Thursday's confusion gave way to a very pleasant day at Skein on Friday. The shop was quite busy, even though it was 105 outside. I worked most of the afternoon with one of my continuing students. Got her started on her second sweater. I think she now understands why a gauge swatch is so important. She said "I teach 7th grade math but I totally don't get this whole tension/gauge thing. Don't tell anybody." We ended up having to go down two needle sizes.

Mendy, whom I haven't seen in a couple of weeks, came by for a quick conference. She just got back from Alberqueque. I forgot to ask her if she went to see the folks at Mystical Creations. She's coming back this morning, bringing her aunt and cousin, so maybe I'll remember then. Plus we need to start planning another yarn shop crawl.

I'm still trying to finish the current shop sample. Didn't get much done on it yesterday. Just too busy. I worked some more on the multidirectional scarf. I'm just finishing the second skein so I should be done in a few days. Ann Mary wants me to knit a Christmas stocking next. We have some kits from Babajoes. Not looking forward to that.

The new Rowan magazine is selling out quickly. I hope we can get some more. I still haven't done more than flip through it. And the newest Bouton d'Or magazine has some interesting things in it. The translations are a little awkward though.

Blackout

No, no. Not that blackout. I'm talking about the one where black is out. I spent most of yesterday afternoon working with a new knitter whose first project is a pullover from one of the Rowan Biggy Yarn mags. It's black and worked on size 17 needles. I've shown her a couple of times how to mattress stitch the side seams. Well that just didn't work out. She had some problems figuring out where the bar between the stitches was. And so I took it out a couple of times and helped her get one seam done. Between the black yarn and the loose, irregular stitches it was a major hassle. We both agreed that she would never make anything else in black.

Sometimes I could just shake Ann Mary. I realize that she's trying to run a business and that sales are essential. But I do think she should be a little more careful about what she sells to first time knitters. And hardly anyone wants to make a plain old Encore scarf when there are all those fantastic scarves on display. But if you can't tell a stitch from a sideboard it's just asking for trouble, and frustration. But selling $45 worth of glitzy versus $10 of worsted weight is too tempting. I spend hours undoing some of the disasters. And many of those potential knitters will not be back. There are, of course, exceptions.

I am not tyrannical about fixing errors unless they affect the durability of the piece. But just because it's fluffy and shimmery doesn't mean it's okay to ignore a dropped stitch, or an increase for that matter. (Man! I'm cranky today.)

We are still in the clutches of a heatwave although it's supposed to only be 96 today. Surprisingly we've been pretty busy all week at Skein. Yesterday was particularly frantic. Four students all at the same time, each with her own confusion. But everyone was patient and it all worked out. We finally got the newest Rowan magazine so they all had something to distract them while they waited their turn. (I thought one of the slugs on the front cover was amusing. "Over thirty designs" can be read two ways but I don't think they meant age.)

I know. I said I was on a break from sock knitting but I forgot that I do still have this pair in progress. I haven't worked on them for a few days because of the new shop sample and the multidirectional scarf. These are worked on size 1 needles, my first ever, and are taking forvever. I'm just about ready to start the toe shaping of sock number one.

We are getting a lot of new customers. Another yarn shop in our area is referring them to us. I don't know what's going on there but I suspect that that shop is getting ready to close. The owner has been ill for some time now and has already cut back on the shop hours. And I know she has already stopped buying from some of the major suppliers. So we're getting people in Skein who have never been in. The ambience at Skein is so different from the other place that they seem a little intimidated.

Skein is very tidy. Ann Mary can't stand to have anything out of place. It's making her a little nutso right now that we don't have enough shelf space for all the yarns that are coming in. Yesterday she told me that she hates it that she may have to lose some of the tidiness, at least for a while. There's so much stuff in the back room that it's dangerous to walk through there. I don't even know what all there is.

Last night I came home to a parade of ants. How did they manage to find that pizza box in the trash? They have been summarily dealt with.

Scenes

Drumming, drumming, drumming his fingers on one of the pattern books he waits for his wife to finish browsing the yarn shop. His wife has a sort of head bobbing twitch going which is probably a health issue. He's making it very clear to not only his wife but everyone else that he thinks this whole thing is too much for him to have to put up with and she'd damn well better get on with it so he can get back to his stuff that, in case you didn't know, is much more important than anything she could want to do. She, with an apologetic glance, says she'll be back some other time. They leave. Ann Mary says, "No wonder she has a twitch."

A not-so-young-anymore lady comes in. "I need some fuzzy stuff to put on the edge of something I'm making." We look at all the fuzzy stuff and finally select some Trendsetter Vision as being just what she's been looking for. "Oh," she says. "I want to learn how to knit! Do you think I could learn it? I don't think I could but I'll love to know how!" We assure her that she can learn, just come in and take a lesson. She promises she'll be back. And sure enough she came back. And sure enough, she can't learn. I'm thinking maybe I should tell her about all the four year olds that learn but decide that's not going to help. (It also doesn't help that another customer keeps telling her that it took her five years to learn how to cast on.) By this time she's nearly in tears. I think she's too distracted by her surroundings. The shop is very busy and Ann Mary isn't there to help. We finally agree to try again another day.

Of socks and scarves and synchronicity



Here's the last of the socks. I'm definitely on break from socks for the time being.



This is the one pair I haven't already posted a picture of. I managed to get them to match except for the toes. I had to go back to the beginning of the second skein to finish and part of the color sequence was missing.



This is the back of my current shop project. A short sleeved cardigan in Spettacolo from Stahl. The color is actually a little lighter than in the photo but you can see the kind of blue it is. I'm almost done with the back but I've found a new distraction.



I don't remember where I first saw this scarf but when I first saw it I thought, "Hmm, looks interesting." Then I saw it again on Matt's blog. Tried to link to the pattern then but for some reason I couldn't do it. Then, just yesterday, I saw it again on Amy's blog. It was too much to resist.

A few days ago I was reading Fervid Design where she talks about noticing how related events show up and act like a signpost for something new. Not to make too much of a point of it, but this was something like that. After seeing this pattern so many times I felt I really wanted to make it. And I had three skeins of Noro Kureyon that I had purchased a year or so ago (for a project that didn't turn out all that great) so thought now is the time. This is not the most felicitous of color ways but it does show the stripe direction quite well. I made the scarf only six inches wide. If I do it again I'll probably go for about ten. I think this will be about five feet long.

Another Monday

I took a couple of pictures of some of the socks I've been knitting but they're so blurry that I couldn't tell myself what they were supposed to be. And now my batteries are defunct so I have to go get some more and maybe then I'll have enough time to see what I'm doing before the camera shuts itself off.

Lisa came to visit last night. It's been a little over two weeks since I saw her so I was really happy. We had a good catch-up session and then we went to dinner at Fuji's so she could get her sushi fix. I don't eat seafood, cooked or raw, so I had some tonkatsu, beef teriyaki and gyoza.

I finally gave in and turned on the air conditioner. Poor old thing is doing its best to cope. It is helping a lot with the humidity. Should help the yarn flow a little better when I get to my knitting later today.

I didn't get much done on the new cardigan as I thought I would. We weren't very busy but I did spend about an hour helping Carol select the colors for her new crochet project. We didn't have enough Cotton Classic in all the colors (six) that she needs for the coat so we played around with alternate colorways using the yarns that we did have enough of (of which we did have enough).

We also had a lot of fun talking about the recall election coming up here. Such a charade!

So it's Monday again, already. I have no plans. I need to go to the market but I think I can postpone that.

Hot!


As Stasia would say, today I'm grateful that Ann Mary got the air conditioning fixed. Seems that all that was needed was a new filter. It has suddenly turned into Arizona here. For me, anything over 85 degrees is hot. It's been 104 or so for the past few days. And very dry. So sitting in newly restored air conditioning yesterday was superb.

It was an unusually slow day, especially for a Saturday. So I had a chance to start a new store project, a simple, short sleeved jacket. The original pattern is a Jaeger using their Celeste ribbon. I'm using Spettacolo from Stahl. Instead of the size 13's I'm using 10.5 and my swatch was right on. However, I seem to be knitting looser in the actual jacket so I'm ending up at least a size larger than I planned. Oh well, it's a sample and doesn't have to fit anyone. I'm just past the armhole decreases so I hope to finish the back today.

The Spettacolo is a yarn that Ann Mary got last year. I made a top for Lisa using the dark wine color. We also have it in a denim blue and natural. It's a blend of linen, viscose and nylon. I really like the yarn and working with it. But I seem to be the only one. Maybe the $9.50 per ball price is keeping people away. Ann Mary doesn't believe in marking anything down so we're hoping that this simple little jacket will attract some folks.

I traded some of my jalapenos with Mendy's husband Robert. He's apparently inordinately fond of hot peppers of all kinds but especially jalapenos. Judging from his reaction I'd say my jalapenos were impressive. He brought me a couple of serranos as well as two large jalapenos. I ate one of the jalapenos last night. It was very warm but not hot. I have heard that as the peppers get older, larger they loose some of their heat. And this was a large pepper. I finally have peppers on the the purple plant but they're a pale green. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens.

Today my Mom would have been 86. It's been a little over four years since she died. Even though her last five years were clouded with dementia she was still enjoyable to be with, just a little unsure about who I was toward the end. Not all the people I love were born in August but Lisa, my older brother and my Mom were. So August is pretty hot.

