mine are planning to get married within the next few days. I think this is the last couple that I know personally that have decided to marry while they can. I do know some other couples that can marry whenever they want to. But they're not bent.

I went to the other wedding on Wednesday night. The chapel at All Saints is perfect for small, fairly informal weddings. The priest/rector gave a wonderful homily. The vows were fairly traditional. The music was perfect. I only cried a little bit.

There was a short reception after. The cake was a red velvet and there was champagne. Then the newlyweds went to work on the phone bank, encouraging people to vote no on Prop 8.

A wedding

2008-10-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Two of my very best friends are getting married next Wednesday. It'll be a short service. They are coordinating the phones for the No on 8 proposition here in California. So in lieu of a reception or party after the service they will go directly to work on that. While I'm extremely happy for them I'm also sad that this may be the final few days that it will be legal in the State of California for everyone to marry the partner of his/her choosing.

The campaign to amend the state constitution has been the most expensive effort ever. Millions of dollars (much of it from outside the State) have poured in from institutions with vested interests to deceive and frighten voters. To guarantee that not all people are treated equally. They have used children to scare parents and confuse the issue. “The Prop 8 campaign continues to use scare tactics and lies to bolster their campaign. It’s despicable that children are being used for political gain.” Leading educators are working to defeat this proposition.

I know several couples who have married during this brief interim that allows same-sex marriages. Most of them have been together for twenty or even more years. Their marriages will still be valid even if Proposition 8 passes. And the world will not end. If Proposition 8 fails marriages between opposite sexes will not be affected. Children will not be force-fed a gay marriage agenda. Life will go on, much as it has, and we can all relax.

If you're eligible to vote in the State of California I hope you will do so and join me in voting No on Prop. 8.

Yarn yard sale

2008-10-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

I'm busy. We're having a yarn yard sale. I'm going through my stash and deciding what to part with. That's not easy. But the time has come to recognize that I'll never be able to knit everything I have. Plus, I'm always going to be buying new stuff.

It's a lot of fun though. Just digging through the first two boxes was a blast. A couple of things I don't remember where I got them, a couple of what was I thinking stuff as well as the usual what was I going to do with this.

We're planning to have the sale on Saturday, Nov. 15. Let me know if you'd like more details. I'm working on a flyer and it should be ready at the beginning of next week. I could email it to you.

Kiki Mariko Rug

2008-10-17T09:13:00.001-07:00

Taking a break from the mittens. The first one is totally done and I've cast on for the second. So I'm taking some time out to start the Kiki Mariko Rug from the latest Mason-Dixon book. I have been pressed into service to participate in a KAL. A small one. Only two people.

It took me three tries to get started. Once, not a long enough tail for the cast on. Second, cast on with the tail instead of the working yarn. Third, I discovered after eight or nine rows that the work was twisted. I think I've got it this time.

Mitten progress

2008-10-15T08:33:00.001-07:00

Just a quick update this morning. I don't dare sit still too long or I'll go to sleep. I stayed up way past my bedtime last night in order to finish the hand of the first mitten. I still have to work the saddle around the tip of the fingers and then do the thumb. I may get to that today.

I've had some problems, mostly unrelated to the pattern, although there are a couple of things about the pattern that could have been written more clearly. And in one spot the stitch number doesn't match the chart. Mostly I've had a problem with dropped stitches, forgetting that on dpns you need to be sure you don't leave stitches too close to the end of the needle. While I can usually pick up stitches there are some instances when I can't see well enough to follow what needs to be done, especially in this yarn. It's tiny and it's tweed.

Basic knitting

2008-10-14T08:03:00.001-07:00

It's usually a good idea for me to have something simple to knit, especially when I'm teaching or in a knitting group. This is my current easy knitting project. It's a wash cloth/face cloth using Claudia Handpaints Linen.

There are a number of linen wash cloth patterns in Knitter's Stash by Barbara Albright. I've had that book for years but have never made anything from it although there are many things I would like to try. But this is the first.

I'm using some size 1 US Hiya Hiya needles that I got at TNNA last January. I like them a lot. The needles are much longer than most circulars I've used so they're more comfortable for people with larger hands. And the cable was very flexible right out of the bag.

The 100% linen is not very stretchy so doing the K2tog stitches is tedious. But I like the yarn a lot and this color is pleasant to look at. There's enough yarn in one skein to make four or five, or maybe more, of these. My only problem is that I don't work on it very often so it's turned out to be at least a month long project.

Is it really autumn this time?

2008-10-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Has it really been less than a week since I was complaining about the heat? Actually it was only a few days ago. Now the only thing I have to complain about is not having the right jacket to wear on my morning walks. My one heavy coat seems to be too much and the windbreakers aren't quite enough. So it looks like it might be time for some sweaters. Huzzah!

There aren't any photos today. I made some progress on the mittens but it's pretty slow going, ten rows to the inch (2.5cm) and those ten rows can take over an hour. But truly the pattern is entertaining and I think the tweed yarn was a good decision. I told my friend Susan that I thought I would finish the first one sometime this week. That may be overly optimistic. We'll see what Saturday brings.

The shop where I teach a couple of days a week, A Stitch in Time, is primarily a needlepoint shop. Has been for something like thirty five years. We've been having a series of trunk shows and it's brought in a lot of people. There are group classes four or five times a week. Some of my students are also doing needlepoint. So it was only a matter of time until I decided to take it up again. After knitting for about three hours yesterday I went looking for one of my incomplete canvases. And then spent half an hour looking for the fiber that goes with it. My memory of where I put it was faulty but I did finally find it.

I used to think my stitching was pretty good. Now I'm not so sure. I'm working on a chair seat, just plain stitch, and it's not looking so smooth. I may have to sign up for one of those classes. I wonder if there are as many needlepoint blogs as there are knitting blogs. I'm glad though that I have a lot of canvases in my stash. The new ones are really pricey, and even though I understand why, I'm just not going to spend that kind of money right now. Especially since I've lost about 30% of my retirement money in the current fiasco.

But the weather is cooler and I have plenty of fiber to keep me going.

It's cooler but...

