orinda5

Firework Fun

2010-07-02T18:57:00.004-06:00

Happy 4th to those in the States.
May your weekend be filled with many "ooohs" and "aaahs".

A few more things...

2010-06-29T08:33:00.006-06:00

I forgot to mention a big thing that happened this spring for the Bud...

He has been using his running bike for a few summers now ( September 2008, November 2008), and last summer he alternated using that and his "big bike" with training wheels, so all it took this spring was a little push from Mr 5 and he was off.

The cupcake's new love is a musical card that plays "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches and Herb.
She has been cracking us up with her dancing:

One more thing...
I needed a little purple.

I think it goes well with the gray "highlights" I have been adding over the past few years.

I've been plugging away on the Green Mountain Shawl, but it doesn't look that much different. The rows are getting a lot shorter, and I hope to be wrapping it up soon.

Mr 5 Tomato-Seed

2010-06-22T13:21:00.008-06:00

It's officially summer (here in the northern hemisphere anyhow), and it is about time for an update on this blog.
So join me on the morning deck - and I'll pour another cup of coffee (it's never too hot for coffee, in my opinion) and let's catch up.

Mr 5 got on a gardening kick this spring and started lots of seeds inside - including 120 heirloom tomato plants - who could resist with names like "Bloody Butcher" and "Mortgage Lifter". We only saved 18 for our own garden and spread the rest about town - like some sort of Tomato version of Johnny Appleseed.

The clever Mr 5 also altered some large cans from my school's cafeteria to hang a few grape tomato plants.
(Thanks to the cafeteria staff for saving them and running them through the industrial dishwasher for us!)

We are eagerly awaiting the first pick of the season.

We have already been harvesting from our small crop of lettuce - or as we say at our house "le-tooce"

Our summer plans mainly involve hanging out around home, so we invested in a small improvement for the backyard.

Thanks to craigslist, we paid very little, but it was pretty cut-throat for swing set listings this spring. I emailed my interest about 30 minutes after this one was listed, and I thought I had already missed out.
The Bud picked out the material for the new canopy. I love it.

The morning deck is the perfect place from which to supervise. To shade it in the afternoon, the eternally creative Mr 5 snagged a used sail from a local sailing shop (for free!) and rigged it up as an awning.
It also shades the door into the house, which keeps our kitchen sooo much cooler! His thoughtful design is easy to adjust or quickly take down in the case of inclement weather. I'm in love!

This really is where we will be all summer if you happen to be looking for us.

During all of this blog silence, our little cupcake has been growing up. She is 11 months old today!
I can hardly believe that in one month it will have been a year since her eventful birth.

She has mastered moving herself around in her own special way which involves pulling with her arms and pushing with her toes. And just this past weekend she figured out how to get herself back into a sitting position.
She is an easy going sweetie who loves to watch her brother, the ultimate entertainer.

My big news on the knitting front, is that I finally tried my hand at stranded knitting.

It's like having a new toy. And so many more patterns have moved themselves from "that's lovely" to "that's possible" in my brain.
I love the traditional Norwegian "Selbu style" patterns, so I see more snowflakes in my future.

I am also still working on the Green Mountain Shawl from the first issue of St-Denis Magazine.
This thing will be mammoth once it is blocked.

Thanks to the Bud for adding some scale. This shawl starts from the outer edge and works increasingly shorter rows to the center neck, so what's left should seem to go far faster than what I have completed so far. It is a little warm on the lap for the current weather, but I hope to make some more progress on it soon.

Happy June Solstice, Everyone!

giggles and milk love

2010-03-21T10:23:00.003-06:00

It's been quite a long time since I have posted a movie of any sort. We no longer have a working device to capture video... but I recently discovered what I can do with just the voice recorder on my phone.

And so for your listening pleasure...

Cupcake is such a serious (but happy and easy going) baby - especially when compared to her kooky brother. She usually gives us subtle smiles instead of big grins, but somehow we managed to capture this rare giggle-fest.

It's hard to believe our little Cupcake is already 8 months old.

(Click here to see a slideshow of her growing)

She just started blowing raspberries this week and is loving bananas and carrots with rice cereal. She is a pro at rolling over and looks like she tries to get her knees under her at times. She loves to stand and play in her exersaucer - marching in place and spinning around.

A few weeks ago she grew two small razors in the bottom of her mouth - I'm still healing.
Click the photo to enlarge and get a peak at her tiny weapons.

The Bud is constantly pretending to be a new character in his world that is always a stage.
Random items (considered by many to be trash) become fantastical props.

We have become used to stealthily throwing away things like the foil top to his yogurt at breakfast time because "that's my new toy."
This morning he was either a tiger or "the coolest puppy in the world" depending on the moment.

He has been singing lots of original songs lately that evolve into variations on a theme.
I love his "I like milk" song - especially the end note on this version I recorded.

Stitches in time and space

2010-03-20T09:44:00.004-06:00

I have recently finished a couple of projects that have been on the needles for over a year. Not because they are large projects - just because of various extended hibernation periods.

One of my finally finished projects is my Ishbel shawl out of Serenity Sock by Zen Yarn Garden (that little bit of cashmere makes it so wonderfully smooshy!).

I started this in March 2009 during the part of my pregnancy when knitting (and even reading) made me nauseated. I'm not sure why I decided that this was the moment for me to knit my first lace shawl, but everyone was making them - and they all just looked so lovely.

I made it through the stockinette portion just fine. But for some reason I screwed up on each repeat of lace in a way that my preggo brain could not find and fix - leaving me to rip out and re-do multiple times. I finally refused to rip back again and just shoved it in a bag.

Months later in the throws of gift knitting, I pulled it out for a status check. I was easily able to find the last elusive mistake and fix it without ripping anything back.

Now it was back on my radar - ready and waiting for a little finishing time.

I only needed about 4 hours to have a finished Ishbel just in time to wear it for my birthday a few weeks ago.

Ravelry Link

I love how it turned out. I only wish I had done the large stockinette with the small lace border.

Knitting on this again brought me back to thoughts and feelings of a year ago. How things have changed!

I also recently finished a plain pair of socks that have been on the needles since January 2009.

Stitched into these socks are so many places and memories.

The yarn was a birthday present back in 2008 from my knitting neighbor pal who dyed it herself.

I wanted a pair of plain socks to work on at the Bohus Exhibit at the Swedish Institute.

I cast on both socks - trading off knitting time to keep them at about the same place.

The cuff and most of the legs remind me of this.

Then they sat until about April when they traveled to Yarnover - where I worked through the increases and decreases of a small gusset and added a piece of scrap yarn to pull out later for an afterthought heel.

They sat again until August - after the Cupcake had arrived, and I needed some easy and portable crib-side knitting. Thinking about finishing the feet on both socks takes me back to a specific corner Abbott Northwestern Special Care Nursury where I spent a lot of time.

That just left the toes and heels which I WIPed to FO during this year's Ravelympics

Ravelry Link

Although I didn't like to have a heel to knit after I felt like I should be done, the fit is fabulous, so I think I will probably do it again. There are a few gusset/heel details on my ravelry project page.

I was an Olympic junkie this year watching any event that was on, and consulting my Olympic iPhone app for up to date info. I finished the above socks in the WIP category, and

the Cupcake's Tulip sweater in the children and sweater categories.

Now I'm focusing on what I am calling my shoulder blanket. The cover project from the first issue of St. Denis Yarn Magazine.

Ravelry Link

The piles of snow are gone and it feels like spring is finally here.

Not quite perfect timing for a huge worsted weight shawl. Hmmm.

It is supremely enjoyable knitting however, so I am loving it anyhow.

Happy Spring, everyone!

still a favorite

2010-02-07T10:28:00.004-06:00

Remember that new favorite video I mentioned? (OK Go's This Too Shall Pass)

If you know the Bud, you know it's all about the dress up and pretend. So it came as no surprise that after watching the video for about the 55th time this morning, the Bud wanted a drum and "feather hat" like the lead singer.

We used a few things we had sitting around, and voila!

We are now playing the video repeatedly so that the Bud can drum along.

It cracks me up to no end that when the drum stops at certain parts in the song, he stands and waits for it to start up again.

Thanks for the fun, OK Go!

a new favorite

2010-02-06T13:33:00.003-06:00

Going back to work has been not so bad.

It does make me really appreciate sleep and weekends. A snow day in the near future would totally kick derriere (although I've probably ruined any chance of that happening by actually saying it out loud).

We've got a new family favorite youtube video (sorry no embedding on this one) - it just makes me smile and sing along each time. Maybe it's the marching band - I had a little marching band envy in high school. Violists don't ever march, and those band folk always seemed to be having a lot of fun.

The Bud has decided that the song is about his little pal Molly, and that the lyrics are actually "when the Molly comes."

There has been nothing at all happening on the knitting front since the start date back at work, but I did manage to finish a couple of quickie projects during the final countdown:

Ravelry Link

The Bud was in dire need of a new hat. He loved my Thorpe, and I had a few leftovers around that seemed a perfect fit.

Ravelry Link

I also finished my "back to work" mittens - I love Through the Loops and her patterns - so lovely and always well written.

Everyone is napping but me, so I will end with a gratuitous baby pic (our little Cupcake is now over 6 months old!) and enjoy a few precious moments of silence. Shhhh.

Whew! I made it!

2010-01-11T10:09:00.005-06:00

Back in September I created a challenging list of gift knitting for myself: 3 shawls, one scarf, one pair of mittens, a pair of fingerless mitts and some ornaments.

It was September, I had months to finish everything.

I got a few "you'll learn" sorts of smiles and nods from those who thought my after Christmas post would most likely be titled "Grand Plans".

Well, to that I say, Ha!

I made it, even with last minute additions and a detour for myself.

BSJ for little Cupcake
Stetland Triangle for Mom
Breathe Deep Mittens for SIL
Scholar Collar in One Row Scarf Pattern for Dad
Evangeline Fingerless Mitts for Niece
Ornaments for lil gifties
Lace Beret for myself
Highline Shawl for Sis
Elfin baby hat for a wee one's shower
198 Yards of Heaven for MIL

The BSJ was added to the list a little late to finish by Christmas, but it was very close. And Cupcake didn't know the difference, so I'm safe there.

For months I've been putting off selfish knitting. Oh I did take a short detour to make a beret for myself, but that felt like a blip in the sea gift knitting. Don't get me wrong - I loved all of those projects, but now it is January the time for selfish knitting, and the time for new projects. Perhaps later it will be the time for finishing some WIPs, but only once the joy of starting long awaited new projects has worn off.

The first FO for the new year is a Thorpe from my own handspun.

Ravelry Link

I love the browny stripe in the middle and the chunky braids for the ties.

Thorpe is one of the many fabulous patterns from the talented Kristen at Through the Loops. I used two of her patterns for gifts (Breathe Deep and Highline), and I just started a pair of mittens using her All the Water pattern with some juicy cables. Yum!

A story of socks reborn

2010-01-05T11:01:00.004-06:00

It's a new year, a time for looking ahead and focusing on the future.

It is in that spirit that I plunged a pair of socks into kool-aid and vinegar last night.

It was January 2008 when I knit these foot coverings of orangey goodness:

Ravelry Link

I was in love. I dyed the yarn myself with kool-aid.