Farmisht Friday

So, I just had to do it. If you haven't discovered this blog yet you really should schlepp over there and get a giggle. While I'm not exactly farmisht today I am somewhat bedraggled and tired.

I'm sure I'll get used to the new schedule soon and not notice that I'm now busier than I was before I retired. Some days at the shop are just plain ol' boring and others are too exciting. Yesterday was somewhere in between. Too busy to finish the scarf. Well, I did finish the knitting but still have to cut and attach the fringe. I only managed another eight rows on the Reggio socks.

Rene and my faux grandson came in for a few hours yesterday. What a great kid! He's funny already. He's figured out how to make raspberries and how to put his foot in his mouth. Ah, Nicholas! you make me feel good.

Rene is struggling with the Ole baby sweater from the latest Knitters. As near as I can figure the pattern is totally flawed. Has anyone else tried this pattern? There's got to be something wrong with that collar. The photo just doesn't jive with the instructions. I checked the Knitters website (it's mostly trial and error to find anything there) but there was no correction or clarification that I could find. There were a couple of similar complaints, however, so at least I'm not alone in my confusion.

My list of daily reads just keeps getting longer. For example, Sean's blog. I like his wit and his page is a visual fest. Sometimes I get blog envy. So many talented people. I can't even muster the courage to change the colors in my header. Oh well.

It's Thursday then

Only a couple more days and you'll all have the weekend to go to the yarn store of your choice and spend lots of money. We're still waiting for the Rowan and Jaeger yarns to show up but other than that we're ready. Yesterday was one of the best days we've had so far this month. So I didn't get the scarf finished but Ann Mary liked it. I still have about six inches to go and then the fringe.

I worked up a couple of patterns using Sweater Wizard this morning but ran out of ink so had to go to Best Buy and pick up some more cartridges. I had a $20 gift card there that I'd been saving for a couple of years. I'm glad I had it. Why is ink so expensive? But the patterns are now printed out and I'll go over them this afternoon with the customer. Sometimes I really wish they'd just use the specified yarn so we don't have all this tweeking to do.

Went to dinner last night with the Plymouth Yarn rep for our area. Lots of fun catching up on what's been going on in the knitting yarns world. Got to see a couple of yarns that Skein does not carry or that have not come in yet. They seem to be getting more fashion conscious in their colorways and types of yarn they carry. Even their Encore is getting some better colors.

I know it's still hot in much of the country but I'm seeing hints of fall approaching. Can't believe it's only a couple of months away. It's my favorite time of year. So I'm really excited by all the new yarns and patterns. I must resist. Too many things still in process for the summer.

Well, it's Wednesday!

For most of the world Wednesday is hump day. Almost the weekend. For me, it's just the beginning. Actually the second day of my week. I've had enough trouble keeping track of what day it is without moving the start of my work week up a day.

It wasn't all that busy yesterday but there was some traffic. Three brand new customers! That's always fun. One of them is a knitter returning to the craft after twenty years in limbo. She came in for some help on a scarf/cowl she had started while on vacation in Canada. About ten inches into the thing she began to feel something wasn't quite right. You guessed it! She had twisted her cast on row and now had a lovely coil in her cowl. I tried to be gentle when I told her there was no solution except to start over. Didn't seem to bother her too much as I think she had already realized that. It seems that the original cast on was done by the shop owner where she bought the yarn. She's also using a 32" needle for a scarf that's only 24" around. Ann Mary didn't have the right size needle in stock so we just forged ahead using what she had. So she's back on track, having learned how to cast on and how to hold the needles and the yarn so she doesn't keep losing stitches off the points. And we sold her some shaggy yarn and a pattern for a top.

Another of the new folks is just moving here from DC. It took a while for her to really warm up to us but before it was all over she was eating out of our hands. I hope the special rush order to Brown Sheep goes well. Otherwise it might be biting the hand that feeds you.

And the last one is a non-knitting fiberista. She's making crocheted garters for a couple of friends to wear in their weddings. One of the brides was with her. I think I'll be teaching her in a few days. And the fiberista promises to be back. She has a weakness for soft, fuzzy yarn. We have lots of that.

I didn't work on the Reggio socks at all. I brought home some new yarn to transform into a scarf, the idea being to show off how the yarn looks when it's worked up. This is some of the most ill-behaved yarn I've ever worked with. Probably it doesn't like the size 17 needles. I cast on 80 stitches for a long ways scarf and worked about 8 rows before I decided that the yarn just looked like a bag of brambles. Ripped it out and cast on 15 stitches and am using a drop stitch pattern. It looks better but I'm not sure the yarn is really meant to be used this way. I'm at about the halfway point. I'll show it to Ann Mary and see if she wants me to finish it. Oh! the yarn is Quattro from Austermann (a ribbony sort of yarn that's very easy to pierce with the needles) and Electra from Plymouth, one of those tufted yarns that several other companies have introduced this year, sort of like the railroad yarns but without one of the tracks.

Tuesday tsuris


I got my car back last night. Another $1000.00 US. I really like my car but it's beginning to become a major drain. However, it is all mine and with this latest maintenance it should be in good shape for a few more years.

Wish I could say the same for myself. I've been trying to lose a few pounds but life just keeps getting in the way. So many parties, so little time. So I live on Slim Fast when I'm not having pizza or pasta. Or chips and salsa.

I didn't finish many chores yesterday. But I got a lot done on the Reggio sock. I have hopes of finishing it today. I did put away all the remaining sock yarn that I had stacked on my coffee table. So that temptation is out of sight. I will go back to the Interlacements top. (Repeat after me. I will go back to the Intelacements top.) I really need to finish this before I start anything else. Lisa's birthday is at the end of the month, even though this is not specifically for her birthday, it would make a nice extra for her. I'm hoping that having a completion date will motivate me to get it done.

Ann Mary has a couple of shop projects in mind for me. I haven't seen the pattern yet but she says one of them is a simple top. The second one is a scarf from one of the new Berroco pattern books in a chevron stitch. That one looks pretty straightforward. So those will be my Skein knitting for a while.

Well, off to see if I can find the vacuum.

Monday miscellaneous

I thought by now I'd have something to blog about. Well, that's just not going to happen. I've been spending all my spare time reading HP5. I finished it last night. Maybe I'll be able to do some knitting now.

I'm officially working six days at Skein now. Even though it's still part time I'm spending about 36 hours a week there. It's a good thing that I enjoy myself. That's also about the only time I have for knitting. I do get interrupted a lot, of course, but I'm gradually working my way through the Wildfoote socks. I think I've mentioned before that I only work on projects at Skein that Skein has the inventory for.

Ann Mary is still trying to make room for all the new fall yarns. Most of what has been received is now on shelves in the storage area, except the Rowan and Jaeger which haven't arrived yet. There's no more room on the sales floor for more shelves so some of the summer yarns have to be put into storage. We rearranged the eyelash and glitzy yarns on Saturday and added the new Spice and Flutter and Dazzle. I'm really tired of all these yarns but they do move quickly.

Today is my one full day off so I'm trying to get laundry and house cleaning done. Took my car to the garage for another major service. And I tried the jalapenos. Hot! Very hot!

Rabbit! Rabbit!

It ain't over 'til it's over!

Yesterday was the final day of the big July clearance sale at Bishop's Yarns in Chatsworth. After much juggling and rearranging of schedules we finally found a day when we could make it. And a good day it was. I didn't personally buy a whole lot. Some Brown Sheep Kaleidoscope Handpaint Cotton in a couple of color ways. Marked down to $2.50 per hank. Mendy, however, cleaned out a lot of their stock. We were really worried that since it was the final day there wouldn't be much left to chose from. There was yarn aplenty. So the July Clearance Sale is over. But we got coupons for the August Clearance Sale! So I guess it's not really over, just renamed. Don't know if we'll make it back though.

We got to Chatsworth earlier than we had planned so Bishop's wasn't open yet. We wandered around a little and came across Happy Hooker*. I'd received an email a few days before from a knitter who shops there sometimes. She described it as a little shabby. Well, that was a kindness. While the shop is mostly knitting yarns it also has a lot of other crafty stuff. Old needlepoint canvas, crochet and some kind of Japanese embroidery that I don't remember the name of. The knitting yarns are arranged by color rather that fiber. So if you want something blue just go to the blue section and try to find a yarn you like. Most of the yarn is on the floor. I thought there'd been a small earthquake but it seems that's just their style. I found some yarn for Barbara that I had been delegated to locate. It's a perfect color match for the go-with yarn I had taken along as a reference. I don't know what it is with the shops in Chatsworth but they're a lot cheaper than the shops around here. A lot!

*I'm not making this up. They have a second location with the same name and it's a lot closer to home. Plus they're open on Monday unlike shops in my area, including Skein.

Back to normal

I haven't had a lot of time to knit the past couple of days. I worked at Skein yesterday covering the afternoon that Joanne would have been there. Spent a couple of hours repairing a sweater for one of my students while she went off to take care of something else. Some of the novelty yarns are really fun to look at but can be a real pain when you make a mistake. You probably already knew that. Anyway, I hope I found all the dropped stitches.

I plugging away on some more socks. These are the Brown Sheep Wildfoote "handpaint". I'm working on size 1 needles for the first time ever. Am also continuing on the yellow Reggio socks that have been in the works for a month or so. I've finished another pair in Reggio that I'll take a picture of when I've finished these and when the sun comes out again.