2008-10-10T08:01:00.001-07:00

that doesn't mean I wasn't sweating bullets yesterday. I'm making the Green Autumn mittens that are on the front cover of Vogue Knitting, Fall 2008. They're pretty intricate. The yarn and needles are small and you have to cable a lot. I'm at the point where you put part of the stitches on a holder for the thumb. It took me most of the day to get this far. That includes taking out a couple of rows .

I'm using Rowan Yorkshire tweed 4 ply. I don't know if it's still available but I got mine at Skein. I may need to go back and get that one final skein that she has in this color. I think my gauge is a tiny bit off but that's good since I think these need to be a little larger around the hand. Row gauge seems to be fine though.

Here's a better picture of the colors in the latest multi-directional scarf. I've started another one.

If this be fall,

2008-10-09T06:42:00.001-07:00

can summer be far behind? The predicted high of 95 yesterday was exceeded by 3 degrees. Today is supposed to be cooler, maybe by 10 degrees. We'll see. Photo taken at about 6:30 this morning, from my front door, just after I came home from my walk.

I finished the scarf that I showed yesterday and got a good start on the Green Autumn mittens. That's about all I have in the way of knitting. I'll continue on the mittens today and maybe there'll be a photo tomorrow.

Trying not to panic

2008-10-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

It just dawned on me. Christmas is only a couple of months away. I still have a lot of things I want to knit for gifts. This is one of them. Almost done. You'll probably recognize the multi-directional scarf. I've made it probably twenty times by now. It's always well received and it's an entertaining knit, especially when you have some really colorful Kureyon. Colors here are way off but this was the closest of four photos.

I've also started a pair of mittens, Green Autumn, from Vogue Knitting, Fall 2008. Those are not for Christmas. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Not socks this time

2008-10-07T07:46:00.001-07:00

I don't always knit socks. Sometimes I make vests and an occasional sweater.

This is a vest I finished a couple of weeks ago but just managed to get some snapshots this weekend. I used a free pattern from Classic Elite Yarns. You can sign up for their newsletter and receive free patterns in your email. I had some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in my stash in Fermi Green. That color seems to have been discontinued. I got the yarn at a swap meet a couple of years ago. The gauge is different from the pattern but it's a simple enough calculation to adjust the stitch and row count.

I took these photos just as we were going out to dinner on Saturday. I should probably have turned off the flash. Anyway, I like it and am pleased with the fit.

Now if we could just get some cooler weather. We had a couple of days that felt like autumn but we're back in to summer for a few more days. Mid 90s is the prediction for Pasadena.

It's not an obsession...

2008-10-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

it's more of a life style. Not everything you see here is recently purchased, but a lot of it is. There's plenty of new sock and lace weight. That red skein, it's from Pagewood Farm. In a color called Really Red. And is it ever! I got it at Wildfiber last weekend when I went my friend L (of L&H fame)to Santa Monica.

What a shop! We had to fill the parking meter twice. I've been to some good shops but this one is just about my ideal. Lots of Noro and Koigu as well as other less readily available yarns. And buttons and books and just bin after bin of great yarns. I wasn't going to buy anything. (I have enough yarn.) And I almost succeeded, until I saw that red yarn. There was some Koigu I almost bought but someone beat me to it. It's a good thing I'm not close by.

After we had sated our thirst for yarn we went to Tacos por favor, a funky local eatery, and had some homestyle tacos and chips and salsa. Always a good thing in my book.

Did I mention that it was cool and foggy? Over here it was over a hundred. It couldn't have been more than sixty five in Santa Monica. Really great yarn buying weather.

Flat Feet Redux

2008-10-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to washing the Conjoined Creations Flat Feet socks. This is the yarn you knit from a knitted fabric. It comes out rather pebbly and uneven but the label says it'll get better once it's washed.

What do you think? The top photo is the after shot. It's hard to tell from these photos. But the washed and dried socks are much more even and smooth than they were before washing. There was enough excess dye to change the water to a nice pale blue.

Would I use this yarn again? Possibly. If I found a different color combination that tickled me. I do have a new sock yarn that I'm looking forward to trying. But more about that another time.

More socks

2008-10-02T08:01:00.001-07:00

Now that I've finished one new pair of socks I'm going back and finishing some others. This one I started on July 8, 2008. I finished the first one yesterday morning and have done one pattern repeat of the second one.

I've made this pattern before. It was one of the projects I took with me to the Knitter's Review Retreat in 2004. So many great memories of that weekend. There have been a lot of socks since then.

October!

2008-10-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

You can tell it's October because it's 97F/36C here in Pasadena. And it's supposed to go higher. But the night's are cooler, at least by 10PM. Typical weather for this time of year. When we were kids it was always cold in the mornings and hot by later in the day. And in those days there wasn't any air conditioning in the classrooms. Thankfully I have it at home.

Just in time for autumn, and a birthday that falls in October, I finished a pair of socks. I tried to get a detail shot but they all came out blurry and then my card was full, so I gave up. I used the Embossed Leaves pattern by Mona Schmidt, from Favorite Socks by IK. Made a couple of changes but basically it's the same sock. The stitch pattern shows a lot better when they're on than they do this way but the colorway is terrific.

I've had the yarn, Knit Picks Memories, in my stash for four or five years. I think I was originally going to make a scarf since I bought four skeins. The yarn is 100% merino and needs to be hand washed. The recipient always hand washes the socks I make so no problem.

What happened to my post

2008-09-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what caused this but the first post I wrote yesterday ended up on my other blog, Knitting New Scarves. That's a group blog. When I went to Blogger's dashboard my post was listed on my Knitdad blog. A little later it was gone. But I did get a nice email/comment from the author of Knitting New Scarves, Lynn Barr, that my post had shown up over there.

She also asked what it was like to knit with unraveled yarn. It was a bit off-putting at first. But I got used to it and let the yarn just behave however it wanted to. So some areas have a more pronounced texture than others. If you've ever worked with Cascade Fixation you'll have some idea of what it's like. The tension is irregular and it's tempting to pull the yarn too tightly. I haven't washed the new socks yet but I've been assured that once they're washed the uneven stitches will settle down and the surface will be consistent.

Socks for me!

