Remember that rain I mentioned a couple of days ago? Well, it had an amazing effect on the wild fire and on the air over the LA basin. Yesterday was a perfect fall day in Southern California. Clear sky and gentle breeze and mild temperature. You get the picture.

So that made everyone at the Knit Out very happy. Lots of knitters and crocheters milling about, fondling fibers and gushing over all the samples. We handed out over 500 brochures for Skein and I probably explained the drop stitch at least 50 times. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't get away to see all the other shops but I was the only one at our table that could answer all the questions etc. Ann Mary's daughter, Desiree, and her friend, Julie, were charming company but they neither know diddley about knitting or fibers. But I did get to see a lot of people.

Ellen stopped by and we had a great chat. Hope to meet up with her again soon.

And Shannita came by and introduced herself. We're going to try to hook up some time in the future when she does her big craft show thing next year.

I also met Ruth of Twisted Spinster (can't seem to link to her blog) and we had a short visit. I think I had a lot of people there at the time. I met several other folks who read my blog and that was lots of good head trip stuff. It's nice to know there's a real community out there.

All the exhibitors got these turquoise t-shirts to wear. I think I'm just gonna retire mine. Not my best color and the big logo on front doesn't work well for me. But it was fun wearing it at Knit Out.

Most frequently asked question: where's Arcadia?
Answer: just east of Pasadena
Reply: Oh, I think I know where that is.

We're not exactly in the sticks but I guess when you live on the Westside it seems like it. So that's it for Knit Out 2002. Today I'm staying indoors and finishing up this scarf. I've been working on it for a week now and I'm tired of it. (That link doesn't take you directly to the scarf but once you're there you can find it. It's made with Silk Boucle and it's pattern number 3 under that category.) Then I'm going to finish the pumpkin hat and redo the ribbing on the neckline of the Turino silk top.

Remember that rain I mentioned a couple of days ago? Well, it had an amazing effect on the wild fire and on the air over the LA basin. Yesterday was a perfect fall day in Southern California. And the Knit Out was a major hit as a result. I really had a good time talking to people from all over. Most frequent question: where's Arcadia. Just east of Pasadena. Oh, I think I know where that is. We're not really in the sticks but if you live on the Westside maybe it seems like it.

I got to meet Shannita and

Saturday, September 28, 2002

Just got home from the opening night concert of the LA Chamber Orchestra. What a treat! Hillary Hahn was the soloist in a couple of J.S. Bach pieces. Very rousing Mozart symphony (Jupiter) brought the house down as a closing number.

Other interesting news is it's raining here this evening. I hope it helped squelch the big wildfire we've had going the past week. But on the down side I wonder if it will continue and wreck the Knit Out tomorrow. The Third Street Promenade is very open air. I don't know if any provision has been made since it rarely rains here at this time of year. Guess I'll just show up and see.

Sometimes I just don't believe people. One student today. She wanted to learn to knit and only had a half hour to spend. She wanted to know how long it would take her to make a sweater. Oh, and could I teach her to crochet too. Is it easier to learn than knitting? She wants to make a lot of stuff so she can make some money selling it. This is going to be interesting. I'll see her again in a couple of weeks and see if she's mastered the knit stitch yet.

Time is out of joint and my world is out of whack. Family events have stirred up and mismatched my daily routine. So I'm not sure what day it is. It feels like Monday but it isn't. Going out to lunch with friends today will make it feel like Sunday. Went to Skein yesterday so I could get some more un-knitting done on my current shop project. I just really needed Ann Mary's presence and advice. I felt much better when I left. I am also ready to re-knit the last third of the Karabella scarf.

Almost done with the second pumpkin hat. Got a lot done just while reading my daily blogs. The arms on my desk chair make it a little awkward because if I put my arms down inside the armrests then I can't move freely, if I put my elbows on the armrests it feels like the bones are being crushed. What a wimp! But I still got a lot done.

For my nephew, Jonathan. The world was too much and love was not enough. Rest in peace.

Well, the other student didn't show up on Sunday and I forgot to get the double point needles. But Sunday turned out to be a good day just the same. Finally got to meet a new knitter that I've been "chatting" with via email. Great!

Trying to get myself psyched up for next Sunday and the big Knit-Out in Santa Monica. Ann Mary informed me yesterday that she is only going to go to set up and then leave me to take care of everything. I didn't go to the Knit-Out last year so I don't know what to expect. One thing for sure, I hope it's cooler by the weekend. It was 109 yesterday and close to that today (in Pasadena). Not good knitting weather when you're outside. I hope you'll stop by and say hello, if you're in the area.

Thanks all for the great recipe and food blog links! Some delicious stuff out there. And my friend really appreciated them too!

Sometimes teaching is just plain fun. Three new knitters yesterday, all of whom got it. A pair of sisters, neither of whom have ever done anything "crafty". I would guess them to be in the early to mid twenties. One sister, the younger, really understood the knitting and purling part but had a bit of a problem with casting on. The other one was just the opposite. Between them they'll do just fine. I hope to see them next weekend to get them started on their first projects.

The third new knitter wanted to learn so she could help out at her son's Waldorf school. I don't know much about Waldorf schools but one of the things they're famous for is teaching all the students how to knit. Anyway, the school had a group session to teach the parents how to knit. I guess it was just chaos and very few people went away satisfied. This lady is a natural. And it turns out she and I have a mutual friend.

We don't put a time limit on our drop in classes so I had all three of them for 2 or 3 hours of the afternoon. It was party time, sorta. One of my earlier students was also there for most of the time. She was so encourging and really gave everyone a lot of support. And I also taught another experienced knitter how to do the long tail cast on and how to do a drop stitch.

So I'm jazzed and looking forward to this afternoon. I'm expecting a least one continuing student. And I must remember to get some 2.5 dpns so I can start my socks.

This is more about un-knitting than knitting. I've been going through my stash and reviewing all the unfinished items. I decided that two of the shawls just weren't ever going to make it. So I spent several hours yesterday ripping them out. It is possible, with patience and persistence, plus some occasional profanity, to rip fine mohair. So now I can start a new project, once I find that pattern that I know is here somewhere.

Does anyone have any good blogs for culinary and recipe types? A friend of mine recently lost all her bookmarks when she upgraded her Netscape and has asked me if I had any recommendations. If you have some links that you like, please, send them to me so I can forward them.

I finished the Turino silk top and don't like it. I think it's going to become something else but I will wait until Lisa sees it. I set in the sleeves using slip stitch crochet. This went a lot faster than mattress stitch and worked better with the yarn. And if I do take it apart it will be a lot easier to undo.

The pumpkin hat with leaf is cute but a little too small. I've started another one using Sugar'n Cream that will be about one inch larger which is what I think I need. I like the darker orange color better, too. And I have enough to make a Trick or Treat bag to go with it. Lisa doesn't go trick or treating, but she loves Halloween.

Found some Reynold's Candide in my stash that is going to become a plain, raglan pullover for me, if I ever finish the other things I have going. I want to work a swatch, just to see how it will look. And to get the gauge so I can write the pattern. I shouldn't do this because I know I will start the sweater and then I'll have at least five active projects. But I probably will.

I got my copy of Norsk Strikkedesign last week and have looked through it several times. The sweaters are really beautiful. Can't decide if there's anything I have the patience to knit. Why did they make the charts so dark? Who can read these?

When I arrived at Skein yesterday there was already a line of people waiting for me. For about two hours I was so swamped that I can't even remember who I worked with or what their problems were. Meanwhile, Jim, the rep from Trendsetter, came back to show the other yarns that he handles. Lana Borgosesia, which is now part of Trendsetter, has one of my favorite yarns, Maratona. He also handles Garnstudio yarns. I've been looking for someone who sells this yarn as I want to make this sweater.
I first saw it at Mama Kate's.
And then Theresa translated it for us. Kate has already started hers and has even changed the pattern for a different gauge on a different yarn. I want to use the exact yarn called for but didn't know where to find it. Now I can order it through Ann Mary or I can go to Alamitos Bay Yarn Company and get it there.

Lisa came over in the evening. I hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks so I was really happy to see her. We went to Fuji for dinner. She had sushi and I had the generic, Americanized Japanese dinner special. She couldn't stay late because the LA County Fair is open and she had to be there early to help with the crowds. But it was still a very good time.

Today at Skein it was very quiet for most of the day. Ann Mary's husband was involved in a car accident when he went out to buy our lunch. He wasn't hurt but his car had to be towed to a repair shop. So I drove him home so he could get their other car. I finished the pumpkin hat and started a new wrap for a shop sample.

Busy day yesterday. I didn't even have time to read all my daily blogs, but I'm caught up now.

Went with Joanne and Leah to visit Weaver's Cottage. Cool trip! I had been before but they weren't quite as well stocked as they are now. I didn't buy anything, for a change, but spent most of my time learning about their indigo dye pot. Fascinating stuff. Also learned how to warp a loom from the front and tie it on. Sandy, one of the owners, invited me to come see her on Wednesdays when they're closed so she could work with me on my weaving.

More later as it's time to get ready for Skein.

Not a whole lot to report in my knitting life. I'm just about finished with the Turino silk pullover. Need to set in the sleeves and work the neckband. I decided I need to make some small projects for a while so I'm making a pumpkin hat. I'm also going to make a leaf for it.

Here's a sample card for Hannah Silk that I found on the
La Lana Wools site. Hannah Silk doesn't appear to have a web page, at least I couldn't find it. Anyway. The rep for Trendsetter and Classic Elite came to Skein yesterday and showed us some of their new yarns. He also reps Hannah Silk. He had a big case full of knitted samples. Pretty awesome stuff. It gets even more awesome when you see the suggested retail. If you ever get a chance to see it, just enjoy. Also, if you've never been to Taos, NM, the trip to La Lana Wools is worth the price.