The repeat worked well with the pattern.

They were the most beautiful socks I had created.
(cue ominous music)
Until the unthinkable happened...

new - black - leather - shoes

those new shoes coupled with my sock pride (I just had to show them off in my new shoes) ultimately lead to hand-dyed, hand-knit sock disaster.

I have no pictures because the result made me so sad: black stains all over the foot of each sock.
I soaked, and soaked the socks, and much of the black came out, but out came most of the beautiful orange color as well. I could hardly bring myself to look at the resulting dingy yellow color.

It took over a year and a half, but I was finally emotionally ready to do something about this sock tragedy.

Last night I overdyed them with some Blue Raspberry and Tropical Punch.
I wasn't sure what the final color would be, but they ended up a nice rusty orange-red.

The feet have some wear - fuzziness that looks a little white in the photo on the heel and ball, but it's not horrible for 2 year old socks.

It's almost like a brand new pair of socks for a brand new year.

Happy new year, everyone!

the buck stopped here

2009-11-13T13:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday around lunch my neighbor called from her car to say that she just pulled into her driveway and saw this guy hanging out.

Not a normal visitor to our 1st ring suburban neighborhood.

Later he circled back for a closer shot.

The bud kept calling him a reindeer. It seems the excitement of the "reindeer season" is already upon us.

Our poor little tiger (aka the Bud) seemed to catch just about every bug out there last month. I am crossing my fingers that he is finally on the mend for good.

Thankfully we have managed to keep the Cupcake healthy during this very germy time.

Meanwhile... I have been knitting away on many secret projects.

finished this (ravelry link)

checked off this (ravelry link)

still working on this (ravelry link)

and this (ravelry link)

and this (ravelry link)

(I recently learned that I can now post photos directly to Ravelry - so there are more pics and details there)

I did take a little break from secret knitting to whip up a beret for myself - or as my friend called it, a beret-k (just say it out loud).

I love a good beret - every girl needs at least one in her hat arsenal - and when I saw this one in the recent Vogue Holiday magazine, I knew I needed to cast on.

I have finally learned how to read a chart "lefty style" - it's like a whole new knitting world just opened itself up to me. This lace cart based on a Japanese stitch pattern was a joy to knit.

Many folks, including the infamous yarn harlot, have fallen in love with Dream in Color Starry lately - this is very similar (superwash, semi-solid, fingering weight, spun with a little silver), but is from Zen Yarn Garden - a favorite little shop of mine.

Ravelry Link

I hope you all are making time for a break (or a beret-k) for yourselves.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:06:00.002-06:00

Time with Sweeties

2009-10-03T10:05:00.006-06:00

It seems these days that when I am not spending my time with this little sweetie

or this little ~~goofball~~ sweetie

there is not much time left for online adventures - if you are looking for me these days, I tend to spend my limited online time checking in on Ravelry or with a quick photo dump on flickr.

We have made it out and about in the real world a bit recently...

We couldn't miss the fabulous Franconia Sculpture Park Fall Festival last weekend,

where you can view my new favorite sculpture.

More photos from FSP

We also celebrated Great-Grandma Alphie's 95th birthday

More Photos of Alphie's Birthday

Our little Cupcake is named for Alphie's mom. Yes, "Cupcake" is a traditional Norwegian name.

There has been some knitting, but the change to Fall has brought about the change to secret, gift knitting. There may be some sneak peeks on Ravelry as things get finished.

And I do have it in my plans to eventually post a pattern here for my Blue Wheaties Socks.

Note to self: find those notes.

Our little Cupcake has been home for 4 weeks now.

If you know me in real life, you may know about my cousin's little Tinkerbell born three days before Cupcake, who is not yet home. The two girls started off together in the same NICU. Cupcake finally passed her "due date" this week - little Tinkerbell has another month and a half until she passes hers.

Please send thoughts and prayers to my cousin's little one: Tinkerbell's Site

No ribbons, but a prize

2009-09-05T07:47:00.003-06:00

Well... my knitting did not bring home any ribbons from the State Fair this year,

but we brought home a far better prize yesterday.

Hooray! Our Cupcake is home!

It's a... Cupcake!

2009-08-24T19:30:00.000-06:00

Never have I loved having my iPhone as much as I have over these past many weeks. Every email and message on flickr, facebook and my blog came to me via my phone at points when I really needed to have some good thoughts coming my way. Thank you!

I really haven't had much energy for responding to things, and now it seems like so much time has passed - please forgive me and know that I appreciated every single message!

Here is a quick overview of our wild ride:

Saturday, June 17^th, we went up to Grand Forks for a family wedding. That evening I wasn’t feeling quite right, so Mr. 5 and I went to the ER just to get reassurance that all was well. Instead of getting reassurance, I was admitted with preeclampsia and told to get ready to deliver that week (10 weeks early!).

Both Mr. 5 and I felt very strongly about having this happen back home, so luckily on Monday I was transported via ambulance from Grand Forks down to Abbott in Minneapolis.

The goal was to let cupcake keep growing inside me as long as possible, but on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning the preeclampsia started to affect my liver – that meant delivery needed to happen right away.

Our little Cupcake was born at 5:44 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22. She was 3 lbs 6 ounces and came out crying!

In the 24 hours after she was born, I was not recovering quite as expected. There was some scariness on Wednesday night getting me stable, but nothing 4 units of blood and a little monitoring in the ICU couldn’t fix.

Cupcake has done amazingly well since arriving a bit early in the world. She needed a bit of help with oxygen as her first day went on, so they put her on a C-Pap machine (which is like a baby version of the ones folks use for sleep apnea).

On her third day she graduated from the C-Pap machine to just a nasal cannula (the little tube that blows oxygen under her nose).

After a few days she was breathing room air just fine.

Over the past weeks, our Cupcake has been growing....

and growing...

and growing!

She is now about 5 and a half pounds! It blows my mind that she has grown so fast.

We are hearing talk from doctors and nurses that she could come home as early as next week.

ETA: I just looked at the post settings, and I started writing this post on August 7th - I hope my next post doesn't take quite so long.

Cupcake Still Cooking

2009-07-21T17:49:00.000-06:00

After a wedding outside of Grand Forks on Saturday, I went to the ER and was admitted for preeclampsia. Made it down to Abbott on Monday night. I'm holding steady and will be here until delivery - whenever that happens. I'm 30 weeks Wednesday (tomorrow) , and the goal is to keep Cupcake "cooking" as long as possible.

My little Donald O'Connor

2009-06-29T07:46:00.003-06:00

The Bud is totally enamored with Donald O'Connor's number "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singing in the Rain.

He has been reenacting it for a few days now. He doesn't know all the words - but enough to make it pretty convincing. Key components to the reenactment include jumping down from someplace to start off the song (O'Connor jumps down from a piano at the beginning), hitting someone with a hat, sliding on the floor on your knees, spinning in a circle on the floor while laughing like crazy, and general jumping around with fancy leg kicks. Thankfully there have been no attempts to do the wall climbing flips. Whew!

What Mind?

2009-06-24T08:12:00.003-06:00

For the life of me I cannot find anything I need this morning.

I said to the Bud, "I'm losing my mind!"

He replied earnestly, "What mind?"

Exactly.

Coffee-Boo on the Morning Deck

2009-06-22T10:44:00.011-06:00

It's Monday, and I have no clear plan of when I will get out of my Jim-Jams for the day. I love summer!

So far we have done some stamping (note the blue ink on the arms and face of the Bud in the close-up pic below), played a little Chutes and Ladders, and had a coffee-boo on the morning deck.

Last week Mr. 5 made a deck in a day on the back side of our house (the side that faces the garage and driveway - a prime playing area). He has had some scrap lumber set aside for the project for awhile. The back side of our house is always shady until noon - perfect for enjoying a morning cup of coffee. The cabin deck on the other side of the house (which I love - don't get me wrong) gets blasted with sun until the evening.

It's the perfect size for a couple of chairs and a little table.

The Bud loves his "coffee-boo". Which should probably be spelled Coffee-bou after this place - which is where he first had a steamed milk with caramel syrup. I'm not sure how he decided on the name - they call it a reindeer drink there.

My brain is in "easy knitting only" mode. So I started a simple garter stitch shawl with an eyelet row every so often. The pattern calls for a ruffled edge with a crocheted picot edge on the ruffle. I plan to keep the ruffle, but not the crochet picot - that's a little too much frosting for me. Ravelry Link

I've been feeling a little under the weather with a summer cold for the past few days. With Cupcake along for the ride, I am unwilling to take any drugs, so the cold seems a bit worse than it really is. Grandma G loaned me one of these yesterday. I was frightened at first, but once I tried it - it made a lot of sense. Today I feel like I am more on the mend. I'm hoping that feeling continues.

Happy Summer, Everyone!

They say it's June

2009-06-07T19:05:00.004-06:00

...but you wouldn't know it from the weather this weekend.
It's been so cold and rainy.
The drizzle stopped enough today for a small group of us from the Roseville String Ensemble to play at a re-dedication of an amphitheater of a local park.

Let me tell you... it was cold. I was very thankful for my fingerless mitts - and yes, I kept them on during our performance. Did I say it was cold?

We had no idea just how cold and windy it would feel out at the park.
Grandma and Grandpa pulled out the emergency blanket they had stashed in the car!

Thanks to Mr. 5 for taking a few photos while I was trying to keep my fingers warm and moving enough to play selections from Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story.
There is something special about playing show tunes in a park though. I don't get to do that enough.

Speaking of the photos. We got ourselves a new camera in preparation for a new spurt of important photo taking with Cupcake arriving this fall. Thanks, Bertha, for allowing us to upgrade with your upgrade.

Also in preparation for Cupcake...

...the Baby Surprise Jacket is finished. I used fingering weight, so it is small - but it is the perfect size for a newborn.
I love how this pattern looks in a semi-solid yarn.

I love knitting away at the soothing garter stitch.

And I love the complete genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman - only an amazingly gifted knitting mind could come up with such a pattern.
I am knitting a Sweet Baby Cap to match, and I might think about some booties or socks if I have enough yarn left after that.

Ravelry Project Page

I may need to make another BSJ in a slightly larger size, we will see.
I did splurge last weekend and purchased a kit for a Tulip Cardigan (with the Anita's Rainbow set of colors), and I have some other ideas too. I'm not sure what I will start next.

So many choices.

It's a.... Cupcake!

2009-05-25T18:35:00.000-06:00

Recently we had the big ultrasound and found out that the little one on the way is a girl. I'm "old" this time around and had the super-duper ultrasound, so they were very sure (they were not just looking for the absence of boy parts, but clearly saw the presence of girl ones).

When we told the Bud, he was convinced that we had ignored his request for a baby brother - until he talked to his good friend A. who has a 6 month old baby sister. Her excitement for him turned him around (Thank you, A!). She also had a ton of advice for him - including that he needed to come up with a nickname for the baby before she is born. He thought for a bit and came up with cupcake.
So, Cupcake it is.

Ravelry Link

I finally finished the "Jim Shirt" (aka vest) I was working on for the Bud this weekend. I only knit on it about 5 different days, but it took about a month to squeeze those 5 days in.