2008-09-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

(Grrr! I'm having to re-create this post since the one I originally wrote has vanished. No idea what happened.)

I finally finished a pair of socks for me. My first ever! My friend L (of L&H fame) gave me this Conjoined Creations Flat Feet yarn back in January or February. I've tried several times to come up with something that worked with the yarn. I finally decided to use the basic sock pattern from Folk Socks by Nancy Bush. Except I used a short row heel and a Kitchener stitch finish.

So, here they are. I really like how they feel. They're quite comfortable. I'd make myself some more socks if I didn't have such big feet. Well, my feet aren't unusually big but still those extra couple of inches are sort of discouraging.

I rushed home from the yarn shop on Saturday so I could catch the opening play of the OSU/USC game. It's a good thing I did because otherwise I'd have missed OSU's only scoring play. Still it was better than UCLA did.

It's a trunk show!

2008-09-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

I've been away from the blog for a while. Mostly because I've been uninspired by what I've been knitting lately. That happens a lot when I'm trying to finish up projects that have been hanging around for far too long. They're no longer interesting but they're close enough to being finished that it goes against my Puritan ethic to not finish them. Anyway, I'm here for the time being to let you know about the Shibori Trunk Show that is at A Stitch in Time (the shop where I teach a couple of days a week, in case you've forgotten) from now through next weekend. And we have a lot of the Alchemy yarns that are used in the pieces. Really, the pieces are much better looking than my too quickly taken photo suggests.

We also have a few new yarns in so you could check those out as well.

Walking with dinosaurs and other stuff

2008-08-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last night we went Walking with Dinosaurs. It was a lot of fun. I found this video link (it's probably illegal since the announcer specifically said no videos or cameras allowed). I can just imagine the number of nightmares this show caused. Lots of very young kids in the audience.

But that's not what you came for.

This is what I bought on Saturday at the Fishbowl Sale. I only got 25% off this time but it was enough to keep my purchases under $100. Some Addi Turbo lace needles, a couple of ceramic buttons, some short Brittany needles, a skein of Mountain Colors Bearfoot, the dark blue, and two skeins of Chameleon Bambino sock yarn.

It was a great afternoon, sitting around with friends, knitting and being silly. But the thing I'm most excited about is this:

A skein of Sundara sock yarn in a colorway called Bird of Paradise. The colors in the photo are not quite accurate. It's much more intense. This is going to be so much fun to knit. A gift from the fabulous and ever generous L (of L&H fame). She knows I like orange.

Gotta go.

"Fishbowl" sale

2008-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

It's a yarn sale really. No fishbowls at all. Just in case you're not familiar with the concept - after you're finished shopping and all your purchases are rung up, you pull a number from the fishbowl. That number will be the amount of discount you get on your purchases.

Unraveled is having a one day only fishbowl sale. It's tomorrow, August 23. Discounts range from 20% to 75%. Last time they had one of these I got 75% off. So it does happen. The discount applies to already heavily discounted merchandise so it's really a great deal. I'm going with a friend who also happens to have some gift certificates. A sale like this is just enough to make me decide to get some yarns that I've been hesitating about buying. Store opens at 11AM.

Broken.

2008-08-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is laundry day. Every other Tuesday actually. So I'm all set to get started but the washer is out of order. It usually takes a couple of days for the service company to come and fix things. So, laundry delay and another day's plans are messed up.

The display on my alarm clock is acting strange. Sometimes I get nonsense symbols, sometimes it says 12:00 when it's actually 4:00 and sometimes it works just fine. Looks like a trip to Target is coming up.

The batteries in my Walkman died this morning. Make a note to buy more batteries while I'm at Target.

And now it looks like my knitting group is disintegrating. Some people have drifted away. Some rarely show up. And our hostess has been having lots of scheduling conflicts that have meant we're not meeting on a regular basis. She's already announced that we won't be getting together until sometime after Oct. 15. I've already suggested that we just make it an indefinite hiatus. This is sad because we've been meeting for about five years on a pretty much once a week basis. I've considered having it at my place but that's pretty unrealistic given the small size of my condo and the limited amount of light sources I have. Not to mention how the cat freaks out when there are "strangers" present. And other peoples' allergies. And there's almost no parking available in my neighborhood because of the community college that's near my house. Etc.

I have options at least. I get to knit with a lot of my friends when I'm at work. I get together with one or two friends on occasion. It's just hard to let go of the group though. We'll see what happens in a couple of months.

An hour later.

Now the water has been turned off so one of the condos that is being remodeled can have some work done. I think maybe I'd better just go somewhere else for the day.

Window shopping

2008-08-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Not much going on at the moment. I did a bit of knitting yesterday on a couple of different pairs of socks. That's about it. The humidity is taking a toll on my joints. My hands hurt too much to knit for very long. Ibuprofen helps when I remember to take it.

So. Today I'm going with a friend to a couple of yarn shops. I've been to both of these shops recently and I'm not looking for anything in particular. Just window shopping. But my friend, a fairly new knitter, is curious to see what other shops have to offer and since she has to resume her teaching schedule soon we thought this would be a good time to go. I'll also be looking for some yarn for a couple of friends who put in their requests.

Some socks

2008-08-11T07:50:00.001-07:00

If you're on Ravelry and have looked at my projects page sometime in the past month or so, you will already have seen these socks. I made them for a friend of mine for her birthday which was a couple of months ago. We finally managed to get together this weekend at Unraveled. There were lots of other people there as there were two rather large classes in progress plus many other people who just came to sit and knit. Anyway, the socks were a hit. They fit well and she was tickled with the colors.

And, I finished the Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn socks. I had plenty of yarn. I made the legs about half an inch shorter than usual. Next time I'll know better. This yarn is so much more pleasant to knit with than the Kureyon sock yarn. And you get to use a bigger needle.

Now that those are out of the way I will attempt, for the fourth time, to get a sock that I like using the Flat Feet yarn that I got as a gift a few months ago. Have you seen this stuff? It's fun. I'm trying to make socks for myself. So far I've made the wrong size, twice, and changed my mind about the overall length at least once. I've settled on a 2x2 rib but there's not enough to photo as yet.