I also tried out the Anna from Schaeffer. Got an email asking if I had any input on the yarn. I hadn't used it yet so I put the hank into a ball and tried it out. Started with a 2, then a 1, then a 0. I think the size 1 works best for me. I haven't actually measured the gauge yet but I will later. On the size 2 it looked okay but a little leggy. Plus I don't think the yarn will wear well as socks if it's this loose. The size 0 looks very,very nice but I seemed to have a little trouble with splitting the yarn with those tiny points. The size 1 was quite enjoyable to knit and the stitches look nice. So that's probably what I'll go with. I'm not sure yet if I'll try to add some kind of stitch pattern. The hank I bought is overall kind of dark so I'm thinking a pattern won't show, but it might make the knitting more enjoyable.

One of my jalapeno plants has lots of peppers on it. Does anyone know how to tell when it's time to pick them? The other plant has lots of blossoms but that's about it so far.

Things are getting back to normal. I had dinner with Leah and Anita last night. I think it did us all a lot of good to talk about Joanne and our relationships with her. We will continue with the Tuesday night get together sometime later in the summer.

My car is sending me a signal that I need to service the engine soon. How much more normal can you get?

Thank you all for your kindness and comforting notes. I am doing fine. I'll be back later in the week.

Joanne

My good friend Joanne died today. I saw her last Tuesday when I went to visit with her at Skein.

Joanne's first love was weaving. She taught me to weave and was always disappointed that I did not pursue it more. We saw each other almost every Tuesday night for the past six years when we would get together for class or to just knit and visit. We went to weaving shows together. I first met her when we were both taking a spinning class. I have a throw that she wove for me. I've been with her through a couple of knee replacement surgeries and a shattered wrist. We've shared memories and talked about what we're going to do next. I still can't believe it.

TGIF, I think

I'm pretty sure it's Friday. I'm a little confused because Lisa came over last night. She normally comes over on alternate Fridays but she's leaving on a camping/fishing trip on Saturday so she came over last night because she has to pack tonight. Ergo, I'm a little off kilter. But I think I'm updated now.

Lisa thinks the lemon tree lost its lemons not because of the heat but because it's not ready for motherhood. Just too young to know how to take care of babies. So I'll just have to rely on Ralph's to keep lemons in stock even though they're way overpriced considering we are in the heart of lemon country. It's kind of like where my brother lives in Idaho. All their potatoes come from Washington.

I taught two brand new knitters yesterday. They're sisters from a locally famous family. The family is famous because they've adopted a whole lot of kids from all over the place in addition to the kids they produced on their own. Anyway, you couldn't ask for nicer people. I'm not sure how well they're going to do on their own but I hope they'll be back in a week or so to begin their first real project. I also worked with another fairly new knitter who was struggling with a Katia pattern. I can see why. Very poor translation and awkward instructions. Plus I think there was just some flat out errors in the pattern. And I finished the shawl which I will add fringe to today. If I don't forget my camera, and if the sun comes out today, I'll try for a picture when it's done.

Yes, we have no lemons today

Yesterday I found three little lemons. Unfortunately they were on the ground under my lemon tree, not on the tree as they once were. I asked KC who in addition to being Ann Mary's husband is a horticulturist. He said that probably the very high temperatures we've had the past couple of weeks are responsible for the tree losing its lemons. Probably the roots get too hot because the tree is in a pot instead of in the ground. This sounds like it might be an on-going problem. Does not bode well for my lemon meringe pie plans.

An unspectacular knitting day yesterday. I got about half of the new shawl done while working at Skein. Not a whole lot of traffic there. It was very peaceful and quiet. One lady kept announcing to the room in general that it was so quiet. Well, it was, after she left.

I worked some more on the new socks. Finished the first one and got about three inches done on the second one. Still not motivated to take pictures or to work on any of the more demanding projects.

My day, or how to fritter

Yesterday afternoon I went to Skein to visit a while with Joanne and Ann Mary. I was supposed to go to Joanne's in the evening but since Anita would not be there for her weaving class I decided that I could knit at Skein as well as at Joanne's. The rep from Meunch Yarns was there when I arrived. Got to see a few of their new yarns but didn't really take them in. Seemed like more of the same. There was a little traffic in the store so I tried to help those people so Ann Mary could focus on the yarns. That almost worked. Ann Mary just can't sit still if there's a customer in the store. So it ended up that we were both working with the same people. It was sort of a divide and conquer approach and everyone bought something.

I took the start of a new shawl to show Ann Mary and she seemed to like it so now I can just work on it at odd times. I really feel like a beginner when I use the size 35 needles. And carrying three yarns, one of which is about the size of sewing thread, is a pain. And I started the second sock of a pair I've been muddling through for about a month.

I was supposed to go with Carol and Barbara to Bishop's Yarns tomorrow. The July sale is still on. But they decided to go on Saturday instead and I don't want to take that day off from Skein. So I'm going next Thursday with Mendy. We'll hit them as soon as they open the doors and should be back in Arcadia in time for me to start at one o'clock, or maybe a few pizza slices later. I already know that Bishop's doesn't have much sock yarn so I'm not sure why I'm going. I just have this thing for yarn shops. And Bishop's always has something that is marked way down. And it's the last day of the sale so it's practically compulsory to go.

I'm almost finished with the first sock of another pair that I started on Monday. I have about eight rows left on the toe shaping. I should have finished last night but I got involved in some Mah Jong Tiles that kept me busy for about two hours. So I guess I'll go finish that sock and cast on for the second one.

Connected

I love it when I'm knitting away and am so focused that I'm not even aware of my surroundings. Last night I was just doing this mindless sock and was so wrapped up in the process of just watching the needle move through the stitch and a new stitch coming up that I felt like I was floating. Well, maybe that's a little strong. It was just such a neat sensation. I'm not big on the knitting as meditation thing but I think it was a little like that.

(I once had a friend, he wasn't from around here, that always referred to anything that was new or different as being too LA CA. As if only in LA would such a thing happen. )

So right now I'm just enjoying the physical process of knitting. I don't have any deadlines to worry about and even though I have lots of projects going I feel okay about just doing these socks. I have the Rio yarn that I got a couple of weeks ago sitting in a chair across from me. I look at it and think some about what I'm going to do with it. Nothing has come to mind yet. I know it has to be something simple that doesn't require much yardage. I don't know. Maybe in a day or so something will click.

Get it while it's hot!

Sometimes a yarn just doesn't make it. For whatever reason the stuff that was so appealing in the catalog falls flat when it's on the shelves. So, Ann Mary, never one to be defeated by a mis-purchase, decided we should have samples using some of the overlooked yarns. Here's the latest:



A child's dress using Berroco Bubble FX and Tahki Como. The pattern calls for Berroco Pronto but we decided to try the Como instead. The dress is a fairly fast knit. The finishing took a day because of the crab stitch borders on the openings and around the bottom, plus a 47" tie made with single crochet. (My crochet skills are nominal at best.) So far no one has taken the bait but "isn't that cute" has been heard several times.

Skein, the sauna. Another sweltering day yesterday and the a/c seems to be in need of professional attention. I had five or six people sitting around with various projects waiting for attention. Ann Mary's husband, KC, brought in a fan after about an hour and that was a big asset. I'm glad Sunday is only a three hour day. Anything more and I think there would have been a mutiny.

Wireless weirdness. I notice if I post a comment while I'm reading blogs using Mozilla that they do not show up when I'm reading on IE. I wonder if the intended recepient gets them or not. I think this might be because the blogs are imported from IE to Mozilla and the road only goes in one direction. I think maybe I have to save the blogs to Mozilla in a separate folder. Does that make sense?

Finished the speckled socks and started another pair using the Plymouth Reggio. Pics t/k.

Patience is a virtue

I probably get more comments from students on my patience than just about anything else. What's not to be patient about? After all, they're doing the work and I'm getting paid. Student number one (from yesterday) kept commenting to all and sundry about how patient I am.

Actually, I'm not very patient. Sometimes I'd rather just fix it myself than be bothered trying to get someone to understand what the problem is and how to fix it. Or not be bothered at all. It's a good thing that no one can see what's going on inside. When you grow up in a family that stresses appearance over everything else you get pretty good at masking what you're thinking. But anyway. I'm trying to be patient right now. I have to remember that I didn't gain these extra pounds in a week so why should I think I can lose them in a week. It's hard to be patient when you're dying for pizza or some just out of the grease fries.

I'm just about finished with the latest shop sample. Ann Mary said it must be pretty easy since I haven't complained about the yarn or anything. I must remember not to let that happen again. She said she was watching me "shepherding" the students yesterday. Kind of apt, don't you think? Anyway the knitting is done and I'll do all that fiddly weaving in of ends and sewing up today. Hmmm. Wonder how you mattress stitch garter stitch borders.

So now I'm going to start a sorta simple shawl. Just three different yarns held together and a lot of elongated stitches. Way too much fun!

Quel jour!

Who knows what motivates knitters. Yesterday has got to have been one of the muggiest days in the history of So Cal but we were swamped! Ann Mary had barely finished observing that most people seem to get out early, before the heat starts, when the first student arrived. She tries on her nearly completed project, which doesn't fit quite the way she had in mind.

During all this Ms Doom and Gloom arrives. She needs help picking up stitches around the armholes of her husband's vest. That translates as I pick up the stitches while she wrings her hands and bemoans the fact that she still has 31 skeins of this yarn. So that's underway.