The fit is good except for the length. I followed the length guidelines for his size in the pattern, but I think I may rip out the cast on edge and make it longer at some point.

The Bud is a big fan though, and that's what counts.

Grandma and Grandpa came over for Memorial Day today. We planted tomatoes, and had a fabulous lunch on the deck.

The Bud got to plant his very own garden of marigolds with Grandma, who also brought him a special bud-sized watering can. He has been watering everything possible all day.

I have been working a little on the lace part of my Ishbel Shawl (Ravelry Link), but I must be too tired for lace - I've messed up somehow three different times, and I just need to let it rest for a bit before I do something rash. Perhaps once school is out, my head will be clearer.

Instead I cast on a little something for Cupcake with lots of soothing garter stitch.

Ravelry Link

It's my first Baby Surprise Jacket, and like so many knitters before me, I am wowed by the genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman. Since I am using fingering weight yarn, this will be "first week of life" size. I wouldn't make this size for a gift, but I know that I want to have a little sweater to wear coming home, and this will be perfect.

Here's to great spring weather and days off with family.

Shepherd's Harvest

2009-05-10T11:25:00.005-06:00

It was chilly yesterday at Shepherd's Harvest, but the rain stayed away.

Mr. 5 and the Bud came for the morning, and I met up with my good friend R and her little one who was a trooper through the whole day.

I stuck pretty close to my budget plan - there was so much eye candy, it was a little tough at times.

There was one thing I knew for sure I was going to get for myself, a pendant from Jennie the Potter. I was eyeing them at Yarnover, and knew she would be selling at SH too.

To my complete surprise, Mr. 5 and the Bud picked up one of her beautiful bowls for a sweet Mother's day gift. I don't know how they did it without me seeing - they are just that good.

Her sheepy wares are cute, but I'm a huge fan of her other non-knitting related designs.

I also budgeted to pick up some fiber yesterday.
I have not done much spinning since I got my wheel a few months ago - mostly because I have been exhausted from working on this. But I am back at it again (now that I have more energy) and hope to spin more through the summer.

I am getting better at spinning thinner and more evenly, but I wanted some more fiber to practice on. And I wanted enough to have some usable yardage at the end just in case it ends up being a little thicker. So I ended up bringing home close to a pound of this coopsworth in "Maple Leaves".

My last purchase was from the Briar Rose stand. I couldn't resist their colors.

Everything of theirs was so lovely - I could have just picked a skein with my eyes closed and been completely happy.

Shepherd's Harvest also gave me the chance to do my first official Kinnearing of local reporter Maya Nishikawa.

Here is her photo she posted via twitter. (Scroll up to my photo of the sheep shearing - look familiar?)

I'm looking forward to an evening on the deck with ribs on the grill. Mmmmm.

I won!

2009-05-10T05:21:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it - it was an honor just to be nominated - I never thought it could actually be me!

Click here for a video about the announcement.
(The part about looking for the retainer in the garbage cracks me up.)

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there.

Knitting with Glass?

2009-05-08T17:57:00.003-06:00

When we were out an about the other day, I saw this light fixture in the window of a local lighting store.

The shop was closed, so I couldn't get very close with the phone on my camera, but here is a somewhat closer shot of the glass stitches.

I'm headed to Shepherd's Harvest tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers for no rain!

Thank you!

2009-05-02T20:45:00.000-06:00

Many, many thanks to those of you who donated to the Roseville String Ensemble and sent good wishes to our group over the last month.
Your generosity was wonderful, and raised $400 for the RSE - enough to cover the cost of purchasing/renting music for one of our concerts next year!

Throughout the past month I have added each new entry to the drawing into an excel spreadsheet automatically assigning a number to each entry.
Today, with the help of a trusty online number generator, I "drew" names.

The first prize package of Malabrigo worsted goes to... #9 - Michelle of KnittingInTransit

The Malabrigo Lace prize package goes to... #29 - Carrie of sadlonelycreator

The sock knitter's prize package goes to... #3 - Joan of joanie1803knits

and the skein of "Lame Duck" beautifully spun generously donated by Nuttnbunny goes to... #36 - Annette of confessionsofayarnaddict

I will send out prizes this week.

For those of you who might be in the twin cities area, tomorrow is our last concert of the season:

A Senior Shoppe Jim

2009-04-27T17:44:00.005-06:00

We actually had some warm days last week. Warm enough to eat out on the deck and chat with the neighbors. It's gotten a bit chilly and rainy since then, but soon it will be deck weather all the time - I can feel it.
And just in case you didn't know, I totally *heart* my deck.

Thank you for all of the congratulations on the last post. We are pretty excited around here. As I get more and more into the second trimester, I feel my knitting mojo returning. Soon we will have the big appointment where we should learn gender.

Then I can know if I want to use this for a BSJ,

or perhaps one of these for another February Baby sweater.

I think I might need to make another one of these too.

Until then... I'm working on a Jim.
A Jim?
Yes, a Jim.

We don't dress up much around here at la casa de cinco, but we made an attempt on Easter. I dug around in the hand-me-downs from my favorite nephew and found a sweater vest that was a right-now-perfect-fit on the Bud. He loved it, and called it a "Jim".
We were confused for a bit, but we have come to the conclusion that he met someone recently named Jim who was wearing a sweater vest.
Mr. 5 decided to join in the fun and wear a vest too, and the Bud declared them both "Jims" for Easter.

Hence my latest project - a larger Jim for the Bud.
I even swatched. Whoa!

All the yarn is from a find at the senior run gift shoppe (that's right - a shoppe, not a shop) at the community center where I sometimes have meetings for work.
The main color was a white wool (similar to Cascade 220) that I dyed with coffee.
The stripes are some discontinued Green Mountain Spinnery I snagged at the same shoppe for a few quarters.
I started with only my wits and a little math, but then I took a look at Blank Canvas [rav link] and that was pretty much my plan, so I will make that my official pattern.

I love how Yarn Pirate's striping pattern worked out with one thicker stripe in the middle, and imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, right?

I realize it is spring, and then it will be summer - probably not the best time to get the most wear out of a wool vest... so I am trying to make it a bit big for the Bud with the hope that he will still be able to wear it this fall. He's been growing so much, we will have to see how my over sizing works out.

One final reminder...
The RSE drawing is coming to a close this Friday (click on the image in the sidebar to see all posts related to the drawing). I should be able to draw names on Saturday.
Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far!
If you would still like to make a donation and/or be entered in the drawing - see this post.

Smoke and Mirrors

2009-04-18T18:24:00.004-06:00

It's not that I really wanted to try duplicate stitch, or that I wanted to bow down to the "chocqua" gods. No, it's all smoke and mirrors.

I started this little chocolate toddler cardigan mid-July last summer (yes, many months ago). I was well on my way to finishing it within a few lazy weeks, but then...I started the second skein. Yes, it was from the same dyelot, but as I started knitting it was so clearly milk chocolate next to dark chocolate, breakfast blend next to espresso. It was jarring and disappointing.

I really didn't feel like ripping it out at the time. So I started thinking of options. It's cotton (a wonderfully soft and lovely cotton by Blue Sky), so I couldn't overdye it very easily. If I ripped back and alternated skeins it would look stripey - blech. I could rip out the whole thing and see which of my 4 skeins looked the best together. While I was thinking I finished the body of the sweater - just to see what it would look like. I couldn't decide what to do, so the sweater went into a time out. I kept it was an active WIP in Ravelry, just so I would remember I should deal with it at some point.

I have been jonesing for a FO lately - my knitting mojo has been on vacation, the last thing I have actually finished was my Pi - gasp, that was back in January. I thought to myself, "this little sweater only needs some sleeves. I will just continue on and finish the sleeves and see what I think."

As you can probably guess, it was no better, it was just finished. So, what to do with my little two-toned cardigan?
Distract the eye!
Smoke and mirrors.
Duplicate stitch.

Ravelry Project Page

My one complaint is that I was knitting this sweater as gender neutral - to be swayed one way or the other by button choice. Now with the duplicate stitch, I think it looks more feminine regardless of which buttons I choose.
So I picked up some little orange flowers. I just couldn't pass them up.

So why have I been in such a knitting dry spell?
I have been focused on a different Work in Progress - which should be finished late September.

I have been feeling the knitting mojo finally coming back lately, and have some ideas of knits to work on before this fall.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T06:40:00.003-06:00

To those celebrating today, Happy Easter from all of us including Easter Darth.

Another Prize for the Non-Raffle

2009-04-10T08:15:00.000-06:00

It was a rough patch last week. During a freakish (but short) hail storm there was one clap of thunder and accompanying lightning which hit something that fried our cable modem, wireless router and network card of our "old beast" computer.
It took some figuring over several days, but I'm so glad to be back on the internets.

During my internet dry spell, I met up with nuttnbunny for a class at the local Textile Center on Shibori techniques - resist dying in the Japanese tradition - using silk scarves.

This was my first class at the Textile Center, and it was fabulous!
We used the center's dye lab with it's perfect set up of many sinks and much counter space.

We twisted, braided, and clamped silk scarves. It was so fun to play with the colors, and I don't think there was a wrong choice or color combination in the class.

See more scarves from our class here.

At our meet-up, nuttnbunny generously donated some of her fabulous handspun to the RSE fundraiser drawing.

Prize #4 One Skein of NuttnbunnySpunme
"Lame Duck" - 175 yards of Superwash BFL in DK weight

Nuttnbunny is an amazing spinner and an extremely generous soul. She has more fabulous skeins for sale in her esty shop, and 10% of each purchase in her shop is donated to Kulture Klub, a non-profit organization serving homeless teens in the Twin Cities.

Thank you to so many of you who have donated to the Roseville String Ensemble! I am thrilled to see all of the donations adding up for a cause that means to much to me.
If you are interested in donating and entering the "non-raffle" for fabulous prizes, click on the button near the top of my sidebar (this shows you only the posts tagged as related to the raffle), and scroll down to the first post for more information.

A Little Minnesota Trivia

2009-03-30T16:53:00.004-06:00

Did you know that hosting an online raffle in Minnesota is illegal?
Yeah... Well... Obviously I did not.
While I think it would be highly unlikely that the state of MN would take
notice of my little raffle, I would not want to do anything to jeopardize
the tax-exempt status of of the Roseville String Ensemble.

I light of this, I am making a few adjustments so that my fundraising cannot
be classified as gambling.

Here's the plan:

I am now hosting a free to enter drawing with the same fabulous prizes from the previous post to bring awareness to the financial need of the Roseville String Ensemble. A
donation is not required to be a part of the drawing (just comment or send
me an email), however it is highly encouraged in any amount - since my whole
goal with giving stuff away is to raise money for the group. (ahem - did I mention a donation in any amount is highly encouraged?) Ok then.

If you post about my drawing on your own blog, send me a link and I will
enter your name in the drawing twice.

All donations via the PayPal link to the Roseville String Ensemble will now
be tax-deductible (raffle ticket purchases are not). You will receive an
official donation receipt for tax purposes via email.

This has me a little deflated, since there was an exciting response from you
all in the first 24 hours, however I know the online knitting community is
extremely giving, a I am very confident that my drawing will still
bring in donations for this very worthy cause.