The Rowan Big Print handbag came out well. It looks very cute hanging next to the new display cases that Ann Mary got her husband to assemble and install over the weekend. I bought a skein of Opal and some needles. I'm going to try socks for the first time.

I ended up spending most of the day at Skein yesterday. I just couldn't handle being alone. The day was too sad. Ann Mary is very objective and her calmness and reassurance really helped.

I just finished knitting the pieces for a handbag made from Rowan's Big Print. Took about 2 hours. I'll put it together in the morning when the light is better. I used Brown Sheep worsted weight doubled for the handle because it will wear better. And besides we didn't have any of the Biggy solid colors. It's cute but anything smaller than a dictionary will probably fall through one of the holes. The pattern doesn't call for or recommend any lining.

I'm waiting more and more impatiently for my copy of Norsk Strikkdesign to arrive from Crafter's Choice. I hadn't planned to order this book until I saw some pictures on Katy Bird's blog. (She's a fabulous knitter, by the way.) Now I'm really looking forward to getting this book. I had enough bonus points to pay for it so I only have to pay the shipping charge. And today I was reminded again that I don't have it yet by a reference in Theresa's post. It's been a couple of weeks since I ordered it so maybe next week.

Ann Mary got some additional shelving today so maybe tomorrow we can begin putting out more of the new yarns. The weather has cooled a lot this week and people are beginning to think about Christmas. So it would be good if we had this stuff out.

I was helping a new customer today with some questions she had about the sock pattern she had bought at another store. The book had been translated from German and the phrasing was a little awkward. Everything was going fine until Carole came in an announced, "Hey, that's pretty good considering you don't know how to make socks!" I don't think the customer was all that bothered but I was a little embarrassed. I don't knit socks and maybe never will. But I can read a pattern.

I've never seen a heel worked like this. (Sorry, I don't remember the name of it or the pattern book.) But it was made by putting about a fourth of the stitches on a holder, then separating the remaining stitches on three double points. Work back and forth doing a yarn over at the beginning of each row, working one stitch less each time until all the stitches on the two outside needles have been wrapped with a yarn over. Then work two rounds including the stitches that had been on hold, working the yarn overs with its partner knit stitch. Put the same stitches back on a holder and work the heel stitches again starting with the center third, wrapping one stitch at the end of the row and then one stitch from the adjacent needle. Do this until all the stitches one the side needles have been knitted up. Then resume working in rounds, again working the yarn overs with the partner stitch. The yarn over wraps serve the same purpose as wrapping stitches in short rows. There is a diagonal line on each side of the heel but that's the only thing you see. The stitches from the leg just seem to continue into the foot. No heel flap or anything. Anyway, I thought it was ingenious. People who knit socks all the time may be familiar with this and think it's so last week, but I enjoyed it.

I got a little finishing done on my current project, and we had pizza for lunch.

Thursday is not one of my usual days at Skein but today I went in to meet with a new customer. Had a wonderful time and we became quite chummy. She had just spent a little over$300 for her next project, a cardigan using Trendsetter's new yarn, Papi, plus their Voila and Metal with a little bit of Dulcino for the finishing. (Trendsetter doesn't appear to have a web page as yet but there's an ad for the cardigan pattern in the newest Vogue Knitting.) I also sold her some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride for a vest in the same issue of Vogue. I had actually met her at Temple City Knit Shop about a month ago. But the bottom line is we really like each other and it's going to great working with her.

We also had two more new customers today. I only worked with one of them but we also got along well and she'll be back in a week or so to take some lessons. I just hope this trend of people learning to knit or returning after not knitting for a long time continues. I've been trying to figure out why knitting is so attractive to me. Its meditative and allows me to create but there seems to be something more to it for me. There's a little bit of competitiveness somewhere in there. Not sure what that's about. Maybe it's about acknowledgement as well. Hm! have to work on this some more.

I fixed the decreases on the front of my current project and will probably begin putting it together tomorrow. Ann Mary wants me to make a hat and scarf using Rowan's Big Print. Size 35 needles. You've got to be kidding.

It's a lot cooler today, only a hundred. But we did have a small earthquake and there's a huge wild fire burning just east of where I live. I guess the fact that I have to rip out the neck decreases on my current project is pretty small potatoes, all things considered.

Yesterday it was 112 degrees in front of Skein. I couldn't believe anyone would actually come in, but we were quite busy all afternoon. After the shop closed I drove to Culver City to have dinner with my oldest friend, Robert. It was only 85 there and he thought that was too hot. I guess perspective counts a lot.

When it's this hot I just don't want to do anything. Except sleep and that's not easy to do. So I finally turned on my A/C today. It helped a lot but isn't quite up to the climate control you'd find in a nice mall. Went out to lunch with some other friends. I could have stayed all afternoon. Unfortunately, they couldn't. So I came home and worked for several hours on the silk sweater I'm making. I finished the sleeves and back first as the front is the only part that's a little interesting.

Lisa told me that Blogger doesn't support photos in the blog. This is curious since I see photos all the time in blogs that use Blogger. What am I missing here? We tried for about an hour Friday night to post a photo but neither of us could figure out how to do it. PITA.

Worked on my interminable, mindless scarf tonight while I watched Antiques Roadshow and Mystery on PBS. Haven't touched it in weeks as I don't watch all that much TV. I think it will be about 10 feet long when I'm done.

Thursday, August 29, 2002

Stuff. Stuff is nice and I have lots of it. A room full of yarns, a collection of silver, several sets of dishes, which I rarely use, more linens than I'll ever need, and a big stack of gray t-shirts. Stuff is lots of fun to have until it's time to clean house. Spent the whole day yesterday just cleaning the living room. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my loom into the yarn room/den. I think I need some more stuff, like storage containers that let me see my stash, instead of the cardboard boxes I currently use. I also need another lamp. Wonder if there are any thrift shops with a great selection of tasteful lamps.

I finally sat down for a couple of hours and worked on the shawl I'm making as a Christmas present. That's when I realized I needed more light. Gotta spend some time today putting hanks into balls. Especially the yarn I just bought on Tuesday.

Just one more yarn shop hop. Today, after wandering futilely around Mission Viejo when I should have been in Laguna Hills, we finally got to The Yarn Lady. What a great shop! I think they must stock every color available in most of the most popular yarns. A large bookcase filled with eyelash in everycolor and glitter combination. A wall of Colinette hanks. If you want to see how something works up there are many, many samples lining the walls. Not simple little things but full blown complicated sweaters. A serious selection of books and magazines. They are known for their semi-annual bag sales. They take everything that has been discontinued and stuff it into plastic bags and put them out in the parking lot at 50% off. I've seen photos of this event and it's not for the timid. I bought some
Cascade Sierra, a cotton/wool blend. I think I like the color but seeing it in natural light is a lot different from the artificial light in the store. Should have checked first but I got carried away.

In a couple of weeks I'm going to start another round of yarn shops with my friend Joanne. Probably go to some of the same shops since she hasn't seen a lot of these. But she's also a weaver so we'll probably pick up a few shops that are more oriented in that direction, depending on what I can find.

Spent the evening at Joanne's along with Anita who is working through her first intarsia project and is progressing quite well. I worked a swatch in some Sirdar Tropicana that I bought a few weeks ago. It's 100% acrylic but feels and knits like cotton. I think I need to go down a needle size though. Bother!

Yesterday I spent several hours working with a couple of new knitters. One of them needed to learn how to do the duplicate stitch so she could add the diagonal lines to her argyle sweater. The other one was just there to pick up some more yarn and begin the shaping on the sweater she's making for her granddaughter. To me, doing the duplicate stitch is obvious and logical. Just find your place and go. Unfortunately that is not the case for all people. After several tries we got the stitch going but not the concept. I hope she comes back today so I can see if she's grasped it yet. The other lady, who is a fine needlepointer, is also going to be a good knitter. She knew something was wrong with her pattern as soon as she began the second row. It turns out she had neglected one row of decreases. These two ladies are close friends to each other. But they're totally different in their ability to grasp new things.

I've been learning web design and am beginning to feel a little more confident in what I am doing. However, I am an absolute beginner. Every new thing I learn and try out is thrilling to me, but very old hat to many other people. But for me it's new and something I didn't know before. And the more I learn of the basics the more the advanced stuff becomes easier to grasp. It's like learning to knit.

My job is to help people get started or to move to a more advanced understanding of knitting. It doesn't help if they're made to feel "less than" someone else. I try to avoid comparing one student to another (even though I did above, but only for illustration purposes). And I try to steer students away from comparing their own progress to someone else's except when they're telling me what they aspire to. I'm fortunate in that I get to see many of my students fairly frequently. So we get to look at where they are now to where they were say six or eight months ago.

The devil gets all the good lines and can be very witty but is still the devil. In my former life I was known for being caustic and sarcastic. I thought I was doing great until I learned that it kept people from coming to me for help. It's still hard to resist the cheap shot and sometimes the remarks just pop out. But I'm learning, albeit the curve is very slow and long.

It looks like we may be going to have summer again. The past few days have been really cool, as in not too hot. But supposedly the temps will be rising again. I was hoping for an early fall. I don't know where all the people went but they certainly weren't at Skein today. Here's to a better day tomorrow.

I did manage to finish one sleeve for the Turino Silk sweater I'm making. I also worked for about two hours this morning one the mellow yellow sweater. So there is an upside to a quiet day. I also looked at all the new Anny Blatt, Filatura di Crosa and Stacy Charles knitting books. Lots of great stuff in there. Not that anyone would actually make some of the things. But lots of great ideas. And some things that a real person could wear, with a little daring. I forgot. There were also a couple of new magazines from Bouton d'Or. I'm still waiting for the newest Jaeger books. I know there's stuff in them that I want to make.