It's gonna be a long day

2008-08-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have no photos today. Sorry. Nothing to show you that you haven't seen already. The second Noro sock is well underway.

So why is it going to be a long day? Mostly because I didn't get very much sleep last night. Only four hours instead of my usual six or so. I got home from Thursday night knitting later than usual and the cat woke me at four, as usual. I thought I'd find time for a nap before I go to work but that hasn't worked out. I may spend part of the day standing up in order to stay awake.

I have the Noisy Ladies group first thing in the morning. That's not an official title, just an observation. And then I'm supposed to start a newish knitter on her first pair of socks, including using dpns for the first time.

Fridays are fun though. I usually see several of my peeps in the afternoon. However, a couple of people are out of town so it may be slower than usual. But I'm looking forward to going to dinner with L&H (of L&H fame).

The Ram Club

2008-08-07T07:51:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I signed up for a sock yarn club. My first. The yarns are being shipped now. I got mine on Monday. The spoiler alert is for anyone who may be in this club and who doesn't want the surprise spoiled. I don't think anyone in the sock club actually reads my blog but just in case, there it is.

The club is put on by The Unique Sheep. The owner is a member of the Men Who Knit forum on Ravelry. The designer is also a member of that group.

The premise of the club is that most sock yarn clubs do not provide enough yarn to make a pair of man-sized socks. And the patterns are usually not something most men would wear. This yarn certainly addresses the yardage part. There are 470 yards in each of the two skeins. Two skeins because the yarns are held together to make a heavy duty boot sock.

I'm not sure if I'd actually wear boots with these socks since all the patterning would be totally hidden. If I'm going to spend that much time knitting socks for me then I want to be able to show them off.

The picture that came with the pattern doesn't really show you much about how the pattern is going to look but it does give you some idea of how the two yarns kind of stripe. They're knit toe up, something I've only done once; they have a short row heel, which is my current favorite heel so I'll be okay there. I'll be making some minor changes is how the increases and decreases are done. But I'm not going to be able to start these socks for a while.

I'm still working on the Noro Silk Garden sock. The yarn is nice but not really designed for speed knitting. I hope to finish sock number one today.

Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn

2008-08-05T07:46:00.001-07:00

I wish I could get a better picture of this. It's actually a lot richer and more red than what you see here.

I'm really pleased with how this yarn is knitting up. So much better than the Kureyon version. It's more of a sport weight than a fingering weight. I'm using some 3mm Addi dpns. I could have probably used a 3.5mm. The label calls for a 3.6 to 4.7 mm. That's Japanese sizing, approximately US 4 to US 6. I do like the density of the fabric I'm getting.

There's silk, obviously, in the mix so the yarn isn't quite as springy as most sock yarn I've used. I'm getting ladders at all the needle change points and my usual technique of giving the first couple of stitches on the new needle an extra tug isn't working. So I'm going to rely on the old adage, time heals everything. I'm hoping the ladders will disappear when the socks are washed.

I'm still concerned about having enough yarn but I've already scheduled a trip back to the store where I bought it. I'll call and see if they still have this color and ask them to hold it until next week.

Saying no

2008-08-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

I used to have a spinning wheel. I used to have a lot of the stuff that goes with having a spinning wheel. But I didn't use any of this stuff very often. I finally just gave up that particular craft and got rid of everything spinning related. I needed the room for the other addiction. So, you see, I really must say no.

This past Saturday I went to Unraveled where Janice Rosema was holding forth. I called my friend Thom to let him know there would be some roving available and well as a chance to view and try the Mach 1 wheel. (I don't have a link and I'm not sure there is one.) Thom has recently started spinning and has already purchased three wheels. He doesn't do things by half-measure. The Mach 1 is a fascinating wheel and has some features that would really enhance the time spent spinning.

Anyway, it was exciting to see all the rovings and batts and different fibers. Janice spins a lot of what she calls art yarns or fibers. They're imaginative and playful. She had a small drum carder with her and demonstrated how she uses it to combine a miscellany of fibers to create some very colorful rovings. She also demonstrated the wheel.

I did not give in to the temptation to try it. I don't want to get another wheel and start all over. But it was hard to say no. I finally had to walk away and go sit in another room and work on my sock. I'm just not going to spin.

But I did hear about a class for new spinners and returning spinners. It starts next month and isn't very far away and doesn't cost very much.

The boss is away sale

2008-08-03T17:53:00.001-07:00

Every year when the shop owner at A Stitch in Time goes on vacation we have a short sale. This year it's this week. All knitting yarns, books and needlepoint canvases are 25% off from now through the 10th. I know. We just had a sale in June but there are yarns on this sale that weren't available back then, like this Claudia Handpaint Linen Lace. There are some other yarns as well, but I didn't take the time to photo them. There's also a sale in Hodge Podge, the gift store section. There's even some stuff there that's 70% off.

And I finished the Fast Fullerton Footies. Details on my Ravelry page.

Web weirdness

2008-08-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

Strange things are happening. There are blogs that I read almost daily and many of these use Blogger or blogspot. Almost every blog I've tried to access today that uses Blogger cannot be opened by Internet Explorer. There are a few others that don't use Blogger that are similarly "blocked", if that's the correct word.

Blogs that haven't had recent entries, say within a week, will open, even if they do use Blogger.

I have no problem viewing my blog when I'm using Firefox. I haven't linked to very many favorites or bookmarks on Firefox but I guess I will now.

Is anyone else having this problem?

A couple of hours later:

Whatever it was, it's gone away and everything seems to be working again. I'm still moving to Firefox.

Fixation!

2008-08-01T08:00:00.001-07:00

One of the first pairs of sock I made were these. I can't find my photo but if you look at the link you'll see what they looked. I used some variegated Cascade Fixation (cotton and lycra) and made a few adjustments to the pattern to fit a larger foot. I've used this same pattern several times with variations. The one in the photo is the current permutation. And they really are fast. That sock was done in a day. I'm stalled on the second one because I got side tracked and cast on for a bag. The second sock is started and I'll spend some time on it today while I'm at work.