ETA: Please excuse the funky formatting on this post. I can't seem to figure it out

Raffle Drawing for the RSE

2009-03-29T17:05:00.000-06:00

(Psst... stay with me through the long story, there's a ~~raffle~~ drawing with fabulous prizes farther down.)

I don't talk much about my viola playing on this blog, but music has always been a big part of my life. Shortly after I started teaching, a cello playing colleague of mine asked if I would be interested in joining a newly formed (and very small) group of amateur string players.

At the beginning there were not many of us - I can remember nights when we were just a quartet of three violins and me. However over the past ten years our group, the Roseville String Ensemble, has grown into a community treasure.

We now have about 40 players (representing a wide age range from just out of college to past retirement), a permanent conductor, and a history of attracting some of the area's finest soloists. We perform three free concerts a year encouraging attendees to bring a non-perishable item for our local food shelf.

The RSE runs on a very lean budget funded by donations, and a small locally funded grant. With this we pay a meager amount to our conductor and soloists as well as purchase music and rent space for our concerts.

It's no surprise in these "tough economic times" that our donations are not what they have been in the past. In addition to that, we have recently found out that the group which provided us with an annual grant will not be able to continue that funding. As it stands, the Roseville String Ensemble will not have enough funding to continue for the 09-10 season.

I truly believe this group is a community treasure - providing a quality musical experience free for anyone. The Roseville String Ensemble is also a personal treasure. Without it I know I would no longer have a place to enjoy playing my viola with others. When I meet up with someone I know from college or high school, I am often asked, "so... are you still playing?" I am always so happy and proud to say that I am.

I am also proud that my son is growing up seeing me as part of this group. It is such a gift that he can watch me enjoying instrumental music as an adult, as well as see me as a person with varied interests and passions.
I love that he loves music, that he is interested in my viola and all kinds of other instruments, and that he enjoys attending concerts (mine and others).
Without the Roseville String Ensemble I know that I would not be the same kind of musical role model for him.

(Phew! Are you still with me?)

I don’t have unlimited funds to give as much as I would like from my own pocket to the RSE, but something I can give is yarn.

I am suddenly reminded of that masterpiece of film making Three Amigos, specifically the part when the townspeople decide to fight back using their strengths:

Ned Nederlander: This is not a town of weaklings! You can use your strengths against El Guapo. Now, what is it that this town really does well?
Townspeople: Hmmm. Hmmm? Ummm.
[long pause]
Mama Sanchez: We can sew!
Dusty Bottoms: There you go, you can sew.
Ned Nederlander: Ah.
Dusty Bottoms: If only we had known this sooner.

So like the townspeople I am using what I have – yarn and a blog. I am still wincing just a bit at the fact that I have decided to give up some serious stash favorites. I did purchase a few things to go along with the yarn from some of my favorite local shops to round out the prize packages for you.

Now, let's see the fabulous prize packages:

Prize #1 - Much Malabrigo!

6 skeins of Malabrigo worsted (yes, SIX! - that's 1300 yards) in an amazing "garnet" color. Plenty for a larger project like a sweater, or scads of hats and mittens.

Prize value = $66

Prize #2 - Lace and Beads

2 skeins of Malabrigo Lace (940 yds) in luscious "Black Forest" start off this package.

I have not yet knit with beads, but now I can knit vicariously through you. I popped over to my favorite local bead store, the Bead Monkey, and found these amethyst colored beads (about 800 of them) that really bring out the purple in the gray.

If you choose to make a shawl, you may need a pin. This is the third of these shawl pins I've purchased from the swanky LYS conveniently located a few doors down from where I get my hair cut. The first was for me, the second a gift, and the third is for you. I love the simplicity of the design, and that it is always secure without stretching out stitches.

Prize value = $50

Prize #3 - Stuff for Sock Knitters

I am a lover of semi-solids, and I hope you are too.

To start off this package you will receive two skeins of ShibuiKnits Sock in "Sand". I loved knitting with Shibui on the pair of Cascading Leaves I made for a gift last Christmas.

Ok... I have winced as I made the decision to part with all of these skeins, but the next is particularly wince worthy for me.

I just love to stare at the rich, semi-solid goodness of this skein of Zen Yarn Garden Gemilicious Fingering in "Honey Wheat". This is a limited edition skein made for Roxanne's Harmony Semi-Solid Sock Yarn Club. I have been in her club for the past 9 months and she never disappoints.

Since this is a package for sock knitters, I added in a set of ten of my stitch markers made specifically for US 2 or smaller needles. I use a strong and stretchy beading elastic to make these markers. It has a give like yarn when you transfer from needle to needle, and it has no rigid, metal circle going around to interfere with your stitches. The metal crimps holding it together are sterling silver with no seams or wrapped wire to snag your project.

These stitch markers are very light and small - perfect for knitting socks or other projects on small needles. Each marker has a different color combination of beads from a "carnivalle" collection of colors.

And what's a sock project without a bag to tote it around in. Along with the sock yarn and markers you will receive a darling screen printed muslin project bag by Fia.

Prize value = $60

~~Here's how the raffle works:~~

~~For each $5 you donate to the Roseville String Ensemble, I will enter your name once in the raffle.~~
~~If you donate $20 (4 entries), I will throw in an extra raffle entry for free - that makes 5 entries to win!~~
~~With any donation amount, if you also advertise for my raffle with a post on your blog, email me the link, and I will enter your name again for free.~~
In an attempt to keep everything raffle related together, please email me at rosevillestrings[AT]earthlink[DOT]net.

Please know that every penny you donate will go to the RSE. I am personally donating all prizes and shipping costs.

Edited to Add:
Did you know that hosting an online raffle in Minnesota is illegal?
Yeah... Well... Obviously I did not.
While I think it would be highly unlikely that the state of MN would take
notice of my little raffle, I would not want to do anything to jeopardize
the tax-exempt status of of the Roseville String Ensemble.

I light of this, I am making a few adjustments so that my fundraising cannot
be classified as gambling.

Here's the plan:

I am now hosting a free to enter drawing with the same fabulous prizes above to bring awareness to the financial need of the Roseville String Ensemble. A
donation is not required to be a part of the drawing (just comment or send
me an email), however it is highly encouraged in any amount - since my whole
goal with giving stuff away is to raise money for the group. (ahem - did I mention a donation in any amount is highly encouraged?) Ok then.

If you post about my drawing on your own blog, send me a link and I will
enter your name in the drawing twice.

All donations via the PayPal link to the Roseville String Ensemble will now
be tax-deductible (raffle ticket purchases are not). You will receive an
official donation receipt for tax purposes via email.

This has me a little deflated, since there was an exciting response from you
all in the first 24 hours, however I know the online knitting community is
extremely giving, a I am very confident that my drawing will still
bring in donations for this very worthy cause.

This ~~raffle~~ drawing will run through April and end Friday, May 1st. The last concert of the RSE 08-09 season is Sunday, May 3rd. I will announce winners over that weekend and celebrate the ~~results of the raffle~~ donations at our concert.

Without further ado, I give you the paypal link:

Special thanks to earthchicknits for her fabulous raffle advice!

I Heart Spring Break!

2009-03-18T15:13:00.003-06:00

I never seem to go out of town for Spring Break... but that doesn't mean that I love it any less.

Today the Bud and I took off for the local "free" zoo.
If you live around here, you know that there is the free zoo and the spendy zoo, and the free zoo fit our needs for the day perfectly.

Technically it's still winter season for the zoo, so some of the animals were gone, and most of the animals were in their indoor habitats - but that just meant that we were not fighting the crowds.

If you ask him, the Bud says his favorite animals were the snakes, but we spent the most time by far looking at the fish.

The Bud also had a fascination with the benches around the Zoo. We needed to test out as many as possible.

It was a great way to spend the morning.

I know it's been weeks since my last post... I haven't been feeling the blog love as much lately. Only for my own blog - I have really been enjoying posts by all of you.
Thank you for sharing what you do!

Here's a quick catch up on on the last month or so.

I decided to buy myself a new toy.

It arrived unfinished and Mr.5 did a fabulous job of finishing it for me. He even recommended the paint color for the wheel - "kimono violet".
I will take some pictures of my latest spinning soon.

I was inspired by ADD Knitter's Ishbel, so I started one of my own with this wonderful stuff.

Yet another thing that needs some photos.

Lately though I have been working on this old project. It's funny how some WIPs just rise to the surface unexpectedly.

A Medley of Favorites

2009-02-07T11:32:00.004-06:00

I've been in a little blogging slump.

I meant to post about the great knitting fun I had two weekends ago at the Bohus exhibit at the American Swedish institute, but it just never seemed to happen.

Shelly, Nuttnbunny and I attended a few of the Saturday events together.
There was knitting to do, see and talk about, and lunch out on the town.

Shelly posted a bunch about our day on her blog.

During the knitting fun we were discussing chowls (cowls for children). I mentioned that I needed to make a new one for the Bud, since his huge noggin is getting in the way of using his current one. Nuttnbunny had the brilliant idea of using his cowl as a way to practice steeking.

So I went for it and cut my first steek.

I decided on machine stitching on either side since I used slippery superwash for the cowl. I may have been able to get away with a crocheted steek, but that will give me something to try next time.

I added a little garter stitch button band and a few random buttons from the stash.

The Bud's response: "I want to wear it every day all day."
Good response, kid! :)

Last night the Bud was singing at the table after dinner. Mr. 5 asked him if we could make a movie of him singing. Here is the result:

It's a little dark in our dining room, but you get a clear idea of the "kid's music" we listen to around here.

Pi for the New Year

2009-01-11T20:33:00.004-06:00

Long have I loved colorway 100 of Trekking XXL.

When I saw multiple skeins at a LYS, I had to snatch them up. Since I had two, I felt drawn to to make something other than socks. Mid-December (in the throws of gift knitting) I cast on for a Pi shawl. I liked the idea of the long color repeats mirroring the concentric circles of yarn over rounds. However as I started I went back and forth between wondering if I was making a shawl I would love or just knitting rainbow craziness.

Knitting Pi is so absolutely zen - nothing but a row counter and knit, knit, knit.
I think that is why it went so quickly. I wanted to pick it up instead of other more "thinky" things.

This is the first knitting I have pinned out to block.
Mr. 5 (D's new online moniker thanks to Nuttnbunny!) had a big square piece of insulation that seemed to be waiting for this task. Covered with a sheet, it was a perfect blocking board.

The Bud was very interested in what I was doing. He did a nice job of leaving things be, and made a perfect helper when it was time to pull out the pins.

In this shot you can see my one modification - the edging. I debated on what to do. I wanted the color to keep rippling out in the same direction. All of EZ's edgings are perpendicular to the shawl. That would have put blocks of color around the edge, which may have looked fine, but was not what I really wanted.
Instead, I knit to the increase of 576 stitches, continued in the concentric circle pattern through 4 more repeats, and then did the YO round every other round for 12 rounds and cast off.

You can also see in the picture that I left my end to weave in until after blocking. I was not quite sure how much it would block out, and I wanted to make sure I was not weaving in too tightly.

Other than the center, this was the only end to weave in. To join the skeins I used a Russian join
- all I can say is... amazing! I will definitely do that again. I made sure the color matched at the point of the join, and you can't even see it. Plus - no ends to weave in Love it!