Most of the new fall and winter yarns have arrived but Ann Mary doesn't want to put them out for a few days yet. Big yarns are still big. And the colors seem brighter to me. Guess I'd better finish the black lace top so I can start some new samples.

That first paragraph may be posted twice because I screwed up the code in my link. This is the first time I've ever linked in my blog, all by myself, too. Thank you Barnes and Noble for the free on line web design course.

After Velona's we went to Newton's Country Knits in Anaheim. This vendor specializes in machine knitting yarns although there were a few random cones and skeins of yarn for handknitting. They sell knitting machines, too. I was told that they had recently moved to their current location and were still sorting through things. This is not a conventional retail space. We went into the warehouse and looked at the yarns that were being shrink-wrapped and put on the shelves. Most of what I saw was too fine for handknitting, at least for me, but much of it would be great for carry along strands. I didn't see any wool but there was some cotton and lots of synthetic. Plenty of glitter and eyelash type yarns, all on cones. I've seen these people before at weaving shows. Usually they have their yarns in hanks that are much more appealing. It's easy to get carried away so be careful, some of the stuff can get pretty expensive.

On the way home we stopped at Jake's Road House in Monrovia, for lunch. Love this place. We sat outside and enjoyed the unseasonably pleasant weather we've been having for the last week or so. There was a large crew filming for a new series on ABC this fall. (I think it's called "Without a Trace".) That was fun to watch. Came home and took a nap.

Today we went to Velona. It was pretty amazing. It's the kind of place you need to go after a good breakfast, plan to stop for lunch and then go back for more. Or only go for a specific item and don't stop to look at anything else. There may be a hidden order to how they have their stock arranged but if they do it's very well hidden. It's a pretty long drive from Pasadena to Anaheim Hills but worth every mile. They do have a lot of yarns from now defunct companies mixed in with all the current yarns but most of the old yarns are from companies that were top notch in their day. A lot of the yarn is not priced but most of it is. They also have a huge selection of needlepoint supplies including canvases. Carole was also impressed with the selection of crochet threads and yarns.

I've been way too social the last few days to do much knitting. I did manage a few rows on some of my projects for Skein while I was at the shop but I was pretty wrapped up in helping with questions and also doing some selling. But today, after one more lunch with a former co-worker, I came home and knitted for about 5 hours. I finished the front on the mellow yellow top that I started weeks ago and had to rip out because of gauge problems. So now I'm feeling a little more up.

My on-line web design class is coming along, but slowly. It all makes sense when I read it and I don't have any major problems (other than my typing). It sure takes a lot of time though. I suspect most of you know that already.

One more trip to yarn shops is planned for this week. Carole has to go back to work next week so we won't have another chance until she has some school holidays. We're going to Anaheim to see Velona and Newton Knit Country. I hear both of these places are way over the top so I'm looking forward to it.

First of all, a big thanks to Betsee for helping me figure out what was wrong with my font/point size. (I would link to her site if only I could figure out how.) I don't remember doing it, but somewhere along the way I had changed the setting. Now it's back where I want it.

Yesterday's trip to the yarn shops was not all that great. Two of the shops we had already been to before and they were still the same, of course. The new one we tried out was a little bizarre. Maybe not exactly bizarre but certainly not what most of us expect when we go yarn shopping. The place is called The Knit Nut, which should have been a warning. It's in an old strip mall between a liquor store and a dry cleaners. The window is covered with faded posters of various knitting machines. A hand written sign on the door listing their hours. Inside the place is jammed with knitting machines, most of them covered with what looked like old felt blankets. The place is dingy beyond words. The owner and her one customer/student were watching TV set at a volume that made conversation almost impossible. We felt like we were really in the way. But I just pushed on through as though I knew what I was doing. At first it looked like there were only yarns for knitting machine, stuff on cones mostly. After my eyes adjusted to the darkness (most of the light was coming through the poster covered windows) I found some shelves that had bags and bags of hand knitting yarns, most of them from now defunct companies. There were some yarns from Dyed in the Wool that I would have liked to get but I didn't want to spend that much money. (The prices were not outrageous. I just don't want to spend that much right now.) I did finally buy 10 skeins of Georges Picaud yarn. At $2.00 a ball it was too hard to pass up. Almost everything was in heavy plastic bags that have become stiff and brittle with age. By this time the owner had loosened up enough to start talking to us about her yarns and her business history. She was actually very nice. I would guess her to be in her 80s. She gave me a towelette to wash my hands when I left the shop. Carole had already found the bathroom so she could wash hers. If I'm ever in that neighborhood again I will probably go back and pick up some more of the vintage yarns. Now that I know what to expect it should be a lot more fun. I'll just take a filter mask.

We had lunch at a small Mexican place in El Monte. Really tasty stuff. And then we went to Temple City Knit Shop, just to sit and knit. There was no room at the table so we sat off to the side and tried to get some work done. I had always heard that the owner was a difficult person so I haven't been there very often. I don't think she's so bad. She is a little opinionated and has a very dogmatic style of delivery but basically she's just trying to be amusing. She has an annoying habit of moving her lips when you're talking like she's taking in what's being said through her mouth instead of her ears. I hear she's somewhere in her 70s. Bless her heart, she's just trying to keep things going. I can't imagine how she keeps the store stocked and kept in any kind of order. Order is probably too strong a word. It takes a lot of looking to see what's there. There are a lot of vintage yarns here, too. But she does have most of what's new as well.

I ripped out the shawl I started. The yarn didn't look good or behave well in the lace pattern. So I started a different pattern that I like better. First time I ever successfully did an invisible cast on. I had tried it before and given up. This time is worked just fine.

Well, I'm outa here today to go yarn shop hopping again with my friend Carol. She's on vacation this month and wants to see as many places as possible. She's lived here in the San Gabriel Valley all her life and has rarely left it to go exploring. Today we're going back to some of the shops we saw a couple of months ago and, if I can find it, a shop in Lakewood called the Knit Nut. I think in the afternoon we'll go knit for a while at Temple City Yarns.

I finished the back of my latest project last night while I was at Joanne's for my regular Tuesday night knitting. I'm using Turino Silk from Plymouth Yarns and I really like it. I'm knitting on a size 9 which makes a pretty loose fabric. It should drape very well. The color is a very dark orange with flecks of bright orange mixed in. Makes a very glowing surface.

Yesterday I found some yarn in my stash that I forgot I even had. I didn't even remember where I got it until after I started working with it. I bought this yarn in Santa Fe when I was there maybe fifteen years ago. I don't have the label anymore so I'm not sure what fiber it is. Looks like linen and silk. It's a beautiful hand dyed yarn in grayish lavender and peach. It was very southwest at the time I bought it. I'm making a lace shawl using a pattern from Knitter's Magazine (Summer 2001). Working with it has stirred up a lot of memories of that time in my life. Bittersweet I guess you'd have to call it.

Can't figure out what's happened to my email. All of a sudden the font changed and the messages are showing up in about 16 point type. I managed to get the font back to Arial but can't find anywhere to change the point size. Now I see that my edit page in Blogger is also showing up in the larger point size. But my blog still shows up the way it did originally. I have no idea what caused this. I'm sure it's part of some conspiracy to get me to switch to broadband.

Saturday afternoon. A sorta quiet day at Skein. I'm helping a new knitter with a toy she's making for her niece. This lady comes in. Just an ordinary sorta looking lady. Plops her purse and knitting on the table where we keep the patterns and magazines. Since I'm busy, Ann Mary tries to help her. I'm only sorta overhearing what's being said. Some problem with the neckline shaping. Ann Mary says, "Let's ask the master." (Flattering, but it's what she said.) So I'm looking at this sweater, wondering about the strange random varigated yarn. It turns out she had knitted the sweater sorta half inside out. She did the cable correctly but she had used the knit side as the right side instead of the purl side. The varigation of the yarn was from spilling coffee on her yarn before she had knit with it. So anyway, after I explained what had happened, which she handled pretty well, she went on with her shopping and I returned to my student as well as a converstion I was having with my friend Carole.

I'm telling Carole that my cholesterol test results were pretty good and that I didn't understand all the details of the report. So we're speculating about what all those numbers and abbreviations mean. The lady turns around and says. "Let me see that report. I'm a doctor." I got a very thorough explanation of the report as well as some recommendations of what I could do to improve even more. My own doctor has never spent so much time with me.

After that we sat and looked at new yarns and she bought yard of stuff. Everybody wins! you just never know what's going to happen in a yarn shop. So go hang out!

I'm thinking I will unsubscribe to the KnitU list. So much of it is drivel but then along will come a post that has some real content. What to do, what to do?

Yarn shop hopping on the West Side.

The Slipt Stitch, El Segundo. This is my idea of a LYS. A long, narrow space lined on both side with tall cases filled to overflowing. Beautiful yarns and lots of knitted samples, mostly miniature versions of grown up sweaters. Plenty of the currently hot scarves. The shop opened an hour later than their posted time so we just walked the main street and had coffee at the Fantastic Cafe. I had decided not to buy any yarn on this trip. The one yarn that caused me to almost break my promise was not in stock as yet, so I was saved.

Wild Fibers, Santa Monica. I had been to this shop several years ago when they were having an artist's sale and show. This shop has the feel of a community center where all kinds of fiber crafts are done. The space is quite large by comparison with most yarn shops I've seen. The knitting yarn selection is not huge but is of the best. More Rowan and Noro than I've seen in a long time. Met the owner, Mel, and had a nice chat. It would have been fun to sit and dish but we were running late, due to the late opening of Slipt Stitch, so we didn't stay as long as I would have liked.