Back to student number one and her dilemma. She wants the neckline to be narrower. So we get her started on undoing the bound off shoulders and ripping back to where the neckline starts. She's using Berroco Flax which is some of the most godawful yarn there is. It fuzzes like crazy and falls apart with almost no provocation. She's not having a good time and keeps going from one shoulder to the next and letting the ripped yarns get all tangled up. Making noises about how she's going to just chuck it all but then she's never been one to give up. Just ask her daughter. Anyway it's all a mess.

Then a lady with her granddaughter come in. They want to learn how to knit. She's brought an afghan kit that she wants to make and the seven year old child really wants to learn. I get the grandmother started on a gauge swatch, an alien concept, and cast on for the child. She does okay for a little while, so long as I'm there watching every stitch. Which I can't really do since I have student number one and D'n'G to keep checking on.

So then there's these two ladies who decided they need a sock knitting lesson. Not too bad since I've already worked with them before and they are comfortable with dpns. It's easy enough to just tell them what to do and keep working with the other students. Except they want to use their size 7 needles to work with sock yarn. Get them started over on some size 2. Just had to show them how to join the round and gave them an overview of the steps involved in making a sock. They'll be back in a week or so for the heel.

Did I mention how hot and muggy it is? Air conditioner just can't cope with the climate. Ann Mary is busy with the sales traffic, of which there was a lot. D'n'G has left but student number one is still ripping and trying to figure out what's happening. So I stop and go through her pattern with her, changing the numbers so she can reknit. (Man! I hope this works.)

The grandmother and child are about ready to leave. I've no idea if they'll be back or not. The sock knitters are having a good time just ribbing away. Check back with them to see if they have any questions. Nope.

So now everyone is gone except student number one. I've taken over the ripping so she can calm down a little. I try to straighten out her yarn but it's way too hot to deal with, so she's going home and have a rum on ice and then maybe it will be better. She's promised to be back on Friday.

I did get my current store project out and worked a couple of rows. I finished the back of the dress last night and am going to start the front before I go in today. Need to make the pocket linings first. Since I have no life I'll probably finish it tonight. And I did about an inch on the speckled socks.

How hot was it?



It seems a little cooler today but it's still a little early to tell for sure. I didn't go to Joanne's last night after all. It was just too hot to bother. So stayed home in front of the fan and worked on some socks and got started on the new child's dress as a shop sample. I may have to break down and turn on the air conditioning if this heat continues. But right now I'm being stubborn.

I've been around computers for a long time now but I've never paid much attention to the whys and hows, just went with the program, literally. So I really have almost no skills when it comes to these things. But I'm trying. Last night I downloaded and installed Mozilla. It was really easy which was a surprise to me since I usually have to call Lisa whenever I want to do something like this. Catherine suggested that I give them a try in lieu of IE. Also I'm not really happy with how IE displays things. I didn't know that different browsers show things in different ways. This is much better. There were a couple of blogs that got timed out but I was able to go back and read them later and one that was totally messed up. I can still go to IE if I need to though.

I'm trying to find the information I need in order to set up a mail account with Mozilla. I know I've seen that information somewhere but I haven't found the right page yet. All my IE favorites were imported automatically. I'm not sure if it's possible but I would like to have my favorites stay on screen so I don't have to go back every time. When I use IE my favorites are in a column on the left of the screen so I can just click on the next one. With Mozilla I had to go back to Favorites, then to Knitting Blogs and then click on which ever one I wanted to read next. (I just realized that this is probably very boring to most of you and way below your skill level. Sorry.) So that's what I'm working on now.

And on the knitting front. It was just too hot to handle much yesterday and today isn't looking much better. I did make some progress on the second speckled sock. I'm just about done with the heel flap and should be able to get started on the gusset sometime today.

Going to Joanne's tonight. It's going to be fun because Anita is going to start actually weaving after having spent the last few sessions getting the warp on the loom. And she's going to bring me a copy of the latest Harry Potter. Woo hoo!

Weather related

It's really hot here right now. Hotter than we're used to for this time of year. Yesterday the air conditioning at Skein was not functioning properly or rather it wasn't set properly. There weren't many people around but those that were determined enough were grumbling and mopping their necks and faces with whatever tissue or paper towel they could find. We finally got the settings adjusted and it began to cool off but not before a number of folks had given up and melted away. It was enough that I didn't feel like doing any knitting. Just too clammy to be handling yarn.

But I did get a little done before I went in. I have some new projects for store samples so I did the swatches. A couple of shawls that will go on size 35 needles and a child's dress. The swatches for the shawls were just so I could figure out how many stitches I'll need for the width we want. The dress, however, is being done in different yarn from what the pattern calls for and I'm not getting the gauge called for in the pattern. I don't think it's a good idea to have a shop sample that is too different from the pattern so I wanted Ann Mary to approve the changes before I went ahead. All I'm really doing is going up a needle size and the final product will the slightly smaller than it should be. So Ann Mary said okay and I'll be able to get started on that today, probably.

Last week I posted a little bit about blocking wires. When Debby, one of our customers and an online friend, read this she came to see me and brought some samples of lace work she had done and had used blocking wires to block. She gave me several pointers about the process as well as suggestions for where to buy the wires. What a nice lady! Especially considering the weather and the distance she had to travel to get to the shop. And her lace work is beautiful. So thanks again Debby.

I have been encouraged to get some of the Wildfoote "handpaint" sock yarn. So now I'm trying to decide which color way I want the most. Probably the gold and jewel tone one as the others are pretty dark overall and I'm finding dark colors are too hard to see.

I think I'm going to have to rip this sock.



I'm don't think I have enough yarn to finish and I'm not very happy with how big it looks. I need to find some yarn that will look good as a contrast heel and toe. This Plymouth Reggio yarn only has about 150 meters per skein. The last pair I did without contrast toe and heel were also a close call. One of my teaching mantras is "if you knit you will rip" so I really can't complain. Besides I like the colors so I will enjoy working with it just that much longer.

Four more rows of ribbing on the second arm band of the Fuzzy yellow thing and I'll be done, except for sewing up the side sleeves. Then to find a spot to show it off at Skein. Hope it helps the yarn move. We've sold a lot of the All Seasons Cotton since the sample was put up a week ago. I don't have another shop sample project lined up yet. Possibly another elongated stitch shawl using two or three contrasting yarns.

Lisa didn't make it over last night due to work load. She's supposed to come over tonight instead. So I spent most of last night working on the Interlacements top. This is going really well and fast. I'll have plenty of yarn after all. I'm thinking I'll need to block this one. I'm not a big freak behind blocking but I think this one will need it. I've never tried the blocking wires. I wonder if they would be a good thing. And I could use a board of some kind. Guess I'll start looking for those sometime soon.

What's new?

We're starting to get some new stuff in at Skein. Looking ahead to the holiday season I guess. They're not out yet but we do have some new Christmas stocking kits. I think the knitting is pretty straightforward but the embellishments make them special. Knit early because all those beads are going to take a long time.

And some new back pack kits from Cherry Hill Farms. Each pack has six skeins of hand dyed wool that looks like small rope and feels a little scratchy. The kit includes the pattern and enough yarn to make a small practice piece for those of us who have never felted on purpose. Not sure how these will look after felting. The image on the patterns isn't very well done and looks washed out. We have three different color ways: denim, mossy green/brown and blue/purple.

Just when I was deciding that I had enough sock yarn for a while we got in some Wildfoote from Brown Sheep. The color ways remind me of their Handpaint line. There's about 215 yards per skein so you can make a pretty good sized sock from one. I'm still resisting but may have to get some just because.

Still trying to finish the Fuzzy yellow thing. And I made it to the armhole decreases on the Interlacements top. There won't be much knitting tonight though. Lisa's coming over so we'll be catching up, wining and dining.

Getting to lemonade



Yesterday's five hours at Skein took forever. It was not just dead but deadly dead. Not that there weren't a few people wandering in, and out. It just was not interesting. Handholding can take its toll as well. Ms Doom and Gloom was in to see about getting started on learning how to finish. So today or tomorrow I'll be showing her how to pick up stitches and mattress stitching. This is not going to be fun in the fuzzy boucle yarn. And then there was Ms Oh I'm so busy I don't have time to do anything else what should I make next. She's very sweet and cheerful but fills the room with her scatteredness. Three hours later she left with a new project that I'm sure will give her fits. She'll be very happy.

I got started again on the Interlacements top. It's kind of nice to be working on a real project again. And working on 5mm after all the 2.75mm dpns is refreshing. I need to finish the two pair of socks I have going and I think I'll be done with simple socks for a while. Time to add a little challenge with maybe some lace tops or entrelac. Don't know yet.

I got the extra skein of Eskimo I needed to do the neck and arm bands on the Yellow Fuzzy top. Had to rip the first two attempts. It's very difficult to see where to pick up the stitches and then I thought I'd dropped a stitch, which I hadn't. So the neck band is done and I'll start the arm bands this afternoon while I'm at Skein.

Now I'm off to have lunch with a friend from my pre-retirement days and to catch up on all that's happening over there. I'll try not to be too smug.

If you look closely you can see the first lemon just getting started on my new lemon tree and that blossom looks promising too.

Orange you glad?

A few years ago Lisa told me she really liked orange as a color. I had never paid much attention to orange. It was just one of those strange colors that I would never wear or buy anything in. But I started paying attention and now I have a veritable grove.