Pattern: Pi Shawl by Elizabeth Zimmerman from Knitter's Almanac
Needles: US 6 circs
Yarn: Trekking XXL #100
Ravelry

It's not quite big enough to fold over a "collar" and drape over my arms like some Pi I have seen, so I will probably pull it up around my shoulders a bit more and pin it with my favorite fibula clasp. Also, then it doesn't look quite so much like I have a target on my back.

Looking at the back like that makes me inspired to make a fair isle yoke sweater.
Hmmm....

Evangeline Cowl

2009-01-03T13:16:00.006-06:00

Way back in November of "aught 8" I whipped up some Evangeline mitts to keep my hands warm in my temperature challenged library.

When I finished, D looked at them and said, "I love that cable - you should use it on a cowl" and followed it up with, "I would totally wear a cowl like that."
How could I resist a) the knitting flattery, b) the great idea, and c) a request for knitting that would provide the small project FO high .

So here it is, the first FO of "aught 9", the Evangeline Cowl:

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy "Cloud Jungle" - which happens to be the recommended yarn for the Evangeline Mitt pattern. I used less than half the skein, so with one skein you could potentially make both the cowl and the mitts!
Needles: US 7 (I used a 47" circular needle to magic loop - I divided 54 stitches [3 cable repeats] and 36 stitches [2 cable repeats]), you will also need a cable needle or spare DPN
Gauge: 5 stitches = 1 inch in Stockinette
Ravelry

Cast on 90 stitches, join in the round and purl one round.
Set up round: *p2, k6, p2, k6, p2* repeat 5 times around

Cable Pattern:
Round 1: *p2, k6, p2, k6, p2* repeat 5 times around

Rounds 2, 4, 6, 8 & 10 - Knit or Purl all stitches as them come (i.e. knit the knits and purl the purls)

Round 3: *p2, put 4 stitches on a spare DPN and hold to the back, k2, knit the 4 on the DPN, p2, put 2 stitches on a DPN and hold to the front, k4, k the 2 stitches from the DPN, p2* repeat 5 times around

Round 5: *p2, k4, put 2 stitches on a DPN and hold to the front, p1, k the 2 from the DPN, put 1 stitch on a DPN and hold to the back, k2, p the stitch from the DPN, k4, p2* repeat 5 times around

Round 7: *p2, k4, p1, put 2 stitches on a DPN and hold to the front, k2, k the 2 from the DPN, p1, k4, p2* repeat 5 times around

Round 9: *p2, k4, put 1 stitch on a DPN and hold to the back, k2, p the stitch on the DPN, put 2 stitches on a DPN and hold forward, p1, k the 2 stitches on the DPN, k4, p2* repeat 5 times around

After the "set up round" knit the cable pattern (rounds 1-10) a total of four times.

Finish by knitting rounds 1-4 of the cable pattern, repeat round 4, and bind off in purl. Weave in the ends and block.

This cowl is made to be fitted. Since I like to be able to tuck my chin in my cowls, if I were to make one for myself, I would probably CO 108 stitches and do 6 cable repeats around. Maybe one pattern repeat taller as well. Mods are what it's all about, right?

There was one more little FO of "aught 8".

I was going through my sock yarn bin last week, and the Bud saw this:

He was totally taken with the colors and kept saying, "yep, those are the colors I like."

So just as '08 was on it's way out, I whipped up a quick pair of Budlet socks [Ravelry].

The last pair of socks I made for him I tried out a short row heel for the first time. This time I tried an afterthought heel. Where I would normally break for the heel, I knit a piece of waste yarn across half of the stitches. Then I put those waste yarn stitches back on the needle and continued around like normal. After finishing the toe, I picked out the waste yarn and knit a round heel (like a round toe).

I really enjoyed knitting the heel this way, but I will probably knit a deeper heel for his chunky lil' feet next time.

Happy New Year, everyone!

So much handmade goodness

2008-12-30T08:00:00.016-06:00

I handmade more gifts this year than I ever have before.

I know that I was motivated in part by the economy to make more gifts this year, even knitting almost entirely from stash. However there is also something so fulfilling about giving a handmade gift to people you love.

It seems I was not alone in this idea...
so much handmade goodness, gifts I truly cherish - I can't help but share them here.

There were, of course, a couple of "five" gifts.

A wonderful stuffed five from one of D's coworkers.

Not handmade by D, but totally amazing nonetheless - a glass, five belt buckle from Kiku Handmade. It coordinates perfectly with my necklace!

I love this hand drawn tile by my brother-in-law. It makes me think of Chuck Close only on a small scale. (ETA: When the Bud saw Frank, he said, "that looks like my dad! - I can see it).

My sister made gifts out of "retired" fabric samples from a specific store to which we have a little connection (advertised on my shirt in this photo).

Two super cute project bags. The construction is very clever - using the grommets that held the swatches on a ring for the casing openings inside.

This fabulous bag is made from larger swatches.

The red fabric comes to a point on the back side too. S used that design feature to make a cute triangle pocket on the inside.

A fabulous bag finished with a fabulous button.

My mom is an amazing seamstress as well.
She made my sister and me vintage style aprons.

The white bias tape completes the vintage look.

What's an apron without matching potholders?

She stitched layers of fabric together, sliced through the top few layers, finished the binding, and then washed the finished potholder to create the stripes of frayed fabric.

Here you can see the green, contrasting, un-cut layer peeking out.

I love the colors and the unique construction.

I was not the only recipient of my mom's super sewing.
She made the bud a darling lion pillow.

He hasn't slept on any other pillow since.

The Bud still loves his amazing activity book she created for him last year.
Click on the mosaic to link to photos of each individual page.

The Bud's favorite is still the kangaroo page with the little joey inside the pocket.

We have enjoyed so many fabulous and thoughtful gifts this year, including the gift of time spent with family and friends - I am truly blessed and grateful.

There's nothing like frantic, last minute, Christmas shopping

2008-12-25T19:30:00.000-06:00

We had a completely frantic evening when our long planned gift for the Bud had a total system failure at the last possible moment.

We punted, and thank goodness toy stores are open late before Christmas.

He loves it, and a replacement for the original gift will be arriving in 8-10 weeks. Just in time for a merry St. Patrick's Day.

Here are a few of my favorite shots he has taken:

Nesting Santas on the windowsill

Peeking "cuties" (aka Korknisse)

Our Christmas Tree (which we like!)

D in the kitchen preparing our fabulous meal.

and me - saying "cheese" for the 57th time since our gift opening.

Here's hoping you are staying warm and are with those you love.

You can be your youiest!

2008-12-20T19:21:00.002-06:00

I came across this today on TOT LOL (a Bud friendly way to search YouTube).

I think we played it twenty times accompanying the song with maracas and swaying (you just can't help the swaying).

We jumped over to TOT LOL after looking for the Bud's 2nd favorite Christmas song (second only to Rudolph).

I'm not sure why he loves Feliz Navidad so much, but it's a total crack up listening to him sing along with Jose.

Deadlines Make Me Rebel

2008-12-13T12:39:00.004-06:00

There is nothing like a deadline on a project to make we want to work on something else.

I still have a few projects to finish with a very specific deadline coming up fast. But instead of working on those, this week I found myself starting this:

Pattern: Pi Shawl by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Trekking XXL #100
Needles: US 6 - 40" circ (magic looped to the 288 increase)
[Ravelry]

I snagged 2 skeins of this amazing colorway at a fabulous little yarn shop this Fall. I have had a crush on #100 for a long while, and could not stop myself from buying more than one skein. For some reason, I wanted to make something other than socks. I love the simple geometric circles of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Pi shawl... especially with the YOs every 6th round.

I made it past the increase to 288 stitches on the first day. The rings of color are still pleasingly clear past that point. I am hopeful that they won't be too "muddy" past the 576 increase.

I am telling myself now that I need to finish other things before picking it up again. That doesn't stop me from contemplating border edgings. I want something that keeps with the simple style that won't compete with the colorway (no gull lace etc.). Do I do a plain garter stitch edge perpendicular to the shawl? That changes the direction of the colorway, and I'm not totally sold on that. Another idea I had was doing a simple edging of a few inches of YO rows - every other round instead of every 6th.
Ideas? Thoughts?

In the FO pile I a have a few more mitts. I can show these, because I am certain the intended recipient is not one of my readers.

Pattern: Improvised (details on Ravelry)
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock
Needles: US 1

These were in a time out for about 2 weeks - finished with the ends waiting to be woven in - because the fraternal-ness was bugging me. Now they have grown on me a bit.

I originally thought I might knit two more mitts from the skein and decide on which should be paired together. Now - after a time out - I have decided to let the Noro be Noro and consider these a pair. (Maybe I'm just lazy and thinking of Pi.)

Many of you know of my affinity for the number five. I couldn't resist adding this darling charm to my recent order from LizzyBleu. Somehow the listing for it was right below my reserved listing - it was fate.

I can't show my other gifty purchases here, but take a look at her shop of fabulous items made from vintage typewriter keys and other recycled objects.

Anniversary Cowl

2008-12-07T13:17:00.008-06:00

It was a year ago that I sat down with some lovely Yarn Pirate BFL sock yarn to make a cowl for my mom for Christmas. I tried a few different attempts that resulted in not so lovely pooling, and ended up holding the yarn doubled with the colorway staggered.

After Christmas I posted some "how to" information about my Gloria Cowl on my flickr page.
Who knew that I was adding a simple, speedy cowl pattern into the mix right at the start of the cowl craze of 2008.

1. Maryse Ro, 2. Betty Loves Yarn, 3. *Melanie*, 4. flwrhead, 5. jillthereckless, 6. Bertha, 7. JulieFrick, 8. cmr727, 9. knitting by bicycle, 10. terhimon, 11. knitting by bicycle, 12. knittinging,13. aspenglow, 14. Elinor Brown,15. wannabeknittin’ ,16. cauchy09,17. weetsiewoolens, 18. 100%philistinemade, 19. zknitter, 20. sarahemcc, 21. sarahemcc, 22. (anne), 23. novamade, 24. Cyknithia, 25. knitter in the kitchen, 26. riverwoman, 27. elinknits, 28. femiknitter, 29. KessaKnits, 30. funkycarolina, 31. affiknitty, 32. Jejune Ennui, 33. merwenna, 34. jetbot, 35. greendillybean

This year I enjoyed knitting vicariously through all the varied yarn choices and modifications, and I loved seeing all of the ideas that knitters added to make their finished cowls truly their own.

To celebrate a year of Gloria, I have an Anniversary Cowl pattern to share.
It's to celebrate an anniversary, but it is also inspired by the cuff of Nancy Bush's Anniversary Socks in Interweave Knits' Favorite Socks.

Ravelry
Gauge: 5 stitches = 1” (of stockinette)
Needle: US 8 - 16" circular
Yarn: Approx 100 grams of fingering weight yarn (about 400 yards), I used Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Sock "It's a Girl" (80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon) It is so soft and squooshibly perfect!
Knit two strands together for the entire pattern.