Needle in a Haystack, Montrose. This small shop has more needlepoint canvases and supplies than knitting yarns. The knitting yarns are at the back of the shop and would easily be missed if you didn't know they were there. They don't have much in the way of trendy stuff but there are some ribbons and furry things. Just not a lot of depth. They do have Canadiana and some of the other mid-price yarns that I don't see anywhere else. I did buy some yarn here but since it was on sale it doesn't count as breaking my promise.

All in all it was a good trip. We even managed to find parking close to the shops. We could have stopped at La Knitterie Parisienne in Studio City but that shop is so congested and intense that it would have spoiled our day. I don't know where we'll be going next week. There are a lot more shops than I thought, but you have to be willing to drive some pretty long distances to get to them.

This blog is supposed to be about my knitting stuff. There just isn't anything new to report. Still working on the same old projects.

I started my on-line web design class yesterday but my books have still not arrived from Barnes and Noble so I'm already behind.

Went to Joanne's tonight for an evening of knitting and chatting. Always pleasant. Except I forgot to bring my cable needle and had to substitute a small DP which was very awkward.

Tomorrow I'm going yarn shop hopping again. We're going to a couple of shops in Santa Monica and one in El Segundo. On the way back we're stopping for lunch in Montrose and going to Needle in a Haystack. My brand new tires will get a good workout.

I love days like this. The morning is cool and overcast. A reminder that fall is coming. Not that we don't have a lot of hot days still to go. Time to start looking at some new knitting. What about all those unfinished projects from the summer? They'll get done, sometime. Just need a few more days on the black lace top and the mellow yellow top is moving along.

I'm starting an on-line web design class on Monday. My class materials haven't arrived yet but I already have one of the recommended texts so I think I'll be okay. I've been playing around with Word for the past couple of days. When I was working I didn't have much use for all the stuff you can do with it. Not that I have much use for it now, but it's fun just the same.

Looking forward to my weekend at Skein. You just never know what's going to happen. And there will probably be some more new yarns. Hip! Hip! Hot damn!

Today I made my first ever face cloth. Kinda neat. I used the Diagonal Owl Pattern from Knitting About.Com. It was fun to see the owl take shape. I can see how these things could be great gifts, stocking stuffers etc. There's a great site called Dishcloth Boutique that has tons of patterns.So now I know what to do with the left over Sugar 'n Cream. Not sure how many people are going to like bright orange, however.

I restarted the mellow yellow top tonight. Cast on and got the ribbing done for the back. I wonder if I should put the lace insert in the back as well as the front. Is it going to be uncomfortable when leaning back in a chair, for example? Any thoughts on this?

I also swatched some Turino silk from Plymouth Yarns. This yarn is 100% silk but is very reasonably priced. Something like $6.50 or $7.00 per skein. 103 yards. According to my Sweater Wizard calculations I have enough to make a long sleeved, v-neck sweater. The swatch at the suggested gauge is a little open and drapes beautifully. I've seen this yarn knit at a tighter gauge and it seems a little stiff so I think I'll go with the size 9's. Almost a quick knit!

Drinking hot water is no substitute for coffee. I have to go for some lab work today at Kaiser so I can't have anything to eat or drink, except water, until I'm done. Only a couple of hours to go.

Friday and Saturday at Skein were both very busy days for me. Taught a couple of brand new knitters. We have a large number of Chinese customers, many of whom speak about as much English as I speak Chinese. So we have a good time. Taught one lady how to make the openings for the legs in a dog sweater. That took a long time since I thought she wanted to make the whole sweater. But she went away happy. She was using her own yarn, purchased for $1.00 for 10 skeins in Shanghai. The yarn looked pretty but it was really not so terrific. I loaned her some bamboo needles to work on and now they're a lovely shade of burnt sienna.

Sunday was very quiet. Another customer came back for a refresher on how to do the long tail cast on. She had just learned it the day before. She wants to make a sweater similar to one she purchased. Big oversized cowl neck number. And she's in a hurry. No pattern, of course, she just wants to make it up as she goes along. This is not going to be fun.

Rush around, rush around and try to get all the things done that you didn't do earlier because you're so busy doing nothing that now you've run out of time and some of the things won't get done. So that's what it's going to be like this AM. I have to be at Skein at 1 o'clock and I don't want to be late. I have to stop at the wine store on the way and don't know where it is. I also have to clean house a little before Lisa comes over tonight. It's times like these when I really want to sit and knit.

I only knit one row yesterday. But I did figure out that my gauge on the mellow yellow top will be okay. Just a little closer fitting than I had planned.

I know better than this but I did it anyway. Now I'm hitting myself over the head with a big stick. I worked the gauge for the yellow shell using straight needles but I'm actually working the lower part of the sweater in the round. So my row gauge, instead of being 6 to the inch, is 7 to the inch. So that means I'll be using more yarn and I'm not sure if I'll have enough. When I get to armholes I will be working back and forth so maybe the gauge will return to the original and I'll be okay. On the upside, I really like the way the lace pattern is showing up. The yarn is really soft and I haven't had any more knots hidden in the skein.

Started another roll brim hat last night while I watched the News Hour. I'm using Alpaka from Lion Brand. I only have one skein. I was given it by the Lion Brand people at TNNA a few years ago. I usually work on the big scarf while I watch the news but it's been too hot to have a bunch of wool sitting on me. It doesn't usually bother me to work with wool in the summertime but yeasterday it was just too much. So I started this hat. I have a large box full of odds and ends of leftover yarns that I plan to use just for hats. Lisa doesn't wear hats very often so I don't really have anything to do with them. I'm not good at giving yarns away so I have to find something to do with these.

I'm mostly over my cold which is a good thing. Tonight is my bowling league and it's not good to have an unexpectedly runny nose when you're bowling.

It's quite warm here in Pasadena, not unbearable, but not pleasant. There's a breeze but it's mostly hot air. And I woke up today with a cold. Where do these things come from? I don't feel particularly bad but I sure have gone through a lot of Kleenex. I didn't go to my Tuesday night knitting group because I didn't want anyone to be exposed.

I spent most of today working on a new sweater the I designed. I'm using Gedifra Wellness in a really mellow yellow. I'm working this one in the round up to the armholes and then will work back and forth. I'm putting a lace insert in the center front. The pattern is called Wings of the Swan and is from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I'm a little ticked at the yarn though. There were three knots in the first skein. I hope this doesn't happen through all the rest of them.

On Sunday the sales rep for Plymouth Yarns came into Skein to show us their new line of sock yarns. They're similar to all the other printed yarns like Opal and Regia. I thought the colors were a little muddy. She also showed us some of their new novelty yarns. These I like! I don't think they're up on their web page as yet. Bam! is a sorta shaggy thick yarn that comes in multi-colors. Mosaica is also multi but is more of a well behaved boucle. I bought two bags of a merino/acrylic blend yarn. I don't remember the name of it offhand and I left it at the shop. It's a French blue with streaks of red and other colors. It knits up a little like a tweed. There is a nice range of colors in this yarn, from very light to dark. Anyway, this yarn is for me.

Knitting hath charms to sooth the savage beast! A new customer at Skein on Saturday. She seemed pretty agitated and ready for a fight. She announced the she wanted to knit a shawl and she didn't want anything complicated and she didn't want to spend a lot of money. So I go through the routine of showing her some samples and suggesting some yarns and trying to get her to focus on what she really wanted to do. Once I had figured out what her price range was and showed her some nice yarns she began to calm down a little. Then when I showed her a simple pattern, that she didn't have to purchase, she even got a little cheerful. By the time she left she was smiling and looking forward to an evening of knitting. She's even coming back to get some help with a sweater she messed up because she didn't follow the directions. After she left, Ann Mary said to me, "Boy, you sure know how to handle these cranky old ladies!" And it's true.

I have another customer who loves to put on her best belligerent face when she comes in. I like to tease her about it and she just loves it. On Friday she came in all riled up because she didn't like the neckband on her sweater. After we reworked it she went home and finished the sweater. She came in on Saturday wearing the sweater, pretending that she was just returning something. She was so cute, trying to pooh-pooh all the compliments. But you could just see she was grinning from ear to ear on the inside. She can be a trial but she won't let anyone but me help her. She usually calls to make sure I'm there before she comes in.

It's really a lot of fun to work in a yarn shop.

Not a lot going on right now. I finished the orange top and am almost done with the baby sweater. (I ran out of yarn before sewing up the last side so I have to find something that I can use. I didn't want to start a new skein just for the sewing.)

I think I'm saturated with projects right now and just want to get some of them done before I start another one. I tried to start a new shell yesterday using some Dale Kohlibri cotton. After a brief attempt I just threw it on the floor and gave up. So I'm going to finish other things and maybe then I'll be able to handle this yarn.

Pretty busy this weekend with social stuff so I don't expect to get much done in the knitting arena.

SRO at Skein on Saturday and Sunday. People I haven't seen in a while and people who haven't seen each other. Lots of "howya beens" and "whatcha workin' ons". Mostly it was just good, clean fun. I love it when it's like this. Everybody entertains each other while I may be busy helping someone.

I knit the front and back of a baby sweater and will do the sleeves today. These are fast and are a good way to show off some of the yarns in the shop, especially if the yarn isn't moving really well. I hope to finish the sweater today so I can take it with me tomorrow when I go in. I'm covering Tuesday afternoon (I'm not usually there on that day) because the instructor for that day is hospitalized for a few days. That also means that I will not have Tuesday Night Knitting. Same person.

Does anyone know when Theresa (Bagatelle) will be back? Bonne Marie is back, so that's a good thing. And Betsee, happy day. Still waiting for a few others and some are just leaving. It's sure hard keeping up.

Hmm. Don't know why this didn't post earlier today. So here it is again.