This is a section from a top I almost finished a couple of years ago. It's Tahki's Cotton Classic, one of my favorite cotton yarns. I'll probably rip this and make something else as it's now too big.


Some more Cotton Classic in a more coral color. Destined for another top, someday.


Encore Colorspun from Plymouth. Lots of greens mixed in there. Another abandoned project that may be recycled as an afghan for someone this year. It's a pretty nice, serviceable yarn if you need easy care.


A very dressy yarn that I got for $2.00 a skein at a shop in Long Beach, The Knitnut, or something like that. Georges Picaud has been out of business for years. This might become a short vest or top later this year. I keep looking at it so something is coming soon.


Ironstone Mohair that I got when Mariposa was closing their doors. I've had a pattern set aside for this one for maybe five years. A cardigan with large cables. Someday.


Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted that I got at a weaving show about three years ago. If I have enough, which I think I do, it will become the Clockwork Vest from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Vests.


Some more Brown Sheep. NatureSpun in a worsted weight. I have six skeins that I got at the same weaving show where I got the Lamb's Pride. Not sure what this will be. I may need to add something unless I do a vest.


And the latest acquisition. Rio, made in Brazil and imported by KFI. It's 100% viscose but feels a lot like cotton. Just got this yesterday, a gift from Mendy. I was looking for sock yarn but Bishop's didn't have anything that I didn't already have so I was looking at the sale stuff, just in case. I really liked this color way. The orange is pretty much on the red side but still qualifies as orange for my purposes today. I like the swatch and that it works on a 6mm (US10) needle. I have ten skeins, enough for a shell. I'm probably going to work from two separate balls at a time to avoid the pooling that you can see in the photo. Especially if I do sleeves.

This is by no means a definitive presentation of the orange tree that grows in my stash. It's just all that was near the surface. Someday this will all bear fruit. (I hate myself when I do that.)

Time well spent

Well, the walk to Michael's was good but the stock selection wasn't. I really wanted to buy something but there wasn't anything I really, really wanted. So I decided to wait until today when I knew I was going to Bishop's Yarn in Chatsworth. (I don't find a website for them.)

I'd been there once before at the end of February and remembered they had lots of goodies and at the lowest prices around. So Mendy and I drove up there this morning. It's about a forty five minute drive and we got there just as they were opening. Today is the shop owner's 85th birthday. They were having a 20% off sale on all regular priced yarn plus they have racks and racks of discounted yarns, some at cost. I don't know how much money changed hands but the discount on the regular price yarn was about $70. The sale runs through the 31st if you're able to get there. We're going to try to make another trip before then ourselves.

Then we had a most enjoyable lunch at Angeleno's. Wonderful pasta and lots of nice conversation. And now I'm home thinking about what I'm going to work on since I left my current project in Mendy's car. I guess I'll get started on the second speckled sock. Going to Joanne's tonight so I need something portable and simple.

Monday, Monday

It was a so-so kind of weekend at Skein. It was hot enough here to keep most people indoors. And for most people, I guess, knitting is just not a summertime activity. But still there were a few of the faithful in attendance. And I had time to catch up with what's happening for fall. Ann Mary didn't think all that much of the TNNA show. At least she didn't think there was anything that she hadn't already seen from the yarn reps calling on the shop. Seems like there's still going to be lots of novelty yarns. Ribbons and furry things. The colors are deeper and richer. The new yarns should start to arrive sometime after the 15th of July.

I did finish the All Seasons Cotton baby sweater.



It's a little difficult to see everything in the photo but I'm fairly pleased with it. I need to focus more on my finishing technique. I wanted to bring it home and wash it but Ann Mary thought it was fine the way it was. This is a size 1 to 2 years. I think it would have been better in a little larger size. The seams are a little bulky at this size but it's still cute and should help move some of the yarn. I liked working with the All Seasons Cotton though. But then I like working with cotton.

So now I'm off to Michael's to see if they got any new colors in the Cotton-Ease. Or if they ever got any of the Lion Brand sock yarn.

It's off to work we go

After almost two weeks of vacation Skein is reopening today. I'm really looking forward to being back. I hope we have lots of people today. I've seen a few of my knitting sibs during vacation but there are lots of others that I've been missing. I'm taking the Fuzzy top to show Ann Mary and to get another skein so I can finish the neck and arm bands. And the little sweater which I didn't quite finish yesterday. Just the sewing up left and finding some buttons. I find finishing is a lot less boring when there are other people around. I hope there are some new yarns to look at and I'm excited to hear what Ann Mary saw at the TNNA show.

Happy July 4th!

How boring is that? I like July 4th. It's the only holiday that falls in summer and is always a nice break. No more holidays until Labor Day in September. It's always been one of Lisa's favorites as well. Guess she loves the fireworks. When she was little it was still possible to purchase fireworks from temporary stands that were set up it seems like on every corner in town. It was always difficult to wait until dark before we could set everything off. Most of the stuff was really pretty unspectacular but to a kid it was wonderful. I still remember the fun we used to have with Sparklers, waving them around and feeling the tiny pings as bits of stuff shot off from them. Of course there was the time I stepped on one that had been discarded but hadn't quite cooled down. Don't go barefoot around fireworks.

There was some kind of fireworks display last night somewhere around here. Don't know where it was and couldn't see it. All I heard was the booms and crackles. It was kind of neat.

I didn't quite finish the shop sample yesterday. I ran out of yarn, or so I thought. When I was putting it away last night I found a partial skein that I had forgotten. So I think I can get it done today before I go to Robert's for dinner.

It's really hot here so knitting, even on small projects, is a little on the tacky side. The yarn just doesn't want to slide very easily. But I did get a couple of inches done on one of the socks.

Getting there

I have twenty rows to do on the right front of the shop sample I'm making and then all the major pieces will be done. I tried to finish last night but the blur was too severe. I still have to knit the collar, the front bands and the pocket welts. I don't have the buttons yet so that will have to wait until Skein reopens. I hope to get it done today. Then I can, in all good conscience, go back to my socks.

There are people who think that because I'm retired I have unlimited time to knit, and they say they envy me. I used to think that I'd spend hours and hours knitting. Well, I just can't do that unless I'm under a deadline. I don't take on much deadline knitting. Maybe because I do have a lot of time I don't push myself. Some days I may work for several hours and sometimes it's only a few minutes here and there. And then there's a limit to how long I can sit still.

I'm looking forward to Skein reopening on Saturday. I'm missing working with other knitters.

...and the knittin' is easy

It's only a little after eight and already the day seems hot. I haven't checked with my usual weather predictors but I can certainly feel the difference, just since yesterday. I'm glad I don't have anything complicated to work on today. The sweater I'm making is small and the socks don't take much room either.

Bess is devoting July to making her holiday gifts. I wish I were that organized. By the way, have you seen her beautiful boucle handspun? I started thinking about what I would like to make for gifts and realized that it would take a year of Julys to do everything. So I'm scaling back. Unfortunately scarves are not a big item with the people I make things for. I'm waiting for the yarn for a sweater I'm going to make for one of the people. And I want some yarn from Mystical Creations. (I think Mendy and I will put together an order so we can sample a few different yarns before we commit to a full scale purchase.) I could make some great shawls from some of their lace weight. If I could only decide which colors I want.

Anyway, about those gifts. I think I'll do some hats and see if any of them are appropriate. And I'll so some scarves too. You just never know who might show up on my list.

Something is digging in my plants. Probably the squirrels that populate my neighborhood. I finally cut out the oak tree that got started in the pot with my single rose bush. I think it was really a holly but Lisa insists it was an oak. Since she has the degree I'll have to defer, even though I would have probably kept it if it had been a holly. I have little lemons starting on my new tree. I'm watching the peppers closely too. I haven't grown any food producing plants in years. Except for the nastursiums, which I didn't think tasted all that great. My balcony is probably only about four feet by ten feet so there isn't a lot of room for watermelons, which I don't care for anyway so it's not a big loss.

It turns out that my problem with the DSL connection wasn't my problem after all. Seems there was something happening with the lines in my part of the cyberworld that was causing the disconnects. Nobody told the tech support people I guess. But it's all working fine right now.

Not much knitting content today. I'm still on the same stuff I was on yesterday.

It's July. Already?

Rabbit! Rabbit! (for those who follow such things)

A few progress shots today. I did get a little done yesterday, between bouts of fighting with SBC. I think that's more or less settled down except for getting connected easily. Still some issues around that. Lack of knowledge on my part and lack of competence on theirs.


Here's the back of a child's sweater that I'm making for Skein. I'm using Rowan's All Season Cotton and it's a delight to work with. The size 8US needles are also a pleasant change from the 1s and 2s I've been using for socks. I've started the sleeves and am saving the fronts for last as they're the most interesting part.


Got this yarn in the sale basket at Alamitos Bay. Not much different from some of my other ones except it's got a sort of burnt tangerine color that I like. Two skeins for $6.50 is hard to pass up.


This sock is some of the Plymouth Yarn that I got from Nancy Attix, the Plymouth rep. Makes me think of those black and white speckled chickens. The black heel was a problem for these old eyes. I had to wait for daylight to see the chain stitches along the gusset and even then it was tricky.


And because I wanted to see how this yarn would work up I started these socks. Another gift from Nancy. I like the colors a lot. I'm using a K6, P2 rib for the leg on this sock and the speckled socks. I'm doing the foot part plain.