This cowl makes for great semi-mindless knitting because there are only two pattern rounds to remember:
Regular round = k2, p1, k1, p1 (repeat around)
Crossed round = C2*, p1, k1, p1 (repeat around)
*C2 = knit into the back of the second stitch on needle (leave on needle), then into the back of the first stitch. Slip both stitches off the needle - the stitches cross into a 2 stitch cable.
I knit left handed, so, all you righties out there, your cable will cross the other way

Cast on a multiple of 5 stitches – I cast on 110
Join in the round - and (say it with me) be sure your stitches are not twisted.
Purl one round
Knit 2 regular rounds
Knit 1 crossed round

Continue with 3 regular rounds followed by 1 crossed round.
Repeat with a 3 regular, and 1 crossed round pattern until "done".
Finish with 2 regular rounds and bind off in purl.
My finished cowl is 8" tall.

I blocked my cowl with the BO as the bottom since that edge seemed to have more visual weight to it. I also squished the cable rib together at the top and stretched it out at the bottom during blocking to create a nice flare.

I am thrilled with the squishy, cozy weight of this cowl.
Long live cowls!

I'm not sure if we like our Christmas tree...

2008-12-01T17:54:00.005-06:00

Ok... so maybe we do.
This was going on for about 10 minutes before I grabbed the camera.

Our weekend was filled with fun...

There was a hay ride. The Bud really was having a good time... he was just very focused on a candy cane. He was perhaps also confused by the fact that the woman taking the photo was calling him Bradley (not his name) to get him to look and smile.

We also met Santa for the first time. We are not be "sit on Santa's lap" folk - but he just happened to be "visiting" the tree farm we went to, and the Bud was pretty excited about it, so we went with it.

Later on when the Bud was supposed to be napping, I checked on him and he whispered to me, "I met Santa".
I think it made an impression.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T14:32:00.003-06:00

We are hanging hanging close to home today. It doesn't quite feel like a holiday since we are not officially starting our Turkey Day festivities until tomorrow.

D and the Bud went outside earlier to burn off some energy and came back in with some videos including much squealing and laughing that just made me smile.

There has been a chill in the air that makes wearing and creating handknits so enjoyable lately.

Many months ago I purchased a sweater's worth Dream in Color Classy (in the same wonderful green as my Farfalle socks) after being inspired by KnittingSchoolDropout's Garter Yoke Sweater. I got started my own version in October basing my design on her photos and brief description.

Her pattern will be included in this next issue of Knit. 1 Magazine.
I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. I am hoping that it won't make me want to rip out my entire sweater and start over.
I bounce back and forth and between feeling excitement for a simple and wonderful sweater that will get tons of wear and doubt that this blob of knitted fabric will come even close to my expectations. It is knitting up quickly... when I work on it. Other smaller projects seem to be taking my attention away these days.

One thing (of many) that has hindered some sweater progress lately is my attempt to make good on a promise from August. My neighbor bought a spinning wheel this summer, and offered me some of her first handspun if I would make something with it. There is nothing like being at the right place at the right time.

I love the blend of greens and purples. The thick and thin of the yarn needed a simple pattern with garter stitch to really show it off. I got about 10 inches in on the Yarn Harlot's One Row Scarf pattern - enough to know it was a great fit - before I got tired of the "lather, rinse, repeat" and set it down for some other knitting. Really, I only intended to set it down for just a bit. Honestly.
There is something about knitting scarves - they suck me in at the start, and then the black hole of the middle seems never-ending. (See also example B - I started this one back in June!) I think I am a milestone knitter. I need some progress points along the way, like heels and gussets and whatnot.
Well... the other night I felt some motivation to work through the black hole a little bit and am up to about 40 inches long after a few episodes of Doctor Who.
Half the yarn took me to 34", so I am guessing the entire scarf will end up about 68". I prefer my scarves right in the 60" to 70" range - so that will be perfect.

I'm still very much in love with how the striping is turning out even though I have been a bit slow on the finishing.

Evangeline

2008-11-23T14:31:00.003-06:00

Try her on
She fits like a glove...
Evangeline, Evangeline
I think I love you

I have been knitting, a fair amount actually, but I am in gift knitting mode and thus don't have much to show on the blog. (If you are curious to know what I am working on, I am keeping up with my project info on Ravelry).

This past Monday was almost unbearable at work in my library. The heat for the school gets turned off for the weekend, and it takes a bit for the building (especially a big space like the library) to warm up again.
I decided I needed to do something before the next Monday (tomorrow), and I took a break from my various other projects, and knit up a pair of Evangeline Mitts for myself.

I'm in love with these mitts. I did not even want to wash/block them, because I started wearing them right off the needles and didn't want to lose any "wearing time" due to dampness.
I am glad that I did decide to soak them - I think it made the cable pattern fill out just a bit more.
They were still a bit damp for photos, but I think they will be dry and ready to go to work with me tomorrow morning.

Pattern: Evangeline
Yarn: Cascade 200 Superwash
Needles: US 8
Ravelry

These knit up so quickly. The only mod I made to the pattern was to add one extra cable repeat to the "short" version for a total of 4 instead of 3. I really like the look of the longer version, but I think much longer than this would annoy me from a practical standpoint - most likely I would always be wearing them with something long-sleeved.
If I made them again, I might create a thumb gusset instead of just the thumb opening. They fit fine, but it does pull a bit across the palm, and I did some work on the inside to minimize the look of holes at the sides of where the thumb joins.

Here's hoping it's chilly again at work tomorrow.

The Budlet Says Boo

2008-11-01T15:39:00.003-06:00

The Bud got it in his head early on that he would be a ghost for Halloween this year. I'm not sure where the idea came from - but he was totally decided.

I liked the idea... as far as Halloween costumes go, a ghost is pretty old school and recognizable to those out of touch with kid's pop culture - you don't get a lot of "and what are you supposed to be?" as a ghost.

I wasn't ready for a mask over the face yet, so we went with for the face paint.

(Thanks for the awesome Wildcats sweatshirt, Auntie S!)

With a limited amount of time, I needed to make it quick and easy, so for the body of the costume I cut two big circles out of a white sheet, one slightly smaller than the other. I cut a neck hole and a slit down the back (closed with velcro at the back of the neck). I made a casing for some elastic around the neck and cut staggered slits up the two layers of fabric for arms and "flowiness".
I used a pinking shears on everything and left raw edges everywhere - that's just how I roll.

We trick or treated with the cousins again this year. The Bud had a great time running with the bigger kids... although by the end he wasn't keeping up quite as well.

One thing that slowed him down was that he was totally intrigued by the spooky contraptions folks had for decorations: bubbling cauldrons and moving skeletons. I was so glad that he was interested in how they worked and not fearful.

This morning he asked if we could go trick or treating again today. He looked out the window at 7 a.m. with a twinkle in his eye and said, "it's getting dark outside."

Thanks for all the great comments on the Minnesota - Darth Vader - Watermelon cake.
It still cracks me up just to look at the photos.
We met an adult dressed as Darth Vader while out last night, and the look on the Bud's face was absolutely priceless.

Happy Halloween!

Recipe for the Bud

2008-10-28T18:46:00.002-06:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

This was too goofy to pas up, but is he really equal parts?

Celebrate Your Potty

2008-10-19T12:15:00.005-06:00

One of the biggest hits from yesterday's party was a musical card that plays "Celebration" when you open it.

This morning after playing it for the 4,567th time in the past 24 hours, the Bud told me that they (meaning Kool and the Gang) were singing about a potty.

"There's a potty going on right here... we're gonna celebrate your potty with you."

We actually are finally celebrating the potty a bit around here (Hooray!) - which is why those lyrics must seem perfectly logical.

Three Years for the Budlet!

2008-10-18T14:59:00.006-06:00

The Bud was the "birthday Bud" today. Although the actual day was yesterday - we had a little party today.
It's so hard to believe my sweet, little Budlet is now such a sweet, big Kidlet.

He was prince Budlet for most of the morning in his new crown - I thought he looked a little like Prince John from the Robin Hood cartoon when it got pushed down on his ears.

A few weeks ago we asked the Bud what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. He replied, "The shape of Minnesota with Dark [sic] Vader" - a little later he added "with a watermelon". He was so serious, and the answer never changed - except for the addition of the watermelon - that we just had to oblige.

The whole thing cracks me up quite a bit. I still like the original sketch the best.

Darth Vader is a licensed character, so the bakery wouldn't copy the fabulous drawing D's coworker did for us, but they would use a plastic Vader ring for his head and create his body in frosting. I think the original drawing would look great on a T-shirt. Hmmm. Hey, D - didn't you used to do screen printing?

The Bud liked it all the same, and kept opening the fridge to peek at it all morning.

There was much running and playing and general merriment with cousin K up until the big nap time crash. I think "fun was had by all."

I have been spending some time lately finishing up some long time WIPS.

I started these socks for a long car ride to a family reunion early this summer.

Reunion Socks - Plain toe-up socks with a short row heel
Yarn: ArtYarns Ultramerino 4
Needles: US 1
Ravelry

I was using these to try to improve my short row heels. I tried two different approaches - one used YOs and one used wraps. The wrapped heel turned out a bit better. For the wrapped heel I tried knitting back and forth (no purling) first left handed and then right handed. It made it a little easier for me to figure out exactly how to mirror the wrapping, and improved my right handed knitting - not that I am planning on switching. My left handed knitting and purling is far faster and more natural for me.

The other WIP I FO-ed recently was a pair of Mitered Mittens made of yarn leftover from my Clapotis. I was thinking about doing a tiny bit of embroiderey on them, but part of me likes them plain too. Either way I'm sure I will be putting these to good use soon.

Mitered Mittens by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca 100% Alpaca
Needles: US 3
Ravelry

Part of the reason I was pushing the FOs was to let myself start something new without so much guilt.

The start of something new:

Happy Fall!

2008-10-14T15:53:00.002-06:00

Authors are my red carpet people

2008-10-04T19:10:00.007-06:00

I'm a middle school English teacher turned school librarian, so - yeah - I like books and reading, and as a colleague of mine said today, "authors are my 'red carpet' people."
I love to meet authors in person and hear them talk about their writing process and the events that have shaped their lives. I love getting a glimpse of them as real people, and not just as photos on a dust jacket.
I wish I wasn't such an introvert - I am so horrible at making small talk - when I get opportunities to meet my 'red carpet people' I usually don't end up conversing much. Mostly I end up saying some variation on the "I really liked your book" theme. Lame, I know.

Today I pushed myself a bit beyond my comfort zone when I met Jordan Sonnenblick, and not only told him I liked his book, but also asked for a picture. Whoa!

I have had opportunities to meet many writers in person over the years: Gwendolyn Brooks (all I can say is wow!), Tomie dePaola, Jean Craighead George, Sharon Creech, Katherine Paterson, and many others.
There are those I have met with whom I would not want to be trapped in an elevator (Tamora Pierce, please write a million books - I will read them all with great pleasure - but I hope there are no elevators in our future). Then there are those authors I have met with whom I would consider that situation a blessing. Jordan Sonnenblick would be one of those authors - although I would probably be laughing quite a bit, and without the opportunity to go to the bathroom (being trapped in an elevator and all) "holding it" might become a problem. Hmmm.

Sonnenblick wrote his first book, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, specifically to make a difference for one of his students whose younger brother had cancer. He tried desperately to find a book to help her deal with her feelings. When his searches came up empty, he knew he needed to write it himself.