My current projects seem to be taking forever. Mostly that's because I've been reading Thomas Mann's Joseph and His Brothers. (Can't figure out how to italicize that so it'll just have to be wrong.) When I get on a reading kick everything else sorta stops. I worked on the black lace top at Skein yesterday. I know I did a lot but it still looks the same.

I have to be at Skein at 10 this morning. Before I retired that would have seemed like a luxury. Now it's like really early. On Friday and Sunday I don't start until 1. That's much more civilized.

The date for the Santa Monica Knit Out is September 29. I typed it wrong the last time. Anyway, we're going to have a booth there. Should be a lot of fun if it isn't too hot.

Yesterday I went to Skein just to escape the heat. It was ultra dead. Ann Mary and I had plenty of time to just catch up on all that is going on at the shop, with the stock market and the Knit Out that's taking place in Santa Monica on September 2.

She asked me what I had learned at all the other shops I've been visiting that might be useful to Skein. Actually, there isn't much that can be directly applied. The biggest difference is in how yarns are displayed. Some of the shops are very cozy and country cottage looking; some are just perfunctory. Skein is pretty disciplined but it is nice. It really reflects Ann Mary's personality. We need more shelving for the growing inventory. That's going to be a problem in that small space. I'm concerned that it might begin to look like a warehouse.

No new projects to report on. Just about done with the orange Rebecca top.

So, I'm off to bowling.

Serendipity! Yesterday I bought some discontinued yarn at Temple City Knit Shop. I think the company has also been discontinued. Anyway, it's Andorra from Wm Unger. Nothing on the label about yardage or gauge. I was trying to figure out how much I had. Meanwhile, I was having an email discussion about an old sweater pattern in Vogue Fall 1984 called Condo knitting. I went to check the original pattern (that is my oldest Vogue Knitting magazine). The pattern used the very yarn I purchased. I am so pleased. Now I just have to figure out what to do with only 395 yards.

Temple City Knit Shop is a very old place. Been there for decades, literally. Some of the yarns are really old but are still in their original plastic bags, in most cases. The store is not very well lit and the yarns seem to be just sorta put on the shelves without any thought to how they relate. Lots of people I know have complained about the shop and its owner. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Next time I go I plan to spend a lot more time there, scrounging through the dust.

It's too hot here to do anything strenuous so I'm just idly working on some cotton yarn. And sitting directly in front of the fan.

The East Coast heatwave has moved to Pasadena. After several days, even weeks, of temperatures in the low to mid 80s it is now in the 90s and projected to move close to 100 in the next day or so. I do hope they're wrong.

So I'm off to Temple City Knit Shop where it is air conditioned and they're having a sale.

Skein reopened yesterday after a short vacation for Ann Mary. She was afraid no one would come back. She said there was no one in the shop for the first hour and she was feeling worried. But it got busier after that and stayed busy the rest of the day. I spent most of the time with people who just had a question or needed a little reassurance. It's always nice when I can help someone out and a relief when I know the answer.

It's funny how we will see someone for several weeks running and then all of sudden they disappear. Then they show up again, which is fun. Kinda like a family reunion. I have hopes that several people I've met via email and blog will come in this weekend. Will just have to wait and see it their plans materialize.

I worked on the new shop sample most of last week and finished the back. Then yesterday I discovered that I had two different yarns. Some of the skeins were Bouton d'Or and some were Anny Blatt. The two yarns are very similar. I guess when we pulled the yarn from the shelf we didn't notice they had gotten mixed together. At home they look the same but in the better light of the store it's easy to see that one is a little less black than the other. So when I have time I will be ripping out a little more than half of the lacy back and trying to keep from losing stitches. I dread this. My students will do almost anything to avoid having to rip out even a few rows so they take great delight in my having to do this. I, of course, take the higher moral ground that if you knit you will rip. And it's a good antidote to hubris.

Not much getting done around here, at least on my knitting. I've spent the morning cooking. It was so cool and pleasant that I just wanted to spend some time in the kitchen. Made a cake and a couple of kinds of soup.

I have about an hour and a half to knit before I go to a friend's house for 4th of July celebration. I could knit there but the dogs and the wine would get in the way.

Still working on the Skein sample. I'm not sure this yarn was a good choice for a top. The pattern calls for Sprite, a Berroco yarn, in DK weight and is worked on size 10 needles. So it's supposed to be loose and lacy. I'm using a yarn that's a little heavier than the Sprite and working on size 9 needles. It looks really flimsy to me. I hope when it's blocked and finished it will look a little more substantial. It's gonna be very sexy.

I started the front of the orange Sugar'n Cream top I'm making for Lisa. This is almost mindless compared to the black sweater, even though it's a lace pattern. The yarn is more substantial so the pattern shows up really well. I'll work some more on this tonight. I'm really trying not to start something else until I get these two projects done. I have some Rowan Summer Tweed that I got from Ivete that is really calling me. I think I'm going to make the Georgia pattern from the Rowan book.

It looks like it's going to be a beautiful holiday weekend here. The temperatures should be in the mid to high 80s. Seems like it's less humid today. I really feel bad for the people in Texas with all the flooding and those on the East Coast in the terrible heat. And all the fires in the West. What is going on?

It's hot and muggy here in Pasadena. A very quiet day after a busy weekend. I spent several hours on the new black sweater for Skein. It's a lace pattern so I have to really pay attention to keep track of where I am. I've memorized the pattern so that's a good thing. I'm almost up to the armhole bind off on the back. Hope to finish the back tomorrow and cast on for the front. I'm going to Joanne's for my regular Tuesday night get together. I don't think I'll take this project, too tricky. Time to start a hat.

Lisa sent me a list of sites that show yarn shops around the country. A good google search will get you much the same thing but if you want the list just send me an email or something in comments. I see there are still quite a few that I haven't been to. I've made contact with a couple of knitters via this blog. We're trying to get together some time soon for shopping and all that. I also had an email from a knitter in Sedona AZ that I've been exchanging notes with for the last six or eight months. She's going to be in the Pasadena area later this week so we're going to try to meet at Skein.

A couple more knit shops that I checked out today. The first one I went to was Stitches in Time (thanks, Debby). A nice store with lots of different stuff. A lot of crochet going on here as well as knitting. I got a few skeins of different novelty yarns just to play with, but enough for a couple of scarves. They have lots of samples on display which I think is a big help for people. A good store to browse in because the yarn is just kinda all over the place so you need some time to see all there is.

I finally went to Temple City Knit Shop. This shop has been there for a couple of decades I guess. I didn't have much time as they were closing just as we arrived but I did get a quick look around, just enough to find 10 skeins of Cotton Classic in a melon/tangerine color. So I have to get back there, maybe in a week or so. I had met the owner once before when she came to check out Skein.

I hear a lot of comments that there just aren't any knit shops anymore. I've been to five different ones this week, plus Skein. Granted some of these shops are not right next door but they're all pretty easy to get to. It's about a 45 minute drive from my house to Long Beach. I know people who drive longer than that to get to work. So they're out there. Go buy something!

On Tuesday we went to Knitroplis, a small shop in Long Beach. It's in an old bungalow duplex that has been converted to shops. This place is really cute. I'd like to spend some more time there. It's a little hard to see everything at first but the more you look the more you find. Really nice stuff. However, I only bought a couple of skeins of Cotton Classic.

We also went back to Forget Me Knot. This was my third time there. I was able to get the additional skein of Cotton Fleece handpaint. The shelves didn't have it so they thought they were out. I found one as I was checking out, mixed in a display near the register. I also got some more Cotton Classic here. I'm building a collection so I can make some of the Ann Norling fruit caps. And I love this yarn to work with. They also had a sale on Gedifra Wellness. So I got six skeins of that in a very nice buttery yellow. And a size 9, 32" Addi Turbo for my new project for Skein.

Our final stop was back to Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. This was also my third time there. Didn't buy anything but really enjoyed seeing Ginger, one of the owners, and finally meeting Cindy, the other owner. The shop was very busy. They have a knitting cruise every Tuesday and all the knitters had just returned from a morning on the water.

Almost done with the back of the Rebecca top. I'm having to take it a little slow because I've started to have some wrist pain. Took yesterday off and it seems to have helped.

You know you've been reading too many blogs when people you don't even know start showing up in your dreams. I don't remember the dream just that there was someone from my list. I don't know her except from her blog. I can't remember what she looked like in the dream, just that she was there.

After much debate it has been decided that I will make the top from the wedding ensemble in last summer's Interweave Knits. Very lacy. I've been wanting to make something a little more intricate than usual and I think this will do it. Have to cast on yet, but I'm too busy with other stuff right now. Maybe tomorrow.

A couple of 'Net related things. I got an email asking me to sign up for a service that would increase the number of hits I get every day. Why would I want that? Secondly, an email inviting me to the SnB in Santa Monica. I have a scheduling conflict with Tuesday so I can't make it.

I'm off today to go yarn shop hopping with my friend Carole. Hmm. Why am I doing this since I'm already oversupplied with yarn and way behind on projects? I think we'll have a good time anyway and I'll get to have lunch somewhere new. We're going to stop at Forget Me Knot again. I need one more skein of the Brown Sheep handpaint fleece. Hope they still have some.

Summer is officially here. It started with rain! How bizarre. But it's certainly preferable to the hot days we had last week. It's still gloomy today. Maybe some people will think of knitting.

I took the Sage sweater to Skein yesterday. Ann Mary seemed really pleased with it. I think she's planning to wear it herself. And now I have another project. We have new yarn called Organdi, from Bouton d'Or. I'm trying to decide which pattern from their book to use. Ann Mary wants something with lace. I don't actually like any of the patterns. I think I'm going for something very simple with just some openwork around the bottom and on the sleeves. There's one dress that looks challenging but Ann Mary wants it as a top. So I have to figure out how many stitches to cast on after all the skirt decreases have been made so I'll know where to begin. Does that make sense?