I also got some new sock yarn. Noro Silk Garden Sock. Not sure how this is going to work out since there isn't as much yardage as usual in a 100 gram skein, only 300 meters vs. the usual 400 or more.

Harbor Cruise 2008

2008-07-31T05:05:00.001-07:00

It was another sunny warm day after all. It started out looking like it was going to be hazy and cool but by the time we all left Monrovia the sun was out and the fog was gone. Yesterday we went on our third Alamitos Bay Harbor Cruise.

Alamitos Bay Yarn Company sponsors these boat rides every summer. The small boats are docked just behind the shop so it's an easy walk from the parking lot to the boat loading dock. We all bring a bit of something to snack on and some wine or sodas to help with all the cheese and crackers, and olives and wasabi almonds and cranberry orange bread and tapenade and on and on.

You can see some of the homes and boats that line the canals of Naples in this photo of Renee talking to Mario. We had a different pilot this year and we had a few new sights but we still got to see the "moonies", the slightly eerie jellyfish that live at the end of one of the canals. I didn't get any photos, unfortunately.

Each boat holds eight people plus the pilot. There were supposed to be eight of us but one person had a last minute thing that came up and couldn't go. (Sorry, Judy. Hope all those tests got done.) And we had one first timer. Andy, who has been signed up to go the two previous times but had to cancel, finally got to go with us. And he drove one of the two cars we needed to get to Long Beach.

Thom, looking elegant and worldly, and Mendy just barely in the lower left of the photo. We're just getting ready to go to the boat.

Another shot of Mario (and Mendy sneaking in yet another photo). In the background you can see the view from the front of the yarn shop. More blue sky and sail boats.

And one final snap. Sitting at the table, trying to get everything together. We've already been shopping. I didn't get a photo of Susan, except for this tiny bit of her head in the lower left. And her hand.

I don't think anyone did any significant knitting. It was more like a row or two or a few stitches here and there. Just too much fun in the sun. You know. Just the usual yarn gang get together.

PLYMOUTH ROCK(in' sox)

2008-07-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Who needs to shop when you have friends to bring you presents? Jane, one of my regulars, went on vacation and brought back this Plymouth Rockin'Sox yarn. She knows I like orange.

I think this must be a new yarn. I haven't seen it anywhere. It's 60% superwash wool, 25% bamboo and 15% nylon. The color number is 005.

I was curious so I cast on this morning and did a little sample. Not a project really. No, really. It's not. That would be silly since I already have ten or twelve other sock projects going. I just wanted to able to tell Jane how much I liked it and to let you know what I think of it. It's pretty nice. Soft and smooth. I thought it was going to be splitty but it seems to be fine one these bamboo needles.

I also wanted to see how the colors would play out. So far it looks like a long spiral. But who knows how it will look after the heel and gusset. Well, I'm not really making a sock anyway so I guess it doesn't matter.

ETA: It's a 100 gram skein.

Socks, socks and more socks

2008-07-07T06:48:00.001-07:00

For the first twenty five years of my knitting career I avoided making socks. I'm not sure why but it was probably partly because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it. So I just said socks were not something I did.

Then, about seven years ago, the demand for help with knitting socks began in earnest. So I got a book, Folk Socks by Nancy Bush, and taught myself the basics. I still reference that book a lot as well as Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. Not that I don't have lots of other sock knitting books. But those I use mostly for patterns. And I do find bits of helpful information in other books and on-line, of course.

I can't get enough. Here are a couple of my currently active sock projects. You will probably recognize the Annetrelac sock from IK's Holiday 2007 issue. I'm having some problems with it. I managed to mess up on the final round of triangles and in trying to fix that problem I dropped some stitches. And it got worse. I may end up ripping back to the ribbing before this is all done. I'm using some Schaefer Anne that was gifted to me a few years ago. I like the colors but I'm having problems seeing some of the stitches, especially in the dark purple areas.

The other sock is a newish pattern on Ravelry called Harris Tweed. It's pretty easy and straightforward. The Sockotta yarn doesn't have much give so it's a little hard on these tired old hands. But at least I can knit these socks while I'm working. I should be able to fix any inevitable errors without too much fuss.

Spring Forward socks

2008-07-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! I love this holiday. I went out for a very early walk this morning and the flags were flying all along Colorado Blvd. which is near where I live. The streets were still quiet because it wasn't quite six yet. Very little traffic, unlike most Friday mornings.

I have been knitting even though I haven't been posting. Most of what I'm working on is for gifts so they can't be posted yet. But I did finish these Spring Forward socks.

The pattern is pretty easy and moves along quite rapidly, if you stick to it anyway. I could probably have done these in a few days if I hadn't spent so much time knitting with my friends. I don't really get much done when I'm at knit group. Partly because there's so much conversation that I want to hear and partly because I'm often helping someone. Anyway, there has been other knitting. I just can't talk about it right now.

Here's a detail of the stitch pattern. I can't find my sock blockers so I've stretched one of the socks over my hand. I'm not sure if blocking will help these socks to relax but they do flatten out and show the pattern when they're worn. Thanks, Mendy, for trying them on. I should have taken a picture then.

Socks rule!

2008-06-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

I had a pair of socks that I needed to finish. They're for an imminent birthday. So I did that. And then I thought maybe I'd try to make a pair for someone whose birthday I missed. Those aren't done yet. But I'll have some photos once the two pair have been gifted. Socks aren't really all that interesting as photo subjects. Well, maybe Mr. Flood could make them interesting but I can't.

Now I'm back in a sock knitting mode even though I have lots of other projects in the works. I kinda blame it on Susan. She's been involved in Socks Wars and is now doing the 52 Plunge. (Sorry, I haven't taken the time to search for links.) Anyway, there have been lots of sock patterns floating around, including the new book The Eclectic Sole. And, as it happens, I have a bunch of new sock yarn.

A is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Champlain Sunset.
B is Cascade's Heritage Handpaint in 9926.
C is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Champlain Sunset. I think that one is mislabeled. The color looks more like Spring Frost. And the yarn may actually be a silk/merino blend.

A is Chameleon Colorworks Bamboo in Moss.
B is Chameleon Colorworks Footsie in September.
C is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Magnificent Meadow, a colorway dyed exclusively for Unwind Yarns for their Half the Sky Foundation fundraiser.