I have four more days of vacation and have no plans for any of them except dinner on the 4th with my old friend Robert. The weather is nice, not too warm but summery. If I can just keep from starting anything else I should be able to finish some of these things.

Goodbye, Kate

My father always referred to Katharine Hepburn as Kate Hepburn. I got the impression he felt like he knew her, which he didn't. But I guess there was something about her that made him feel she was a personal friend. Hearing about her passing away was a poignant reminder of my father and another link with him lost. She was a magnificent example of what we can all be, if we only dare.

Had a busy weekend. Barbara and Carol came over for lunch, which they provided, and we had a few hours of fun knitting and chatting. I hope we can make this a little more frequent thing. It's difficult to really "visit" when I'm at Skein.

I started a new hat while they were here using the Rowan Calmer that Emma sent a few weeks ago. The yarn is so soft and smooth. I need some more colors for the Multicolor Whimsical Hat that I'm knitting from Hats On! by Charlene Schurch. (This is one of my favorite books for hats.) I think I'll use a different yarn though as the Calmer is a little pricey for my budget right now.

I also cast on for another pair of Plymouth Yarn socks. Sorta bright pastel stripes. If I can keep my computer running I'll try to post a picture when I have a little more done.

On Sunday I went with Joanne to Velona's and to Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. My second trip in one week. Joanne had never been to either place and had been pleading with me to take her so she wouldn't get lost. It was a pretty good trip, except the freeway we started out on was closed down, in both directions, for some kind of chemical hazard. I didn't get anything at Velona's, this time. And at Alamitos Bay I only got a couple of skeins of Regia sock yarn that were 50% off. And we had a neat lunch at the restaurant next door. Sat and watched the sailboats coming and going.

More problems with the computer. All of a sudden I'm running out of memory. Talked to the kind folks at Gateway and we think we have it fixed. So far, so good. And Blogger has fixed the problem I was having with accessing my edit page.

So, all in all, a pretty good weekend. Made some progress on the speckled socks last night. Maybe I'll get a picture of that too.

Open house

Today I have a couple of friends from Skein coming over to have lunch and to knit for a while. I'd like to do this more often but it's a problem since when I'm available most everyone else is working. But Skein is closed for vacation so I'm home on a Saturday.

Of course it means that I have to pay more attention to my house cleaning duties. Ah, the futility of that! But it was good to get some of the things I put off for some other day done. It would help if I didn't have so many knick knacks sitting around. (That's mostly because I have no where else to store them.) And then there's all the knitting projects and the new yarn acquisitions. (I also don't have any more room to store these.)

So I didn't get to touch my knitting at all on Friday. That's probably a good thing is a way. I've been having some pains in my fingers and arms so a day away from the needles is a help. I try to take a break about every half hour and to do the recommended hand excercises. When I was a lot younger, actually even as recently as last year, I thought that all the fuss about hand pains was just silliness and that folks were exaggerating. Well, I'm here to tell you, it is real.

Lisa came over last night and we went to Dino's Italian. Hadn't been there for a while. It was so good to see Lisa again. Actually it's only been two weeks but it seems like months. Anyway, she now has the latest socks and I can start another pair. Or work on the black and white speckled ones that I've had going for a while. (Will they ever be done?)

I also need to start the next shop sample. A child's cardigan from the new Rowan Babies. All Seasons Cotton. Why does Kim Hargreaves make things so tricky? The sweater looks very straightforward in the picture but there's actually a lot of fussing around with shaping and handsewing. Usually I'd just change it but since it's a shop sample I need to follow the instructions fairly closely, except I refuse to sew shoulders together. Viva three needle bind off! Even if I have to do short rows.

Some more

Here's a couple of finished things.

These socks are finally done so you won't get to see them again. And I won't either after tonight. Lisa will take possession of them. I sure hope they fit. I used Plymouth Yarn Reggio and worked from the top down. They originally had a short row heel but I changed to a Dutch heel which I like a lot better. Nearly ran out of yarn. I had a little over a yard left on the first skein and just over a foot on the second skein. I'm going to use fewer stitches on the next ones I do with this yarn. I think they'll fit better too.


Here's the latest shop sample. I had planned on finishing this last night but I ran out of yarn. The pattern called for four skeins but I don't have enough to do the neck and arm bands. I tried picking up stitches just to see what it would be like and it was terrible. Finding the edge stitch is next to impossible. Maybe it will be easier in daylight. Anyway, I'll put this away until Skein reopens. The pattern and yarn are from Stylecraft. The yarn is called Eskimo. It's pretty easy to work with. The pattern is for an adult. I don't know anyone who would wear this though. Too cuddly, cutesy I think. But then I like plain and simple.

Photo Op

So the sun is back, along with the heat, and so I have no real excuse for not adding some photos.

I'm using a Berroco pattern and combining the Interlacements El Paso yarn I got at the Riverside Weaving Conference a month or so ago with some embroidery floss I bought three or four years ago at another weaving show. The floss cuts down on the red in the Interlacements and gives the fabric a more rustic/handwoven look.

Here's a detail of the cable. I haven't worked on this is a week or so but looking at it againg makes me want to get back to it. Both yarns are 100% cotton so I thought it would make a nice summer top but it's working up to look more autumn like. But, hey, it's California! Cotton works year round.

And since I had the camera out I thought I'd show the sock yarns I got on Tuesday.

I got these two yarns at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company at the Marina in Long Beach. The Sockotta is a combination of pale greys and yellows; the Lang is more vibrant with more contrast to the colors but still in a similar color group. I think I'm getting into yellows right now.

But not entirely. I got this yarn at Velona's Needlecraft along with a skein of plain black. It's a new brand to me. I think it's new to them as well. Velona apologized for it being a little more expensive than the other sock yarns. It was $8.50 per skein. The ball of black was only $6.00. I think her prices are lower than other places I've been, for similar yarns.

My car is still visiting with the mechanic. What I thought was going to be about $350 has multiplied and is now going to be approximately $1000. But that's because I also needed new brakes and the 60M service. I think I need a senior discount, something like 90% would work. This is really going to curb my yarn purchases. Well, at least until next week.

Ho hum!

Not much new to post today. I went to Joanne's last night for our weekly knit and chat time. I worked on the yellow shop sample and still have about forty rows to go before I finish the back and can start the assembly.

On the way home from Joanne's I noticed my "check gauges" light was on. My temperature gauge was almost to the danger point. I was able to get home with no apparent injury to the car. So now my car is being refitted with something called a heater core whatever. I'm glad I bought yarn yesterday because I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I had known I was going to have a $350 car repair bill. I'm also glad I didn't drive yesterday or we would have been stranded somewhere.

Why are yarn shops closed on Monday? Seems like most of the shops around here are closed on that day. Temple City Knits is the only shop I know that is open on Monday. And this week even it was closed. I guess they went to the big TNNA show in Columbus OH along with everyone else. Yesterday I found that Velona is also open on Monday but it's about an hour drive from where I live and that seems excessive for one skein of yarn.

I'm not really interested in most of my projects right now. I want to finish what I have started though before I go on to something else.

Kryptonite

I decided that I would not buy anything today when I went to the shops in Long Beach and Anaheim. I was absolutely certain that I wouldn't. However, yarn shops have a greater power over me than I have over them. But I wasn't really all that bad. Just a couple of sock yarns and some more size 2 dpns. I wanted some of the cotton yarn we saw at Velona's but resisted. Although I may be going back there next week. Someone else I know wants to go and has asked me to go along. I must be strong!

We are not amused

I've been struggling all weekend to resolve a problem I'm having with Blogger. I finally got a response today, which in itself is a surprise. Do you personally know anyone who has ever received a response from Blogger? At any rate I think I can now post again.
This has not been fun and we did not find it amusing.

Not that there've been any really incredible developments. But here's a brief rundown.

The weekend at Skein, without Ann Mary, went well. Her son handled the register and phone without any serious problem. Her daughter came in on Saturday and Sunday and did some shelf rearranging and I think was going to add more shelving after close of business on Sunday. We really need the room. There was a pretty good flow of customers, better than earlier in the week.

I didn't have a whole lot of time for knitting. I'm about half way through the back of the current shop sample and hope to finish the whole thing tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

Speaking of tomorrow. Carole, Mendy and I are going to Velona Needlecraft and Alamitos Bay Yarn Company for a quick update on what's happening there. Mendy has never been and I think she'll really be impressed. Carole and I have been a few times but we're always excited by visiting these places.

Last Friday I was working on the shop project and thinking about what I was going to do in the evening. A young woman came in and said "I'm looking for yarn to make Becky's swatch." That really got my attention. It was Julie and her husband. What a fun time we had, not only in looking at all the possible yarn she could use for Becky's swatch but in talking about the blogs we read. And I got a first hand report on the sweater she's making. We both agreed that Norah Gaugham is one fine designer. Anyway, the whole thing was a treat!

Mea culpa and other stuff

Well, actually, I was wrong when I said I'd never seen that heel shaping before. It's in the Folk Socks book. I guess I just hadn't paid any attention to how the Dutch Heel is made because I didn't particularly like how it looked. I'm still not wild about it but it made an interesting side trip.

I went to Skein early yesterday so Ann Mary could get away for a while. Her son came in to cover the register and phone while she was gone. She'll also be away for the rest of the week starting on Friday. So I'll be there with her son. This could be a disaster as he doesn't know anything about knitting or yarn. If I get busy with a lot of students it's going to be hard to cover the sales floor as well. I've done this before and it's not a lot of fun. Since the shop will be closed for the next couple of weeks there may be a crush of knitters trying to get their fixes before it's too late.