Skein will be closed for a couple of weeks after this weekend. Annual vacation. So I have next weekend free. I'm sorta planning to go to the Pacific Asia Museum to see the textile show.

Don't know what happened to this morning's post. But it's sure not here now. I tried to put up a photo just as a test. It didn't work for whatever reason. So I'm back to the book again. I just wish I could wake up knowing all I need to know about this stuff but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

The Sage sweater is done and I've started a new sweater using some orange Sugar'n Cream. Actually it's the one Bonne Marie made from Rebecca. Since my yarn is sort of a light cotton worsted I had to refigure the whole pattern. But that's okay, thanks to Sweater Wizard. I'm also making it in two pieces rather than in the round. I've only done one repeat of the pattern, but I did make a large swatch and I think the yarn looks pretty good if a little clunky. Clunky can be nice.

Tonight was bowling night. We started our summer league three weeks ago and I have be doing pretty bad. Tonight, however, I had my best game ever in this league. I'm feeling pretty good right now. I even won some money!

Lisa is out of town this week and I haven't had any email from her. That kid better straighten up.

What to post about? It seems like nothing has changed in the past couple of days. But there are a few things.

Yesterday I finished about half of the front on the Sage sweater. I should finish today and maybe get it put together tomorrow. This is a cute little shell but kinda boring to knit after the first couple of repeats. I want to do a three needle bind off but I'm not sure if this will work for this sweater. There's no finishing on the neck, just the bind off. I'm not sure if I can make this look neat. Guess I can always rip it out if I don't like it.

About twice a year I go to a weaving show and sale with my friend Joanne. This is a good place to pick up yarns not usually available in the yarn shops. Some of the vendors have web sites but there's nothing like seeing the yarn live. Anyway, I bought some merino/angora blend a couple of times back. I made a shawl for Lisa with part of it. Now I have a lot left over so I'm trying to find a way to use it that would show off the variegation well but would be interesting to knit at the same time. So last night, while watching PBS, I tried out several different options. I still want to do some more but I think I will definitely use some cables. Maybe some double moss stitch. I'm probably going to start with a long vest. I'm not sure how much yarn I have left so I'll try to create something that will allow me to add sleeves if it looks like I have enough when I get to that point. I've been knitting a lot of simple things lately. Now I want to do something a little more challenging. Plain knitting puts me to sleep. The issue though is that I like the look of simple sweaters, especially the Berroco designs. What to do, what to do?

I was watching Masterpiece Theatre while I played with the stitches. I think this must have been a rerun but I had never seen it. Oliver Twist. I don't know how I escaped it. I've never read any Dickens, even though my BA is in English. So I guess I'll have to visit my local library and see what I've missed. I couldn't always understand the dialogue because of the mumbling and the various accents. I didn't see the first episode so I want to get all the background.

Went to the market yesterday. Bought a huge bag of Roma tomatoes that were on sale. Since these tomatoes were already on the way out I thought I'd better do something with them right away. So I peeled and seeded them and made a chunky pasta sauce. I was very pleased with how it came out as I just improvised. Not something I do very often. I'm a slavish recipe follower. Someone told me to put a pinch of cinnamon in fresh tomato sauce. I got a little too much I think, but it does add a mysterious trace that isn't easy to figure out. Anyway, I have lots of sauce in the freezer. Do you have any idea how long it takes to scald, peel and chop 51 tomatoes?

It's really great to be a dad! I had a wonderful evening with my daughter, although she made me drink way too much wine and a marguerita on top of it all. She got me started on my web page and we played around with all the things you can do with your page. I'm very excited to get started on this. I've been reading Learning Web Design. Now I can begin to apply some of the stuff I've been reading. Coming soon to this theater etc.

I've been wanting a user friendly chair for use with my computer for a very long time. That was my Father's Day gift. Thanks, Lisa. I put it together tonight. Being slightly tipsy made it a lot easier! So now I'm really set. It's so terrific when someone pays attention and surprises you with the very thing you've been wanting.

Today at Skein... absolutely no paying customers! Very depressing. I did have two ladies who needed help. One I had made a pattern for (using Sweater Wizard) and another whom I taught to use her gauge to figure out how to adapt a pre-existing pattern. So while sitting waiting I finished the bottom rib of the Sage pattern. Way too much excitement for a hot Sunday afternoon.

Where have all the knitters gone? I guess I expect all people who knit to have the same degree of committment and obsession that I have. Must not be true because they sure stayed away in droves today.

I finished the back of the Sage sweater from Rowan's Summer Tweed. Guess I'll start the front tonight and see if there's anything interesting on PBS.

I finally got around to trying the new Cotton Ease from Lion Brand. I think it's gonna be okay. It's a fairly simple yarn but works up nicely with good stitch definition. I tried it first on some Clover bamboo needles and couldn't quite get the gauge. I switch to Addi Turbo and my gauge was right on. I like the way the swatch feels. The yarn looks a little loosely plied so I thought it might split or snag but I didn't have any problem. And the price is good, $4.29 per skein, 207 yards. It's machine washable and dryable being 50% cotton and 50% acrylic. I think the acrylic in the yarn causes a little bit of drag when it's knitted. The Addi Turbos took care of this.

I never used to pay any attention to the kind of needles I was using, just assumed a needle was a needle. Now I try different needles specifically to see which ones work best for a particular yarn. I really prefer bamboo or wooden needles but sometimes metal is better. The Addis are really very nice but sometimes the points are a little too blunt for the yarn or stitch pattern. I tried them on a lace patterned shawl and they were really a pain. I switched to some old Susan Bates needles and things went much better, except I didn't like the sound those needles made, kinda raspy. I could go on for a long time about this but I won't.

Lisa, my daughter, got rid of the ad at the top of my blog. What a sweet kid! I need to have her show me how to link again. I just can't seem to get it. She even left me written instructions. Still don't seem to get the links to work.

Lakers win three-peat! Very exciting final game, too. I finished the Noro scarf, except for the fringe. Only had to re-do one row.

So what's up next? I'm starting another shop sample. This time it's really simple, Sage from Rowan's Summer Tweed. The color is called Ghost. I've only done the swatch so far and my gauge is right on. So I think I'll start the band for the back tonight. We still have a lot of customers who get rattled when they have to work in metrics so I'm making notes of the inches so I'll have the answers if I'm asked. This yarn feels a little sluggish to work with. I'm using bamboo needles. Maybe I should switch to Addi Turbos.

Well, Carolyn is back! I'm so happy.

Haven't had much time for knitting the past couple of days. Working, partying and cleaning house. But today is all mine. I'm just about to finish the Noro scarf. I'll also spend a couple of hours on the Shapely Tank Top.

I got some of the new Cotton-Ease from Lion Brand yesterday at the local Michael's. I bought three colors, turquoise, magenta and yellow. Not sure what it's going to be yet. I only got one skein of the magenta and three skeins of the turquoise and yellow. I'm thinking of stripes in the turquoise and yellow with magenta around the neck and armholes. Seems a little obvious. Maybe I'll just insert some random squares of magenta into larger blocks of the other two colors. Have to work a gauge first. Maybe I'll be doing some intarsia afterall.

Still no Carolyn. I'm getting worried.

Very slow day at Skein. As in one customer. I sat with her most of the afternoon and got her started on her argyle sweater. I haven't done intarsia for a long time. But it comes back quickly. Glad I'm not making that sweater though, 15 bobbins all in a row. No thanks.

It's raining in sunny Southern California. But then it is June so you can expect just about anything. My stupid MSN web page says it's sunny, but they've never been real accurate anyway. But trust me. The sound of cars on wet streets is unmistakable and is a sweet sound to wake up to. Especially if you don't like bright light.

So I'm really having a good time with the new project, the Shapely Tank Top. I'm using the Dale Kolibri called for in the specs and it's very cool. It does want to split a little when you're busy talking to someone or just thinking about what you're going to have for lunch. So if you try it, keep an eye on it. Short rows are a very good way to add shaping to you garment but a little tricky to keep track of and they don't always hide real well, but they do make the shaping nice. Just don't look too close at the details and you'll be okay.

Going to a surprise birthday party tonight. Former co-worker and cohort. Don't know how he got to be 50 and I hate to think what that says about me. Haven't seen him in a long time so this will be good. On the down side, I'm gonna miss game three (already missed game two for the ballet) unless those smart folks have a TV that works.

Tres good day at Skein yesterday. Just enough action to make the day move along. Only one student but she was a good talker so it was like visiting with old friends. Did some good business too so Ann Mary will be pleased when she sees the receipts. Her son, Steven, took care of the register and played games on the computer. He brought a friend with him for part of the day. Ah ha! so that's what it's like to be not quite 20 in the day and age. And we all had pizza for lunch. As I said, a good day.

Today is only for three hours so I should be able to breeze through that. Gotta go vacuum now before the floor turns to mud.

This did not post before so I'm trying it again. So the above may be a duplicate if it's just a delay with Blogger.

Yesterday at Skein! Almost chaos. Ann Mary has taught her son the rudiments of register procedure so he took care of all that stuff while she stayed off the floor trying to finish a sweater that she was making for a relative. I had plenty of people looking for help plus handled the people who were shopping for yarn. Taught one brand new knitter.

I left Skein an hour earlier than usual because I had tickets to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood to see the Moscow Ballet's production of Swan Lake. Fabulous seats! Center front orchestra about four rows back. The tickets were a gift from my former boss. Thank you, Bill!. Driving into Hollywood at 6PM on a Friday night is not a fun thing to do. But we got to the complex in plenty of time to have dinner at The Grill, a way upscale eatery. Great food and terrific service. The production was nice, very traditional. The dancing was superb. I didn't care much for the orchestra. They seemed a little tired. Getting out of the building and the parking lot was really bad. It took about 30 minutes just to get to the exit gate. I got home at about 12:30. But it was all worth it.