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie was one of my top 3 reads of last year - the other two being The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian and The Invention of Hugo Cabret. (Yes, I do keep a log of the books I read with a rating - I'm a librarian, what can I say.)

As Sonnenblick says, it is "the story of a middle school kid whose little brother gets cancer... but it's funny." There are few authors who are able to write seriously about tragic subjects while interjecting humor and pull it off. Barbara Park did it well with Mick Harte was Here and The Graduation of Jake Moon, and Sonnenblick nailed it with Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie.

Some of you know I am a lover of audiobooks, but not all audiobooks are worth a listen (I still have not forgiven Campbell Scott and his crazy breathing for ruining one of my all time favorite books, Time and Again by Jack Finney). Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie and Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian are both fabulous as audiobooks as well - CBF (crazy breathing free), I promise.

Franconia Fun

2008-09-21T14:48:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Franconia Sculpture Park's annual Fall Arts and Music Festival.

With our little weather warm-up, it was a perfect day for "finding sculpture" (as the Bud described it), and pal-ing around with friends.

The Bud is all about diggers and lifters - he was in lifter heaven when he saw this one close up.

This one was for sale - thank goodness he can't read yet - otherwise I'm sure we would have been in for some serious begging.

It was the inspiration for the sculpture he made.

His idea was to make a three wheeled lifter.

D and I decided to hang it vertically - I love the birch and the broken red board on front. We asked the bud where we should hang it in the house, and he said our bedroom! Sweet!

There was so much art and music to engage our minds and bodies.

(Watching this today, the Bud said "I want to dance there again sometime.")

The Bud even got to spray-paint his first graffiti art (click the photo below to see what he painted).

He also picked up a new sticker for his car - fitting for a car which originally came from Franconia.

As for me... we made a stop at Sven's, and these clog boots just had to come home with me. Bring on the cold. I'm ready with these lined babies.

Stop by my MIL's blog for more about our day.

What I did this summer...

2008-09-20T09:33:00.003-06:00

I no longer have to write any 5 paragraph essays on the subject - but when you have a job where you don't see your colleagues the whole summer, you need to be prepared for the stock question: "so, how was your summer?"
It made me think... how did I spend all that time? We didn't really go anywhere. I do remember many happy hours with the "queens of the corner" (we neighbors who live on our corner) and a lot of time spent lounging on our new deck (which I like to call my cabin). Hmmm.... not so much to report.

The follow up from many colleagues was often "and how is the Bud?"
For that the answer was easy - this was the summer of the bike.
We spent much of the time this summer with the Bud on two wheels.
Here is a little video I took right before school started.

We put the ramp up for Grandma Alphie when she visits in her wheelchair. It stayed up for about a week at the end of the summer, just for fun.
We even took the Bud to the free, outdoor skate park in our neighborhood to ride around on the ramps a few times. We tried to pick off times - but the one time we had company, the skaters were very nice with taking turns (even though I could tell they were not so excited we had brought the "family fun" to their hang out).

We actually got our anniversary art pretty close to our actual anniversary this year.
Even though I count this as the 11th piece of the anniversary collection, we are celebrating year nine. Eleven includes the "starter piece" given to us which started the tradition, and the "ground zero piece" we purchased on our honeymoon.

Since the ~~cabin~~ deck was such a big part of the summer - we went with an outdoor piece.

(please excuse the siding that still needs to be fixed post deck construction)

D saw it at the local farmer's market. We had been talking about a bench since last year, and this was it. I was surprised at how comfortable it actually is.

The Bud loves making the curlicues go boing.

Not much to report on the knitting front.

Sister S sent an initial sassimetrical pic [Ravelry], with the promise more artsy ones later on.

I am pretty proud of my sizing from so far away!

and I finished a few instant gratification projects.

another sweet baby cap - man, I love this pattern. [Ravelry]

and some muddy, viking mittens for the Bud. [Ravelry]
I tried to make him a matching chowl (child's cowl), or is it a towl (toddler cowl) maybe it's just a mini mowl (man cowl). But alas he has a big head and small neck. It fits - once you get it over his noggin, but I think I will frog and make a slightly bigger one

I've been picking up various WIPS here and I have SMS (second mitten syndrome) with a pair I started for myself a few weeks ago with leftover yarn from my Clapotis. [Ravelry]

I have my mind on a few projects I would like to start, but I am trying to FO a few things first - we will see how that goes.

On a sad note... my last computer update made enemies with my old "beast" camera with the good macro lens. So that may mean no close ups for awhile. Sigh.

And now we are on our way to all the fun at the Franconia Gala.
Woo hoo!

Driving Home

2008-09-18T22:32:00.005-06:00

I took the new 35W bridge home today.

Strange how a span of time can seem short and long at the same time.
It hardly seems possible that it has been a year since the collapse, yet it seems eons ago that Sister S and I started out on our road trip to AZ the day it did.

I've got the chest to pin them on

2008-08-30T16:53:00.007-06:00

The Ravelympics have finished and the MN State Fair is almost over - I had a marvelous time participating in both.

I feel as though the Ravelympics have been everywhere in the knit-blogosphere (with 5713 participants it's bound to be), but just in case... it's a personal challenge Knit-A-Long/Crochet-A-Long during the Olympics.
I entered two new projects - I started them after the opening ceremony and finished before the closing ceremony.

Pattern: Sassymetrical
Yarn: Elann Callista "Cafe Cream"
Needles: US 6
Ravelry

Sassymetrical was my first project, and my first adult sized sweater. I am working my way up from baby sweaters to adult sized, and I happened to pick the smallest adult I know - for whom I would actually knit a sweater... my sister (sorry, Dr. Ruth, I just don't know you that well).

Really size doesn't matter! I knit it for her because she is my one and only sister, and also she is a sewer, crocheter and crafty person herself, and recognizes the inherent worth of hand made items - always a plus in a recipient. So I knit her a sweater all for the low, low price of "send me a photo of you in it" (don't forget, sis!).
However... size XS and cropped for my first adult sweater... does that count? The medals say yes!

Remember this is all a personal internet challenge thing, so the medals are just digital images. However - just so you know, in my mind the music from the end of Star Wars: A New Hope is playing.

The yarn I used was a bit finicky, but it drapes well, and I think it will be a good fabric for AZ weather. I feel ready to finally tackle a sweater for myself.

My other Ravelympic project was a baby wrap (so many babies among people I know these days).

(front)
Pattern: Cache Coeur for baby
Yarn: Bambolicious Zen Yarn Garden "Pine Grove"
Needles: US 3
Ravelry

A few weeks ago I went with a friend to Detta's Spindle. She left with a new spinning wheel, and I left with a back issue of Piecework (the one with the poetry mittens!) and a free copy of The Wheel. The free issue of The Wheel includes this darling baby wrap, a great mobius wrap by the Wollmeise, and a few other patterns. What a super freebie!
With so many babies constantly arriving around me, I had to give the wrap a go.

The bamboo/merino yarn was a perfect fit - very soft. And I only used about 168 yards - it would be a perfect "one skein of koigu" project!

(back)
The button holes as written in the pattern end up being larger than needed. Large buttons on this wrap just would not be appropriate. Next time I will just do a standard YO K2tog in the center of the button tab.

(flat)
The new mom seemed to love it - which is always a plus when giving away knitted gifts.
I hope to get a chance to see the baby in it this fall.

I also entered two projects already started before the olympics - they fit into a special WIP category. Sadly neither of those crossed the finish line. One is now in a "time out" until I make a decision about skein to skein color issues (this may involve much frogging), and one just didn't get touched. Oh well.

The other recent fun was the Minnesota State Fair.
So many things to love about the Fair: the food, the animals, the people watching. This year my arm was twisted, and I entered two projects.

I was thrilled to earn a ribbon on my February Baby Sweater.

I had a fabulous time walking around the Creative Activities building with my neighbor and arm twister and taking in all of the beautiful work.
Lovely eye candy from the Fair here, here, here, here, and here.

Farfalle Free-for-all

2008-08-07T13:29:00.011-06:00

I added my pattern as a free pdf on Ravelry on Monday night and have been blown away by the faves and queues. Thank you!
I still feel nervous that as knitters start to actually knit with the pattern, a glaring mistake will be realized.
It would be worse if there were a glaring error and no one told me, so consider this an invitation to let me know if you see any problems.

I didn't mention anything about my shoes in the last post (this is for you, Stephanie).

These were a recent second hand store purchase.
They were just waiting for me in my exact size. How could I say no?
I'm not sure about the brand - the tag says "marc", and the original price tag inside was in euros. They are super soft leather across the heel - so I think they will wear really well with handknit socks this fall.

Earlier this week I finally got around to dyeing up the last three skeins of plain sock yarn I had sitting around.

Last summer I dyed a skein for these Marigold Socks:

This time I really wanted to create more rich, saturated colors. I used the same dyes (Wilton's) but this time I kettle dyed, and layered multiple shades and colors in as I went.
(More information about the specific colors I used in my stash pages)

I ended up with...

Coniferous (this color looks oddly familiar)

Lacuna

and Early Girl (I love this tomato color!)

I'm not sure when any knitting will happen with these... but now that they actually exist in the stash (undyed skeins don't count, right?) some ideas are starting to come to mind.
I'm thinking Child's First Sock for the blue skein. Any other recommendations?

I thought I was already too late for sign-ups, but I was able to sneak in just under the wire for Ravelympics. I'll be casting on tomorrow for the Sweater Sprint as well as participating in WIP Wrestling.
Go, Team MN!!

Finally Farfalle

2008-07-31T14:02:00.003-06:00

Why they took so long, I don't know.
Somehow I just kept getting distracted by other things (like this, this, this, this, this, this and this).

But now the Farfalle socks are officially done.

My inspiration came from Claudine's Little Cables Hat.
I loved the idea of cables not set off by purls.
The little staggered cables made me think of Farfalle pasta - even the color is is dead on Creamette.

The design is fairly simple. The hardest part was a little shifting to get the top of the foot centered and in line with the design on the leg. No real biggie.

Busy Bea was sharing her love of heels with a garter stitch border at just the right time in my progress, so a stockinette heel with a little garter stitch border it was.
I do love the way it hides any holes when you pick up stitches for the gusset.

(Ooops - I guess this is my best heel shot. You can just see the garter stitch peeking out.)

It was a new toe for me as well - a round toe (from Knitting Vintage Socks and many other places as well). It fits my foot so nicely and is so mathematically pleasing, I will certainly use it again.

My only problem with them... it's way to hot for wool right now!

My notes are almost written into a pattern.
I will post them someplace shortly.

Crochet Saves the Day

2008-07-21T14:36:00.004-06:00

We've got a little activity binder we use for amusement while traveling: colored pencils (they don't melt), coloring book, stickers, books, and a plain spiral notebook.
Oh so much fun can be had with a plain notebook.

I was making sure it was fully stocked for some upcoming time away, and thought about what has annoyed me about the spiral notebook. It is difficult to open it and use it unless you open the three rings and take it out.

I had a small brainstorm...

...and did a line of single crochet along the spirals to use on the binder rings instead of the three holes.

I haven't felt this cool since I thought of using ice cube trays for a fun way to eat snacks.

I don't need to do a google search to know that I am probably far from the first person to think of this, but I am pretty excited to have a simple solution to my problem.