So much sock yarn, so little time.

Once upon a time

2008-06-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day! to me and all the other dads. For the very curious, the year was 1964 or 1965. Yes. I really did have only one chin and some hair. And Lisa was once this small. We still have as much fun together as we did then.

WWKIP Day

2008-06-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

I'll be knitting here. Where will you be on this World Wide Knit in Public Day?

It's also Flag Day. This is a holiday that never quite got off the ground.

And tomorrow is Father's Day.

It's going to be a busy weekend.

Just another knitting night

2008-06-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

For starters we had artichoke and crab dip. Some luque's olives, peppered capicola, aged mahon cheese, orange marmalade and freshly made crostini. Plenty of red wine, or white if that's what you preferred. And then we had oatmeal pie. Just another knitting night. Well, if you are at Mario's and Kenn's. Mario is one of my knitting buddies and he hosted a few of us last night. Well really only two of us. One other person didn't show up even though he had said he would be there. See what you missed?

I tried to start a simple diagonal garter stitch scarf but I couldn't keep it going. Too many distractions I guess. Not that much wine. Really! I think I'll have to rip it all out and start over. Or make something else.

Another scarf

2008-06-12T07:48:00.001-07:00

It isn't much but it's something. I've been busy. Lots of running around and taking care of stuff. I'm still working on the Vine Leaf Lace vest. The back and about a quarter of the fronts are done.

I've also been cleaning up some of my started-but-never-finished projects. Just ripped them and returned the yarn to stash. I still have a stack to go through and decide what to do.

About the scarf. It's another Forsa Scarf from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton Book Number Two. This is the third time I've made it. I used Noro Kureyon color 88. I have lots of this color way left. It's not my favorite, too intense, but it was on sale for $3.00 a ball. I still need to wash and block the finished piece but I won't need to do that until closer to the holidays.

A week's progress

2008-06-02T07:42:00.001-07:00

So. Even though I had decided I wouldn't make any more garments I went ahead with this pattern the Vine Leaf vest from Classic Elite. It's a free pattern. I'm using some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece that I've had in stash for a while. I got the yarn at a swap meet at a really cheap price. Anyway, the pattern is easy to memorize and I am almost finished with the back. The actual color is a lot more lime than what you see here but you know I'm not too successful with my photos.

I also got started on a scarf. It's based on the same pattern I used for the Scrolls socks that I posted a couple of weeks ago.

You might recall that I was speculating about how that pattern would look as a scarf since I was very excited at how the reverse looked. I didn't realize at the time that the pattern I was using for the socks and the pattern for this scarf are the same, except one is worked in the round and the other is worked flat. I do like how the scarf is coming out, even though I'm not using the beads that the scarf pattern suggests. I am using the yarn the pattern calls for, Schaefer Susan, a 100% mercerized cotton that is very pleasant to use.

And I finished the Worm Scarf. This one should only have taken a day or so but other things happened. You know how that is.

Neck warmer?

2008-05-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

This week's finished project is a neck warmer. You'd think by now we'd be making tops and warm weather stuff. Especially since a week ago the temperature around here was in the 100 degree range. This week the daily temps have been below season average, so it's still pretty cool. I don't remember a Memorial Day weekend ever being this cold, or this wet.

Anyway, I made this neck warmer over the course of the week. The yarn is Manos del Uruguay silk blend. I got it at Unwind back in January I think. The pattern came with the yarn. It's called Beech Wood. I just checked the designer's web site and the pattern isn't there anymore.

I did work on a few other projects this week, like a couple of pairs of socks, but they're not far enough along to show yet.

New socks

2008-05-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

I finished the Scrolls socks yesterday. I like 'em a lot. Not so sure about the fiber though. It's a cotton and nylon blend that's pretty easy on the hands but the plies want to separate when there's a decrease, whether it's a K2tog or an SSK, and that causes some problems. You have to really look to see if you've picked up an extra ply or strand. It only took me about a sock and a half to figure this out.

When I finished the first sock and turned it inside out to weave in the ends I was really surprised at the pattern on the inside. The purl side looks like a woven trellis. I wouldn't be surprised if someone hasn't already figured out that this stitch would make a great scarf pattern. I might just do it myself.

Non-knitting weekend

2008-05-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Really. There was almost no knitting this weekend. Unless you count ripping a sweater that I knit fifteen or so years ago. I guess ripping is part of knitting but I don't usually wait that long. I'm not even sure at this point why I never finished that sweater but I think it was probably because I realized it was going to be way too small.

Now that I think of it, I probably knit that sweater more than twenty years ago. I have another sweater that I knit at about the same time that I never put together. They were both in the same storage box. That sweater was knit with some yarn I got in Taos in 1988 or so. That one didn't come out quite right. The sleeves were way too big for the armholes. I was still pretty new to knitting at that time so I didn't realize that yarn substitution meant more than just using something other than what the pattern called for. I need to see if I can salvage it. Probably will need to reknit the sleeves. I think the body is still OK. Well, it was then.

I did finish the first sock of the Scrolls design that I started last week. The second one is moving along. I hope to finish it this week. I have a number of things to do this week that will involve lots of driving time but I should be able to finish if I don't get distracted by something else.

Using stash

2008-05-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Apparently I'm not the only one who does this. I tend to hold on to what I think of as my special yarns. I keep waiting for that special, just right, project to come along. So I end up with lots of yarns that never go anywhere.

I don't remember where now but I read someone's blog a couple of days ago where this very thing was being discussed. The writer's point was that it's silly not to use what you already have. There will always be more yarn and more projects. And it's rare to find that perfect match. I know it is for me. I tend to forget what I have in stash and find it much easier just to buy something new.

Anyway, I started this new scarf yesterday, using some special stash. This is Schaefer's Kathleen. I only have one hank of it. I've had it for at least four, maybe five, years. I've been waiting for the right project to come along. The color in the small photo is more accurate but the large photo at top gives a better idea of what the scarf will look like. I found the pattern on Ravelry. The one hank I have has the same yardage as the original pattern but the Kathleen is heavier than the yarn used in the pattern.