Got some new yarn yesterday. Some Dale Kolibri in a pretty deep blue, almost a navy. 100% Egyptian cotton with a nice sheen. Started a swatch but didn't have time to finish. Then some of the fall yarn I ordered had arrived. I got a bag of Turino Silk from Plymouth in a really dark, murky orange. This is a beautiful raw silk. Good yardage, and reasonably priced. I don't know what I'm going to make with it yet.

I got the specs I need for the argyle sweater I complained about a couple of days ago. So I guess I better go do that.

Worked on my new scarf while watching the Lakers/Nets game last night. Had to rip out everything I did during the second half. Somehow I switched the pattern and had made the right side the wrong side. So that's done and I'm back to where I was at half time. There's no way this scarf is only going to take 3 skeins of Kureyon. I may get about 48" for the scarf with nothing left over for fringe. I have to see if I can find one more skein somewhere.

I went to Skein yesterday to meet with a new customer to help her with finishing her current project and starting a new one. I was not supposed to be there on Tuesday but she really wanted to come in so I agreed. You got it, she didn't show. She finally called late in the afternoon to say she wasn't going to be in. Irritating at best. But while I was there I finished the lavender top that I've been working on for about three weeks. It's really cute and I like the color but I still think it's going to be too small for my daughter. It's cotton so it will probably stretch. I hope so.

I'm trying to create a pattern and graph for another customer. She wants to make an argyle pattern for her grandson. Is argyle coming back? I've seen several scarves and sweaters recently so maybe it is. I haven't worked with bobbins for a long time but I guess I'd better track mine down and get ready. Anyway, when Ann Mary took the specs for this lady she didn't include the row gauge or the needle size. Sweater Wizard won't work without those. Plus the lady has already knit half of the back. She told Ann Mary that her grandson wore a large. What size is that? It turns out that he's really a medium, based on his chest measurement and has pretty short arms. When I get the rest of the information I'll do the schematic and then chart out the arglye pattern but now I'm running out of time. It's just knitting. Why does it get so complicated?

I have three skeins of Noro Kureyon in a turquoise, brown, lavender and lime green color way. It's just the right amount to make one of the scarves in the latest Vogue Knitting, the men's issue, #34. Pretty mindless but not totally. Easy enough for relaxing or watching tonight's first NBA finals. Go Lakers!

How about those Lakers! I didn't get to see the game but the waiter at the restaurant kept me informed. We left at the end of the third quarter so I didn't see the final score until I got home. So now on to the finals!

I like the way knitting from the top down works on set in sleeves. Sweater Wizard does a good job of telling you exactly where and when to pick up. And no sewing when you're done, except the sleeve seam. So I'm going to pick up the second sleeve tomorrow while I do my laundry. I should be able to finish the sweater tomorrow.

Still busy at the shop today. Some regulars and one new student. Next weekend I'm going to be by myself. Ann Mary is going to TNNA in Columbus. She's sending her college age son in to run the register for me but he knows nothing about the yarn business. Going to be interesting/frantic.

Very busy day at Skein! All the chairs were full and people were milling about. Mostly people who just needed a little shove to get on with it. Several new knitters who were buying yarn for their first project. That's so exciting. I think working in a yarn shop must be a lot like being a hairdresser. People tell you the most amazing things.

The Blossom sweater is hanging in the shop and is really helping this yarn to move. People love the feel of it. I don't usually tell them how tedious it is to work with. Maybe they'll have a different experience.

I'm trying my first top down set in sleeve. You have to pick up all the stitches around the armhole and then work in short rows gradually adding stitches as the work progresses. I have to figure out how to center the rib pattern but that should be simple once I know how many stitches I have all together. Tonight's a quiet one for me so this should be a perfect time to get this started.

That was exciting! Just watched the Lakers pull off a win. Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch the final game. Going to dinner at the Old Ship, an English pub, but maybe they'll have American TV.

One of my customers at Skein brought me a bottle of wine today. Merlot. One of my favorites. It's nice when people do things like this. A thank you for all the help.

I really like this lady. She's 89 years old and is such a hoot to be around. She's the only one who has my home phone number. Right now I'm helping her with a vest for one of her grand daughters. I usually make patterns for her using my Sweater Wizard program. They're actually pretty easy and could probably be done on scratch paper. But she likes the idea that they're done on the computer. And since she frequently changes the finished size she wants to make, it's a lot faster to just change the specs and print out a new version.

Another customer, Carole, came in for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. She just comes to visit and let us all know what's going on at the school where she works. I'm finally beginning to remember who all the characters are in her drama. We've done a couple of yarn shop hopping trips together. And one night we went to a street fair. She's almost perfected the "tough old broad" delivery.

And then there's the lady from Whittier. I don't think I ever knew her name. She comes to see me every Friday or Saturday so I can count her stitches and make sure she's still working the pattern correctly. After three weeks she's just completed the 7th row of a baby afghan. She's made the same pattern 4 or 5 times before, she says, and never had so many problems. But she's a good sport and we have a lot of fun joking about her confusion.

Saturday's crowd is on average much younger that the Friday people. We'll just have to wait and see. The shop is pretty busy right now, compared to our expectations. We got a few of the new fall yarns this week plus some new pattern books. I'm thinking of buying the Rowan Junior book, even though I have no one in this age group to knit for.

During the game tonight I worked on a garter stitch scarf that I started several months ago. I got quite a lot done but had to stop to untangle the yarn. It's made out of scraps from an old sweater. When I raveled the sweater I had no intention of reusing the yarn so it was just loose in a box. Now it's become a roiling mass of green, blue, purple and some other stuff that I don't know how it got into the box.

Crying over spilt milk. Yesterday the gardeners who maintain our so-called landscape came and trimmed the shrubs around the building. Actually they brutalized them. My favorite shrub grew tall enough to block my view of the unsightly neighboring house and provided me some protection from the morning sun, as well as giving me some privacy. Gone. They chain-sawed it and left it bereft of any redeeming aesthetic value. I hate it when this happens. My living room looks like a piece of furniture is missing.

Not much news on the knitting front. Since I usually work on several projects at once my progress is more gradual. Just have the sleeves to go on the lavender top. Need to sew in the sleeves on the Blossom jacket. And I'm looking around for a new project. I've been looking at all my Berroco pattern books as well as their free pattern site.

Time for some more leftover chocolate cake.

Well, I'm up to date on all the knit blogs. Lots of folks were very busy. I spent my holiday cooking and drinking wine. Lots of fun but lots of work. I could use a sous chef to help with the clean up. I made the chocolate cake from the recipe at Not Martha. Anyway it was delicious. I added a powdered sugar glaze to make it pretty. And some vanilla ice cream to make it sinful. I have lots left over so this will be a good week.

Today I'm working on the lavender top for Lisa. I'm thinking it might be a little small. The upper half is worked in a K2P2 rib so it pulls in a lot. I'm hoping it will flatten out when I wash and block it. It's pretty mindless knitting so it's perfect for recovering from too much wine.

I'm going to walk over to Michael's and get a skein of Wool Ease Chunky to make a hat. (See Compulsively Crafty.) I imagine I have something in my stash that would work, but this is faster than finding it.

This is not turning out to be a knitting weekend. I did work Saturday and Sunday at Skein and helped a lot of people with their knitting problems. Didn't have much time to work on my own stuff. The rest of the weekend seems to be about eating and drinking. Not that I have a problem with that. But partying doesn't leave much time for knitting.

Lisa is coming over today and we're going to play with the new camera. She also has some alterations stuff she wants to do on my sewing machine. I haven't used the machine in years. I hope it works okay. I did have it serviced a couple of years ago after my friend Sherry tried using it and found that the bobbin wouldn't feed properly. So anyway, I'm going to make dinner for us here.

It's very gloomy here this morning. It will probably get sunny around 11. But maybe not. Time to start getting ready for the midday bbq. All the knitbloggers are having a good time it looks like. I still have several blogs to check for updates, but I'm gonna have to do that later.

What a slow day at Skein. Just a couple of people came in for help and another one or two to make a purchase. The first holiday weekend of the summer I guess. And the weather is very nice. So I'm not expecting much activity tomorrow or Sunday.

I will finish the sleeves of the Blossom sweater tonight and sew them in tomorrow. Then I'm done. We've already had a few people looking at the yarn after seeing the part of the sweater that I have done. So maybe it will have been worth the effort.

Yesterday I went to Fry's Electronics and bought a digital camera. I opened the box last night and started reading the instructions. It looks so complicated. So I'm going to talk to Lisa and get her to help me. Anyway, it shouldn't be too long before I can post some pictures.

I finished the left front of the Blossom sweater last night. I'll try to do the other front today and the back above the armholes. Then I will use the 3 needle bind-off to put the shoulders together. I think I'm going to need more yarn. So I'll get that tomorrow when I go to Skein.

Looks like I wasn't the only one whose blog was missing. As soon as I wrote my last entry I went and tried my blog and it worked. So I tried some others and most of them worked. It seems that an entry was required to get them started again. Happy it wasn't something I did.

Time to get ready to go to my Tuesday night knitting at my friend Joanne's. I don't think I'll take that stupid Blossom project with me. It makes me too cross to be pleasant. I need to work on something friendly, like the lavender shell that I ripped out and restarted a couple of weeks ago.

Strange! I haven't been able to open anyone's blog today that uses blogspot. Including my own. I keep getting the message: Page not found. So I'm writing in my blog to see what happens.

I'm going to be so glad when this Blossom sweater is done! I worked on it for about 5 hours today and it's still only about half way there. And this is a child's size 2 or 3. I think knitting with wire has got to be easier.