I delivered some yarn to Dorris last night on my way home. Dorris is 90 years old and is no longer allowed to drive so we don't get to see her as often as we'd like. She tempted me with some Petit Sirah but I had to leave as I wanted to get some more work done last night. I'd like to take her out to do her errands but she can't get into my Blazer. So once in a while she hires someone to drive her around or her daughter will take her out. That's about the only time we see her at Skein. The last time she was in she ordered some Galway in a color we didn't have in stock. She showed me a picture of her younger sister and asked me to write a pattern for her. So I dropped that off with the yarn last night. Hope it's the right size.

I'm going in early again today so I can spend some time with Mendy. She was in yesterday and we got her started on finishing. Showed her how to do the mattress stitch. That was exciting. I love how she just absorbs new information! I'm not sure what we'll be working on today but whatever it is will be fun. I'm going to try to put together a mini yarn shop crawl sometime next week if she can make it.

Got another student started on making cables. Why are people so afraid of this? I'm pretty sure I learned how from a book. There's just something so logical about it that I can't imagine why people find it difficult. But I guess that's how I felt about turning a heel, until I tried it. Which I also got from a book. No complaints! The more people I teach the more money I get! And it adds to the list of people who knit.

And I finished the front of the latest shop sample and cast on for the back. Picture soon. Also worked on the current sock project. Am ready to do the toe and to find out if I have enough yarn. The Plymouth sock yarn doesn't have as much yardage as most of the other ones out there. It's going to be close. I had about 8 yards left when I finished the first sock so I can use that if I don't have enough for the second sock. But I'm planning on reknitting the first one since I don't like the short row heel. Seems like the Dutch Heel might take a little more yarn than the short row. Or maybe the second skein is a little short. I should know by tonight.

Such a heel!

Here's the new heel shaping I'm trying out.



The only place I've seen this particular approach is in a Stahl sock pattern book. The heel flap is worked in stockinette with a knit stitch at the beginning of every row. (I used a slip stitch instead.) I worked 22 rows. To turn the heel, knit to six stitches past the center, SSK or SKP, turn. Slip the first stitch, purl 12, purl 2 tog, turn.Repeat these two rows until you have used up all the stitches. (The number of stitches past center will vary depending on how many stitches you have. I had 32.) You end up with a narrow band that is 14 stitches wide. Pick up along the edges of the heel flap (number of stitches depends on how many rows you've worked) in the usual manner. Decrease at the end of needle one and beginning of needle four (or three if that's what you're using), work two rounds even. Repeat the last three rows until you're back to the original number of stitches. Well it makes sense to me. I'm not sure how comfortable it will be with those decreases along the edge of the band but will find out soon enough.

Sorry about the crummy photo. There's no sunshine today, at least, not yet.

Just stuff

It's been a kind of mixed bag sort of day. I spent the morning cutting and pasting. I moved all the blogs I read from my Yahoo site to IE. Yahoo just doesn't get it. I still don't understand why I can read comments and connect to links when I'm using IE and yet Yahoo just freezes. So I have the speed I want and it's easier using IE. But it took several hours to move everything. And I found several new blogs that I've added to my daily list. Plus a couple that Yahoo just wouldn't let me add to my bookmarks.

Also spent some time on the phone with Gateway and Go Daddy (formerly my site host) and I hope I got some billing issues straightened out. You just never know. The people I talked to seemed quite competent but that's what I thought the last time. So I'll just have to wait and see when I get my next credit card statement.

And I finished tidying up the balcony where I have my new lemon tree. Did some minor pruning and threw out some pots that were too damaged to be reused. There were a couple of bluejays that were very concerned when they saw me out there.

I only managed a little knitting today but I'm going to Joanne's tonight so I'll get a couple more hours in. We haven't met for about three weeks so this will be a fun evening.

Post Father's Day Post

Saturday was a very busy day at Skein. It had been alarmingly slow all week but Saturday was jammed. I worked with several new knitters. So I didn't get much time to spend with the group of knitting friends that came in. Taught a couple of ladies how to work with dpns. They were so excited and felt so advanced! But I had to convince them first that the premmie hats they wanted to make could not be made on circulars, even though the pattern called for them.

Sunday was not as busy even though I had a table full of knitters. Mostly they were there for the socializing. The first one to arrive made some made some very negative comments about the shop sample I'm working on. She thought the yarn was just too fuzzy for an adult and that it should only be used for children. She went on and on. I told her that not everyone would feel the same. Almost immediately there was another customer who thought the sweater was just the coolest thing she'd ever seen. And then another knitter came in who is using the same yarn. Well, I guess you had to be there. But she kept her opinions to herself even though we were both secretly laughing.

Since it was Father's Day the conversation included some reminiscences about our fathers. I'm afraid I got a little carried away in talking about my dad. I got a little more emotional than I am want to do. Still feeling a little embarrased. I had to change the subject very abruptly. Our memories of other people are often memories of ourselves. Our own feelings and recollections of what we experienced at the time. So talking about my dad, and what he was like as a father, really stirred up a lot of stuff that I don't always enjoy remembering. (Which I have no intention of going into here.) There are a lot of things I would like to have done differently in my life. I wish I had spent more time with my daughter when she was growing up. I wish I had been more aware. Omissions can cause as much damage as overt acts. I love my daughter. She is my chief joy in life. And she's a lot like me.

Unlike life, knitting can be revised. I've decided to rip the last pair of socks and redo the heels. Not a lot of progress on anything over the weekend. I started a new pair of socks using some Patons Paint Box sock yarn. I like the color a lot but I cast on too many stitches and the sock was going to be way too big. So that's been ripped. Anyway, I just wanted to see how it would look knitted up. And now I know.

It's Father's Day, almost

Here it is, late on Friday night. Lisa just left for home after taking me to dinner and gifting me with a wonderful lemon tree, which I've been wanting for a long time, and a couple of jalapeno pepper plants, which I didn't know I wanted but am very happy to have. She's a great kid and my pride and joy, just as she's always been. Look! I know she's a grown woman but that doesn't mean I can't tell her to drive carefully and to get some rest. I almost forgot. She also brought six bottles of premium wines. One of which I can vouch for as being superb.



So, I didn't forget the camera today. Here's the latest completed shop sample. A child's top in Katia Rumba and something else, the name of which I forget. The lower part is the Rumba. It's a very simple knit but is quite cute. We didn't have a four year old to model it. The background is a shawl made from Berroco Furz.

It was quieter today than yesterday. Looks like the weather is turning around and becoming summer after all. I hope tomorrow is busier. I know I have a student as soon as the store opens but I'm not sure after that.

Fall's coming

Forgot to take the camera to Skein today. That makes two consecutive days. Will try again tomorrow. I've already put it with my bag but that's no guarantee.

It was very quiet today. I worked a lot on socks and then started a new shop sample. I'm making a short top using Naturally Eskimo. I've made a child's scarf with this already. There are a few new patterns for adults available now so we're doing one of those. Just a simple v-neck top in stockinette on size 6 US.

Some of the new Anny Blatt and Bouton d'Or yarns arrived today along with the fall pattern catalog for Bouton d'Or and a couple of baby pattern books. The baby patterns are really cute. They yarns they call for are not all that care friendly and are pretty pricey. We're looking at substituting possibilities.

If you like really complicated patterns you might want to look at the Bouton d'Or book. There are several that I could see making but they would each be a whole season's worth of knitting. And I think they're generally too heavy for our climate.

My favorite yarn in the shipment is Mango from Bouton d'Or. It's not brand new (last year I think). It's a sport weight cotton/synthetic blend. Some of the baby patterns are made in this as well as a few simple tops in this summer's catalog. It's really beautiful. There's just something about the color. Even though the yarns are plain they look exceptionally rich. And we got the first of the fall yarns. Already?

Marg doesn't have a blog

Or not that I know of anyway. But we've been exchanging emails about the short row heel quandry I've been finding myself in. She's been really helpful, and patient, and I just wanted to thank her publically. And Stasia has been extremely geneous with her support as well. That's one of the best benefits of blogging. That, and all the new friends I have made.

I did get some knitting time last night. I finished the shop sample, at least the knitting part, and will put it together today while I'm at Skein. I've already crocheted one of the sleeves in place and knit on the rolled neck band so I only have maybe half an hour's work to complete it. There is still no sunshine in these parts so I'll try to get a picture using my flash.

I managed about 10 rows on the Interlacements top. This one will definitely have to wait for sunshine. I've completed the first 26 row cable pattern and am into the second. I think there will be about 5, maybe 6 repeats of the pattern to finish the back. Should be one less on the front. Still agonizing over whether I'll have enough yarn. I agonize a lot. Part of my charm. So I'll wait until I finish the back and then I'll know. But what if they're out of the yarn by that time? See? It just keeps going.

Not what I expected

Another rainy morning. Not much planned for today except some knitting on the shop sample, the Intelacements top and maybe some socks. Supposed to go to Joanne's tonight. That all changed when Joanne called to say she was not feeling well and would not be going to Skein in the afternoon and wanted to cancel for the evening.