I like it. It's playful and it uses one of my special yarns. So that's a good thing.

The celebrated purple scarf

2008-05-07T09:03:00.001-07:00

You've heard about it. Now you get to see it. Kind of. It's almost impossible for me to get a photo of this that really shows what it going on. Not only is the yarn very dark, it is also very gloomy here today.

If you happen to have access to the Berroco pattern book Norah Gaughan Collection, Vol. 1 you can see it a little better. The pattern is called Jyri which they show in Pure Merino. I used some Karabella Aurora 8 that I happened to have in stash. It's not quite the same gauge but it's close enough. I used a little over four balls.

The knitting is essentially stockinette. The K3tog decrease in the center of each stitch pattern causes the knitting to draw up and form peaks on the purl side. The purl side is considered the right side.

Because the scarf is stockinette it wants to curl. In the pattern book the scarf is shown being work all curled up. I think it looks great. The color in this photo is way off but you can maybe see the pattern a little better. The actual color is more like the photo at top.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

2008-05-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've no idea if that's correct Spanish or not. But it's what I hear around these parts.

My friend, and frequent student, Sally (that's her in the while jarancha) invited me to join her and her husband Jay (that's him seated wearing the white wedding shirt and red bandana) at a small local restaurant and to hear them perform some traditional jarancho music. Their instructor, Cesar, is on the right and a friend, Elena No Show, seated on the right, is playing her jarana. . There's a reason she's called No Show, but this time she did show up.Standing on the left and playing the cow jawbone is Aurora who was visiting from Guadalajara. It was a ton of fun. Afterwards we went to Sally's house and had some margaritas and guacamole and chips. No salsa.

I have some new socks that I started on Friday using the new Kollage Luscious sock yarn.

It's a blend of cotton and nylon. Very nice to knit. I'm doing a test to see if you really can get one sock out of 185 yards. I think it will be close. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked though. I spent a lot of time on Ravelry looking at all the projects that use Noro. Not very productive but maybe somewhat more than playing FreeCell.

Zigzagging along

2008-04-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

It took a while but I finally finished this Zigzag scarf. But not as long as I thought. I started it around January 7 of this year. I thought I had started it sometime before last Christmas. But in any event, it's done.

I used approximately two skeins of Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted, one each of Butterfly Blue and Limestone. I ran out of yarn before the scarf was long enough so I had to order some more.
I got it at Velona since none of the shops that are closer to me carry this yarn. Or at least none that I could find.

I used a stitch pattern from Scarf Style that is in the design notebook at the back of the book. It's really easy and is ideal for using some self-striping yarn. I've done that several times. I've also used the pattern for teaching new knitters about increases and decreases. I'll probably cast on another one sometime soon.

Knitting recession

2008-04-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

There has been a serious slowdown in my knitting production recently. The lackluster output has sometimes fallen to no knitting at all, for several days running. These indicators suggest that further output may be even lower.

Much of the slowdown can be attributed to an ailing elbow. There has been some improvement due to an injection of a few ibuprofen per day as well as giving it a rest. There is also a glut on the market right now. Too many projects and not enough time.

So what we need is a stimulus program. I am doing my best to stay away from acquiring more inventory until I've used up some of the excess. And I've been doing a lot of research by looking through some of my older pattern books. And making sure I spend as much time as I can with people who are full of enthusiasm and ideas and who are motivating me to keep going.

Anyway, this analogy is sort of falling apart. I need to go rip some rows on my latest scarf. Three rows of 285 stitches each. This will be the second time I've had to do this. Not the same rows as before but still it's hours and hours of tinking since the yarn I'm using doesn't perform well if you just take it off the needles and frog.

The brush fire that's been raging in the hills near where I live has affected a few of my friends. I had one student yesterday who came in just to get away from the smoke and noise. She wasn't sure if she would be able to get back into her house since the fires had burned right up to her back yard. She hadn't had much sleep for the last three nights due to the threat of immediate evacuation. She was so tired she just wanted to put her head down and sleep. Other people who came to visit reported masses of ash and soot falling all over their houses and cars. Down here where I live we're mostly just smelling the smoke and putting up with allergies and burning eyes. It's like the old heavy smog days we used to have back in the 60s and 70s. I've skipped walking a couple of times to avoid some of the worst of it.

On the brighter side of the news though, my young friend H (of L&H fame) has been accepted/honored with membership in the Constitution Team at her high school. And I just heard yesterday that she's also going to be one of the Senior Men and Women. I don't know much about these honors but I'm assured by her very proud mom that they are significant. And I'm very pleased and proud too.

I'm off to spend the day with Thom and Mendy, knitting and lunching. Part of my stimulus program.

So. How was your weekend?

2008-04-21T08:10:00.001-07:00

Mine was pretty nice. And not too expensive considering. Spent Saturday going to some yarn shops that I don't get too very often, Alamitos Bay Yarn Company in Long Beach and Velona in Anaheim Hills. That's when I got the Noro Silk Garden 258, a new color I think. At least, it's one I don't have.

I also went to Unraveled and picked up a skein of sock yarn from Chameleon, a new dyer that's near by.

And Sunday was knitting for most of the day. Or until it was time to go to a concert at Occidental College. Got to hear some great late baroque music performed by the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, a local orchestra that's devoted to performing in a variety of venues for audiences that don't have many opportunities to hear live classical music.

And I had pizza for the first time in a long time. Not good for me but so enjoyable. So that was my weekend. How was yours?

What I bought at the Artisans' Sale

2008-04-18T07:54:00.001-07:00

Here's the Hism yarn that my friend H (of L&H fame) put together for her booth at the Artisans' Craft Sale last weekend. It's an assortment of commercially available yarns that she deconstructed and then reconstructed. I may need to add something more to make a scarf but I really like the textures and colors she put together. And then there are the stitch markers she made, sterling silver wire and semi-precious stones. I didn't realize until I was setting up to take this photo that the colors in the yarn and the stitch markers work really well together. And they are definitely in my preferred color palette.

Annual Amaryllis 2008

2008-04-17T09:20:00.001-07:00

My amaryllis has bloomed. I don't remember it ever having this many blossoms at once And there are more buds, just waiting their turn.