What's with this weather? We had rain this morning, a lot of it. This is sunny Southern California in the middle of May. This is not supposed to happen. And it's cold too.

New and improved, i.e. comments has been added. So just do it.

Another new student today at Skein. This one is having a rough time. We could only work on the knit stitch today. For two hours. I hope when she gets home and is relaxed she'll get better.

And the flan came out just fine. It was delicious.

I have a few open days this week so I hope to finish some projects. Still working on the orange top and the shop sample.

I don't know if I should take the credit/blame for Ann Mary (Skein owner) buying the Trendsetter Blossom yarn. I think this stuff is miserable to work with. I'm now on my fourth attempt to knit a shop sample and am really getting to hate this yarn. I sure hope the sample sells the yarn. I finally modified the pattern so it will have minimal finishing but the process of getting to that point is gruelling.

I was so busy today at Skein that I didn't even notice that we were having a good day. Brand new student, new knitter, waiting for me at the door when I got there. She's gonna be fine. We had a lot of time together so we had a good time chatting about her interests etc. The rest of the day was spent with regular customers who came in for some help and hand holding. Another customer from the past came in and told me about a knitting group that meets in the local library on Thursday afternoons. And has been for years. I've never heard about them. So maybe this week I'll drop in and see if there's anyone there that I know.

Just heard that the restaurant at the bowling alley where I bowl every Thursday night had a serious fire this morning. (Don't know why I think this is interesting.) Anyway, we have a couple of weeks off before the start of the new league. I hope they get it cleaned up before then.

I want my Rowan Summer Tweed but it's not available until August. I might just have to buy another color so I can work with it.

I made flan tonight. First time ever. I think it's going to be a disaster. I think I overcooked the caramel and it turned into a Big Daddy sucker. Hope it comes out of the cups.

Yesterday was mostly a non-knitting day. I did a little cooking and stuff like that. Went to the last night of my bowling league. And spent hours surfing.

Today I worked at Skein. Not much happening there. One student returned from last week for a final session before moving to Texas. I also went to Best Buy in the morning to look at digital cameras. No one there who really knew anything about them so I'll just keep looking. Maybe I should go to a regular camera store.

Tonight is knitting and TV. Still working on the same old projects. I really want to start something new, but I've got to finish some of this old stuff.

Looking forward to the weekend. My daughter is coming for dinner on Sunday night and she's going to try to get a comments section for me. Very excited about both of these things.

I went to Skein today just for something to do and ran into an old friend that I used to knit one of a kind sweaters for. We had a really nice time catching up. And then, as she was leaving, the yarn rep for Rowan came in. This is another lady I knew in the past. The last time I saw her was when she brought Kaffe Fassett for a book signing probably seven years ago. So another good time catching up.

Then, she showed us all the new yarns for fall 2002 from Rowan, Jaeger, Tahki, Filatura di Crosi and Stacy Charles. Wow! And I thought it couldn't get any better than it already is. I ordered 20 skeins of the Rowan Summer Tweed in one of the new colors, a very dark green, almost black. This won't be available until the fall but I already have plenty to do so I can wait. The colors and textures are so terrific. Some of the yarns are too heavy for Southern California but most of what we saw was wonderful. Too bad we couldn't buy everything. Lots of new patterns that will knock your handknit socks right off, too.

There's a pattern in the new Knitter's Magazine that uses Colinette's Wigwam. It's a top and cardigan set. I've had 18 skeins of this yarn for at least 10 years that I've never seen a pattern for, that I liked anyway. And I think this one is it. So that's my justification for having such a huge stash. When you see something you like, and it's also on sale, go ahead a buy it if you can. You'll find a match eventually.

Spent the evening with friends, Leah and Joanne. I worked on the Trendsetter shop sample while they tried to figure out how to shape the neckband on a cape. They were both so busy trying to have their own opinion win that they never figured out what to do. But we had a good time. The shop sample is not going well. I think there's a serious mistake in the dimensions and/or the gauge given in the pattern. The back of the sweater is as wide as the finished piece is supposed to be around. I didn't work a swatch this time. I'm usually right on gauge. So now I get to start over.

We decided to cancel the Wednesday night needlework group. Just not enough interest. So tomorrow night will be the last night for that. We're talking about just meeting at Joanne's home on Tuesday night and will probably invite a few people to join us.

I'm not sure how I feel about Pimpernel Loamsdown.

Summer has arrived, at least temporarily, in Pasadena. I'm not ready.

So now I'm making a new sweater (shop sample) from Trendsetter's Blossom. The yarn's a little tricky to work with. It's very fuzzy with a thin core that you have to be sure to catch everytime. You don't want to even think about dropping a stitch. The pattern I'm using is a Trendsetter pattern for a young child. The stitch pattern is called Ruffle. Four rows of garter stitch, increase in every stitch on the fourth row. Ten rows stockinette, decrease across last row by working two stitches together. It's an easy pattern but I think it will be a little difficult to put together since you really can't see the individual stitches very well.

Still working on the orange Cotton Classic. Getting close. Hope to take some pictures of this one.

I really enjoyed all the Mother's Day posts. Sounds like everyone had a good day.

Yesterday I went back to Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. I took a friend of mine, Carole, to see the sights. She was very impressed. I met Ginger Smith, one of the owners, a fabulous knitter and instructor. I didn't buy anything this time.

I worked at Skein in the afternoon. Two new students plus one returning for more. They were all there at about the same time so it was a little crazy. One of the ladies tried to learn about ten years ago at Mariposa, a shop in Pasadena where I was working part time. I didn't know her then. She was working with Sandra, a very dear friend. Sandra has since passed away. There was this strange connection to her through this new student. Lots of happy memories as well as the sadness.

Another of the students had been taught by her sister who had only managed to get her started. So I taught her how to decrease and how to do ribbing. She's only staying here for about a month while her husband is in training for a new position in Texas. They're moving from Colorado. She's a little concerned about the change of locale.

Barbara, the returning student, is now working on a second project. This is pretty brave of her but she's determined that she can do this. I felt really sad for her. She had a heart attack about a year ago and has now been told that her latest mammogram has produced some suspicious results. I hope the knitting works for her. She says it helps her to stay calm.

I'm still plugging away on the orange top. I think I'm about half way done with the front. I decided to rip out the lavender top I was working on. Something happened to my row gauge when I started the front. There was no way I was going to get the two pieces to line up when I put them together.

Oops! time to go to work. Now I'm going to be late.

I finally finished the back of the orange Cotton Classic top. I kept making mistakes in the shaping of the lace pattern so I had to rip out several rows, several times. I've started on the front. I still enjoy the stitch pattern. It's such fun to watch the design develop.

I spent a couple of hours working on the lavender top last night. That one's simple enough to work on while watching TV. So I'll probably get some more done on that tonight.

I got my copy of Vogue Knitting today. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a special issue featuring men's patterns. I saw it yesterday at my LYS. I plan to read it cover to cover later today. Looks like there are several patterns in there that I could make for myself. I seldom make anything for me but I think this issue is pretty tempting.

Strange day. Being retired isn't as easy as I thought. Felt sorta restless and couldn't really focus on anything. So I made another hat from some leftover Encore. Rose and burgundy. I finished it tonight while I watched Masterpiece Theatre. I just didn't want to work on the orange lace. Or the lavender one either. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not on someone's schedule, and if I want to make a hat instead of working on a project that I've already started, it's okay.

I have no idea how much time I spend reading all the knitting blogs. But it's several hours a day. I love doing this. I have definite ideas about who everyone is (not necessarily accurate but it works for me). I sit here drinking my coffee and feel like I'm actually visiting with friends. Man! do I have a lot of friends or what?

Really busy days at Skein. A new student on Friday. We had a great time together and she's going to be a terrific knitter in a very short time. On Saturday some friends from the past came in and stayed about four hours. Fun catching up on everyone's news. I have a couple of knitters lined up for this afternoon. Coming in for a little help on picking up stitches and finishing.

I made another roll brimmed hat while I visited with my friends. Noro Kureyon in an orange and magenta color way. One skein is just enough for a medium sized hat, approx. 21" circumference. Simple project but it was nice to have finished something. I'm still working on the orange Cotton Classic sweater. The lace pattern is okay now. So I'm going to work on that this morning before I go to Skein.

I spent some time on the orange Cotton Classic top. This requires serious attention. I can't remember ever having done any shaping in a lace pattern. This is a challenge for me. I've charted the pattern stitch by stitch so I can tell where to go next. I've finished the armhole shaping and am working my way to the shoulders and neck back. This sweater is not going to get done this week.

I am going to buy a digital camera. Does anyone have any suggestions? I mostly want to be able to put photos in my blog. Please send me an email. Comments not available at this time.

Why I don't get much done. I just spent almost two hours reading all the knitter blogs that I currently have in my list of favorites. Meanwhile, about 25 messages arrived in my email, mostly from KnitU, so there goes another half hour or so. I did manage to try out the new oatmeal from Trader Joe's. So I'm going to get a mindless project to work on while I read. I'll just leave it by the computer on top of all the filing that needs to be done.

Art imitates life or is that life imitates art? The final episode was pretty emotional but felt genuine. All the families remained true to themselves. But I did think some of the scenes were a little melodramatic. But what the heck. I found the whole thing very enjoyable. Too bad about Mark and Karen. Nate and Kristen are so happy. They're both terrific. I wonder if Gordon will continue to mow his own lawn. Adrienne was very impressive in her summation. Lots of strong character there. But you gotta love the kids. All of them. So that's it for Frontier House.

I reknit the armhole decreases on the lavender sweater. I like them much better. I decided to decrease one stitch at each end of every row instead of two stitches at each end of every right side row. I think the slant of the decreases should follow the direction of the decrease and this does. So I'm back on track and have started the front.