So I went to Skein to cover for Joanne in case there were any drop in students. When I got there the rep for Berroco yarns was there. I got a chance to see the new colors they have for fall in the yarns they already have in their line. I missed the presentation of the new yarns but I got a quick glimpse of some of them. They have a new one that is very similar to Chamonix but is less expensive and has more angora. The colors are not very exciting though. And there's another new one that I think is called Mabley. It looks very interesting. Lots of thick and thin with some nice color ways.

I didn't get to see much of the Lang line that he also reps because I had a couple of customers to deal with. And then I tried to handle a couple of Chinese ladies whose English far exceeds my Chinese. So that was a little rough. Sometimes Ann Mary had to break away and help out. But it was lots of fun and a couple of very nice sales. I spent some time showing one of them how to do a cable cast on and how to work in the round on circular needles.

We picked out some new patterns from Fiber Trends and Mari (I don't know this company) that I think will be good for fall. Several things for felting and even for crochet. (Note to self: teach yourself to crochet before it's too late.)

So the rep ended up being there all day. He didn't finish until just before six. But I think it was worth his time. Ann Mary ordered enough to be entitled to a couple of sweater samples.

So now I'm home and will try to do some of the knitting I didn't get done this afternoon. I'm using Intenet Explorer right now instead of SBC. I seem to be able to read comments using this browser even if they are slow to open. I don't know if posting from here will help. I really appreciate all the suggestions and good wishes I've been getting.

A little update



This is the first of the Plymouth Yarn socks, still in progress. I have done a little more on the second sock since I took this picture last week but I'm not quite to the heel. This is my first short row heel. I think I wrote about it last week. I'll do the second sock the same way but I'll find another way to do it the next time. Just don't like those eyelets!

A fairly slow weekend at Skein. The cooler weather didn't seem to motivate many people to pick up the needles. Too many end of year school activities probably. But I did get to see a number of the "regulars". And I finished the first sleeve of the shop sample I'm making. I should be done by Wednesday and will add a pic then.

I'm writing this using my old dial-up connection. I haven't yet figured out or fixed the problem with the DSL. I installed the new memory but that didn't fix whatever's wrong. I can post from there but I can't add pictures. And I still can't read comments so I have been going with the dial-up. I'm glad I didn't discontinue my MSN connection yet. I've already spent a couple of hours today on the phone with a very nice lady at SBC. We thought we had it fixed but it's still not working correctly. This is not fun.

I just wanna go there

It has been gloomy here all week. The whole day it looks like 6AM on a winter's day. I think the sun broke through for a couple of hours late on Tuesday and hasn't been seen since. Not good for picture taking.

I haven't done any sock knitting for a couple of days, except for a few rows yesterday morning while I was exercising my blog reading rights. I may go do a little now before it's time to get ready to go to Skein. Last night I did some swatching with the new Interlacements yarn I got at the weaving show. It's very pretty and I got the gauge on the recommended needle size. Tried a couple of stitch variations but decided I think it looks best in plain old stockinette. Then I added a strand of embroidery floss. I have several thousand yards of this nice copper colored floss that I got at another weaving show a couple of years ago. The two fibers are both cotton so they should behave okay together and I like the look. I went up a couple of needle sizes and got pretty close to the gauge for a Berroco pattern that I think I'm going to try. So I cast on and worked about 10 rows. Seems a little stiff on the smaller size needles but maybe when I start the main body it will be looser. If that doesn't work out I'll just rip the whole mess and try something else with it. But I'm definitely going to use the two yarns together. I may have to order another hank of the Interlacements in order to add sleeves. I was assured that would not be a problem when I bought the original hank.

Skein will be closed for vacation (and annual trip to TNNA convention in Columbus, OH) the last week of June and until the day after the July 4th holiday. So I'm wondering if I can put the finances together to take a trip somewhere. I've been reading, assiduously, Bess's journal of her trip to England. Not that I would actually be able to do this but it sure makes me want to. I'd also like to go to Maine and see Clara's new shop and just see the other side of the country. The first ocean I ever saw was the Atlantic, at York Beach. For a kid who grew up in the middle of the continent (Arkansas) that was a pretty unforgettable experience. But then I'd also like to go to Michigan. I've never been there but I read Lynn's blog every day and also Sarah's journal and I think it would be so good to meet these two dynamic women and spend some time seeing all the sights of Ann Arbor and East Lansing. But I probably won't do any of these trips. I might go over to Scottsdale AZ and see my sister and her husband. But Scottdale in June is hot! So I'm just thinking about this. Maybe I'll go to New Mexico instead.

My memory isn't what it used to be

My blogging experience is suffering a lot these days. I am still not able to read comments or, in most cases, able to connect to any of the links in the blogs. I tried going through the Knitters ring last night and got part way through when everything sorta stopped. That's when I have to CAD (control, alt, delete) to get restarted. Anyway, I feel like an eavesdropper not being able to participate actively. I can go over to my MSN browser and read comments but I still can't respond. If I try to send email from there I get sent back to SBC Yahoo or sometimes everything freezes. I never know which it's going to be.

So anyway, last night I was checking my email and getting ready to sign off when there was this perky knocking at my front door. It was the UPS man delivering the additional memory I had ordered. I think it was already about 7:30. So, I'm thinking WOW! I can do this tonight and everything's gonna be fine. Not so!

Gateway sent me two boards with 128 each. Turns out there is only one slot available in my PC. So I call them up and ask them to send me a new board with 256 on it. No problem but I have to wait until the morning to call the sales department to do this. So I put everything back together and move the desk back to the wall.

Talked to sales this morning and they tell me that they don't have a board that has 256 that will fit my computer. After I tell the guy that I'm supposed to be able to have up to 512 he checks again and, sure enough, they do indeed have what I need and they even have it in stock. And furthermore, he's not even sure that what they sent me would have worked in my computer.

So the bottom line is that he's sending me a board with 256 and I'm sending the other two back. That will be another week. I'm feeling very apprehensive about this whole transaction. Still wondering if I should have just gone out locally and purchased what I need. But now I'm thinking if I use something other than a Gateway product and it blows up my computer I won't have any protection. So I'm just going to wait for the new board.

But it's not all bad. I can now read in about an hour what it used to take almost three hours to do. Now I can add more blogs to my daily reads.

Skein was frantic yesterday afternoon. Everyone comes at once. And I was sort of on the edge of coming down with something. (Whatever that was went away after a couple of hours. Ann Mary said it was an allergy, or food poisoning.) So after I got everyone sorted out and settled down things got a little better. I was so happy to see Mendy again. She brought in a couple of skeins of yarn that she had purchased elsewhere (it's okay, Mendy.) and we put together a couple more shawls. And special ordered some colors we did not have in stock. I didn't have time to touch my own shop sample project until the very end of the day and only got a few rows done. No sock knitting at all.

A new grandmother came in just before closing. She's Vietnamese/Chinese. It was a lot of fun to listen to her and Ann Mary discussing how new mothers should be fed and cared for. They definitely don't approve of the modern ways. They should have at least a month of bed rest and be fed lots of chicken made with wine and vegetables. And someone else should take care of the baby except when he/she needs to be fed.

Maybe I'm just bored

For those of you who asked my eye is nearly recovered and the extraction at the dentist's was practically without event. So now I have no drama to report. Well, there was this tractor/trailer that arrived at 5 this morning to replenish the Carl's Junior that's on the corner near where I live.

I'm not tired of sock knitting but I'm beginning to feel the need for something that doesn't require stopping four times per row. I have a small project for Skein in the works but I really want something a little more stimulating. I suppose I should work on some of the sweaters I've started for myself. There's the CRAP project (cabled, raglan, aran pullover) that I haven't touched since the winter. And a cotton pullover that I got about halfway through the back of, last fall. And a couple more wool pullovers that were started the winter before last. Or maybe the lace shawl that was supposed to be a Christmas gift last year. But then I have lots of yarns that I haven't tried yet, including lots of sock yarn.

I did make some pretty good progress on the second sock last night. But there are three other pair that are only just started. It's probably a good thing that I don't have any more size 2 dpns available.

Another sock saga

I tried to add a picture today but due to the current status of my DSL connection,well, you know.

Anyway, I finished the first of the Plymouth yarn socks and have started on its mate. I used a short row heel for the first time. The pattern I followed doesn't seem to compensate for the slipped stitches in any way so I have a nice little row of eyelets. So I'm on the lookout for a different technique. I know I've seen some that call for wrap and turn and some that call for yarn overs that get knitted together later. Are there other possiblities? I used the wide toe shaping from Folk Socks and I think I like that best of all the ones I've tried.

The second sock is not going to match the first one by any stretch of the imagination. Well, the colors are the same. The pattern repeat in this yarn is so long that I would probably not have enough yarn to do the second sock if I tried to find the same starting point. I did not use a contrast yarn for the toe and heel and I barely had enough to finish the first sock. Seems like when I use a contrast heel and toe I end up with left over yarn that is too much to throw away but not enough to do anything with.

Woe is me!

The saga continues. Still waiting for my additional memory but am gradually getting all my favorites and email addresses moved over. And learning how to navigate the new home page. I am really missing the chance to leave comments and to link to photos in the blogs. So enough about all this already!

Not much to report on the knitting front. Made some progress on the shop sample and my current sock project. If the weather is nice tomorrow I will try to get some pictures and see if I can post them.

I have a dentist appointment in the morning that is not going to be much fun and, as if that weren't enough, I have a sty. Ann Mary thinks it's an allergy. She thinks most things are allergies. Personally I don't care what it is. I just want it to go away.