I think the blossoms were bigger in previous years though. Still, these are pretty big.

I finished the entrelac (Topographical) scarf last Friday night. I've taken at least ten pictures but can't get the color right. I suppose all these colors are present in the yarn but they're not what I see when I look at the scarf, certainly not so much pastel.

I see it more like the color in the lower left corner of this detail. Anyway, I still have to soak and block it.

Before I retired I used to wish I could just not go to work sometimes, just because I didn't feel like it. Of course, I couldn't do that. So nowadays if there's something I just don't feel like doing I don't do it. That's pretty much the reason I haven't blogged for a week. Just didn't feel like it.

Spring Artisans Sale

2008-04-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

Need something new to brighten up your Spring wardrobe? Wanna add to your stash of unusual yarns or your selection of stitch markers? Just wanna get out of the house and be with like-minded people?

The Spring Artisan Sale happens this weekend, Friday and Saturday. You can get some very specific directions on how to get there and stuff like that by clicking here. I realize this is a local event and that not everyone can make it, but if you can it would be fun to see you.

I'm going on Saturday afternoon. My daughter is coming over to join me. We had thought she might have to miss it but now it looks like she'll be here after all. After she finishes with Kids' Fishing Camp. Don't ask. I don't know any more than that.

Socks for me

2008-04-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've never knit socks for myself. I've never belonged to a sock yarn club. I don't generally find knit-a-longs very inspiring or much fun. But sometimes things happen that make me change my mind and perhaps adjust my attitude a bit.

There's a new sock yarn club. The Ram Club is just starting up. The first yarn and pattern shipment is scheduled for August. I read about it on Ravelry. You can find out more about it by clicking on the link.

Peace, man!

2008-04-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

I got this neat little sweater in the mail yesterday. All the way from Wyoming. I had sent a skein of yarn to a knitter in need and she sent this to thank me, along with a cute card.

Look at that embroidered peace sign. If you missed the 70s you won't know what a strong memory trigger this is. Thanks, Mary.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

2008-04-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Unless you count this as something to see. I got into a mini-panic yesterday when I started looking for this pattern. It was a published a lot longer ago than I thought. I do have both issues of the Vogue Knitting magazines though. I will have to do some shopping for the black tweed. I had forgotten about the stripes on the sides of the cat. I'm hoping they still have some at Velona.

I took the weekend off from knitting, except for the time I spent watching the UCLA vs Memphis game. So sad the way that came out. Anyway, not knitting, and taking some ibuprofin (thanks, P) has really helped a lot. My elbow feels almost like its old self this morning. And since I wasn't knitting I finally got around to clearing out some yarns that I don't think I'll ever knit, even if I lived another fifty or so years. I'm pretty sure I have a home for these yarns.

I condensed some of the boxes and managed to discard a couple of cardboard boxes I'd been using. And I have one easily accessible box that holds a lot of the odds and ends and left overs that I will use for hats and scarves.

I have moved all the boxes back into the yarn storage room but still have to get them stacked in some kind of order. Maybe I'll get to that this week.

The week that was

2008-04-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Does anyone remember a TV program called "This is the week that was?" Or something like that. I can't remember if it was a serious news program or a comedy. But anyway, here's a recap of mine.

My knitting muse has recommended that in addition to the elbow wrap I should use ice packs and take aspirin. The wrap seems to help some. At least I don't have as many pains when I move my arm. So, since she's a lot more familiar with these kinds of pains than I am, I will be adding those to my list of things I can do to help.

I finished my income taxes. The upside of not making very much money is that I didn't owe anything plus I get a complete refund of the little bit that I had paid in state taxes. Enough for a couple of skeins of sock yarn. There was a glitch in the tax program that I was using and at first I thought I was going to owe a lot. But I found the problem and everything worked out okay. I really need to get more organized so I don't have to spend so much time sorting paper every year. But I don't imagine that I will.

The entrelac scarf is progressing. I have about two and a half skeins to go and I'll be done. I took the jacket to show off last night and everyone said how great it was. What else could they say? "That's the ugliest thing I ever saw!" But I do think they really liked it.

I keep finding yarn that I had forgotten. Yesterday I came across twenty skeins of Classic Elite Tweedy Lamb. I think I got that to make the cat sweater that was in Vogue Knitting a few years ago. Do you know the one? The one with the big cat head on the front? Anyway, that's what I'm going to use it for, if I can find the pattern.

And now it's time to get ready to go to work. I wonder what will happen today.

They don't make 'em like they used to.

2008-04-03T08:54:00.001-07:00

Look what I found! Digging through some long neglected boxes of stash I found this jacket I made maybe fifteen years ago. I only barely remember making it. And I have no recollection of why I didn't finish it then. Probably because I didn't like weaving in ends any more then than I do now. Plus, I was probably not sure if the mixture of yarns and the irregular stripes was really going to work. This was the mid-90s after all and things were a lot different then.

Back then, as I recall, it was a lot harder to get away with mixing fibers and textures, except for the Anny Blatt folks. And tidiness of finish was a bigger issue than it is now. (Viva rustica!) I think I had just discovered the Barbara Walker Treasuries then and was in love with all the stitch patterns that were in them.

I don't think any of the yarns that I used in this jacket are available now. There's some Rowan Chunky Magpie and some of their Cotton Chenille. There are a couple of yarns that I don't remember what they are. Maybe Rowan Designer DK. And there's a thin strand of something I don't recall at all.

The lime green though is something from a women's co-operative that had just gone into business. Everyone was very excited about this venture. We even had a kick-off party at Mariposa, the now defunct shop where I worked then. I don't think the co-op lasted though. The yarn, while it had some great colors, was very difficult to work with and the quality control wasn't terrific. But it was great to be there.

So, I spent about an hour this morning, sewing up the sides and weaving in the ends. I'm going to take this with me later today to show it off and see if anyone likes it (other than me) and will give it to my daughter when I see her next week. I'm not sure if the original pattern was called Slouchy Jacket or not but that's what we called it at Mariposa. It was given to me by one of the yarn reps. I think I still have it somewhere.