Imitation

2008-07-20T09:26:00.002-06:00

is the sincerest

form of flattery.

Harmony Semi-Solid Sock Club Yarn for July: Honey Wheat

1, 2, 3... cla-po-tee

2008-07-09T12:58:00.004-06:00

I am a little sad to be finis with my Clapotis.
I now completely understand why there are knitters out there (like Very Pink) who have knit 10.

The pattern is not totally mindless, but it's simple enough to "multi-task knit" and pick up/put down easily.
I wanted to keep myself from auto-piloting though (which I have a strong tendency to do), so I purled the "drop stitches" AND used stitch markers. Even still... I did make a couple mistakes to let the soul out.

The Clapotis pattern has a rhythm of 3 and 3 [knit, knit, knit then twist, knit (or purl), twist] - the little voice in my head kept repeating "1, 2, 3... cla - po - tee" as I went along.
Or at least it did after I clued into the fact that it was "cla-po-tee" and not "cla-pot-isss" - duh!
::smacks forehead::

Many of my previous projects have been superwash, so this was the first time I used spit splicing (or to be a little less crude - a felted join) on a project, and all I can say about it is: Wow! That totally rocks!

Pattern: Clapotis
Yarn: Blue Sky 100% Alpaca
Needles: US 5
Finished size: 62" long, 16" wide
Modifications: 5 increase repeats, 15 straight section repeats
[Ravelry]

I think that the initial skein squish of the alpaca fooled me a bit into thinking if would be a softer finished scarf. I am not a scratchy wool lover. In fact I am a fairly recent animal fiber convert - about the same time I started knitting a year and a half ago. Don't get me wrong, it is soft - but when I put it around my neck there is a little scratchy hair feeling to it. I may just have SNS (sensitive neck syndrome) - I wonder if there is something I can take for that.
The alpaca is also very warm, AND it's July - so I am reserving judgment for when I can really take it out for a test drive.

Although there is no more fun, bouncy feeling now that I have blocked it - I really like the look of blocked vs. unblocked... and it has fabulous weight and drape.

If I ever do make another Clapotis (which is highly probable) I think I will choose a varigated yarn. I find it hard to believe that I am saying this - since I feel horribly scarred by pooling with varigated yarns - but I really like the effect of color changes with the dropped stitches - like here, here, here, here and here.

All in all, I'm a happy clap-er.

The BKB

2008-07-06T16:13:00.003-06:00

We are still living in the excitement of last weekend's move to the BKB (Big Kid Bed).
D made one for him that fits his crib mattress out of the wood and supplies that ~~overflow from~~ fill our garage.

I was a bit worried about constant getting up or no longer napping - but so far we are cruising along like normal. And normal is pretty good.

In other Bud news - Arthur the cat (aka Tangles the Beanie Baby) desperately needed a bath after a leaky diaper incident. I plopped him in the washer with a load, and sent him through the dryer, and he came out with his whites white and his tans... um... tan.
So all of you with Beanie Babies to wash, have no fear.

I figured I could take a chance since more Arthurs are available on ebay for about 2.99 plus shipping. Whew!

I've got it bad

2008-07-01T20:38:00.003-06:00

Start-itis that is. I've been trying to be good.
I don't think that it is helping that I have requested a bunch of books from the library recently.

One of my coping mechanisms though is to let myself freely start really tiny projects like...

Ayanna's skirt

Brandon's "killer" surf trunks

and these little cashmere booties

Brandon and Ayanna are from my collection of Groovy Girl dolls at my library. They are currently out of circulation because they lost their clothes from so much love.

Ayanna's Skirt
Yarn: "Rambling Rose" Zen Yarn Garden (I only had a small bit left from my Gloria v 2.0)
Needles: US 2 circ magic loop

I think this is what I did:

CO 40 stitches
k2 p2 ribbing for about 3/4 inch
K 2-3 rounds
Increase by one stitch every 5 stitches once around
K 2-3 rounds
Increase by one stitch every 6 stitches once around
k 2-3 rounds
Increase by one stitch every 7 stitches once around
k 2-3 rounds
k2, YO around one round
k 2 rounds
p one round
BO

Her shirt is a modified toddler sock cuff.

Brandon's "Killer" Surf Trunks
Yarn: Yarn Pirate "Killer Bees"
Needles: US 2

I started the legs 2 at a time magic loop. Each leg is 30 stitches around with a little seed stitch edge at the bottom.

Cashmere Baby Booties - a modified version of the angora ones in LMKG
Yarn: Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere
Needles: US 2 circs

(photo from LMKG)

My leftover cashmere does not have the same super fuzzy halo of the angora in the photos for the pattern, so my attempt just looked and felt loosely knit and blah.

I wasn't satisfied with it's cute-osity (the official cuteness level) from my first attempt, so I made a few modifications.

With smaller needles (US 2 32" circs) I used the "magic cast on" to cast on 12 stitches on each needle. I knit back and forth 8 rows and then picked up 4 stitches on each end of the rectangle (added 2 stitches on each end of each needle to keep things centered) to start knitting in the round on 32 stitches.

I knit until the toe was 2 inches long, then like the pattern I left the center 8 stitches (1/4 of the total) stitches on the "front" needle and knit back and forth on the back needle for 10-12 rows and did the 3 needle bind off up the middle of the heel. I picked up stitches for the cuff (I didn't understand the point of the turning in the pattern) and k1,p1 around.

For my BO I k2 (or purled following the ribbing) put both stitches back on the needle and k2tog, then*k1 and put both stitches back and k2tog*. It made for a bit stretchier top. Thanks to Chawne for getting me hooked on that stretchy BO for toe-ups.

They are so cute and soft - I just want to play with them Benny and Joon style.

No new projects started tonight though. Instead I was doing this.

A Message to my Letter Carrier

2008-06-26T14:49:00.001-06:00

I understand you deliver a lot of mail and perform an important service to our community.
I understand that in my neighborhood you complete your route on foot, carrying mail from door to door.
I understand that it has gotten quite warm, and that it is human nature to perspire.
I understand that my house it is the end of your route, and my mail is at the bottom of your stack resting cradled in your arm as your walk.

But as much as I understand all of those things, I just don't find looking at ripped mail still wet with sweat at all appealing.

Blech!

Perhaps you are in need of a knitted, sweat-soaking, arm cozy.

Drum Roll, Please

2008-06-25T13:10:00.000-06:00

My first blog giveaway has come to a close, and I wrapped it up old school with names written on slips of paper (no random number generator needed).

The Bud helped me with picking a name,
and the winner is...

Caitlyn of Knitter in the Kitchen.
(please message or email an address, and I will send off your goodies straight away)

Sharing sock love has been a fabulous way to celebrate my blogiversary, and I hope it will keep me focused on finishing the socks currently on my needles - instead of starting new projects like this:

Ooops!
::blush::

(click the photo for more info)

I'm not ignoring you, K!

2008-06-23T11:28:00.007-06:00

...or as I would call you, T. :)

circa '86 or '87 on the St. Croix River - perhaps this was the
summer before you went to see Hall and Oates in concert
- I was quite envious

It appears you are my anonymous commenter of late.
I intended to reply awhile back, but I have somehow lost your email address.

Drop me an email me at orindafive AT earthlink DOT net

Shiny Happy Cowls

2008-06-21T20:16:00.003-06:00

I feel like I'm 15 again.
I want to jump up and down and scream.
Take a look at who is wearing ADD Knitter's recent Gloria Cowls.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!
I can hardly stand in the place where I live!

Feelin' the love

2008-06-21T12:16:00.003-06:00

I'm loving the comments with all of the sock love.

You have included a number of patterns I definitely want to make in the future:

Child's First Sock by Nancy Bush
Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks
I would make Monkeys again in a heart beat
and I have a pair of Jaywalkers hibernating for no good reason.

I was looking back at my favorites from flickr, and found a lot of sock inspiration there too.

1. Ankle Socks, 2. Grasshopper Twists: a recipe, 3. Project Spectrum Earth: Embossed Cocoa Kiss, 4. John B. Socks, 5. Spring is in the air..., 6. Lime Slushy Socks, 7. Double Eyelet Rib Socks, 8. plain ol' socks in glorious handspun, 9. #2, 10. Trekking XXL Socks, 11. Flicker sock - one down!, 12. 2008.02.03. Saunasukat , 13. stripey jays (191/365), 14. DSC09228, 15. FO: Fire Socks, 16. I *heart* this yarn and pattern, 17. Untitled, 18. Teacake Stranded 8, 19. Baltic Socks, 20. Birthday Socks: with an orb for Adam, 21. Granny Smith Fancy Socks, 22. Heel Detail, 23. Finished Gentleman's Fancy Socks, 24. Esther Sock, in all its glory, 25. Nutkin Toe!

My plan is to draw a name from the sock love comments on Wednesday, so there is still time to share the love.

Blogiversary Sock Love Giveaway!

2008-06-18T20:43:00.004-06:00

My official blogiversary was back in April - but now that it's summer, I have time to think about these things a little more.
I can't believe it's been (over) two whole years.
What started as a way to keep in touch with family and friends has evolved into something I wouldn't have predicted. I think I've officially become a knitblogger. Whoa!

I would like to celebrate with my very first giveaway.

The entry requirements... leave a comment about your favorite socks you have knit - maybe they were the most challenging, or the most rewarding, or the most beautiful, or the first... give some details.

I know that rules out those of you who don't knit socks, but that's because the prize is sock related - so if you have not knit a pair yet, tell me about the pattern you can't wait to knit - or just give some sock love in the comments and you will be in the running for...

a little destash - Yarn Pirate "I Want Candy":

and a little promo - a set of my stitch markers for US 2 or smaller from my newly re-opened etsy shop:

I will draw a winner at random next week.
So... bring on the sock love!

In the spirit of sock love...
My current socks are coming along s l o w l y with so many fun summer things to do - but it's not always about speed - there is a process to enjoy here too, right?

[Ravelry]

I've called them my "Farfalle Socks" because the little cables remind me of the pasta - although they are more twist tie than bow tie.

The color also reminds me a lot of a Creamette box.

Stop the Beat, Again?!?

2008-06-16T14:11:00.004-06:00

The Bud's favorite song at the moment is Junior Senior's Move Your Feet - only he calls it the "stop the beat" song. (The link is to the video - I find it very amusing and goofy. I love the very end with the squirrel spinning off into space Darth Vader style.)

It came up on the random shuffle of music this morning. The Bud was sitting on the sofa very focused on "just reading the paper" (as he said) - which was actually an old Free Comic Book Day issue of Archie. Move Your Feet came on and he jumped up with a publisher's clearing house sort of reaction shouting "stop the beat!"

What followed was much jumping, dancing and merrymaking.
Each time it ended, the question was posed... "Stop the beat, again?"
And so we did. About 15 times.

Back from my break...

2008-06-13T14:30:00.000-06:00

It was last November or so that I took a break from my Etsy shop.
School had started again, and suddenly it turned out that D had to live in Chicago for 4 months.
It was a rough stretch - but I am so thankful I had the support of family and friends.

Looking back, it seems like just a blip - was it really a third of a year?

It was a difficult decision to take a break from my shop last fall. I had started something - I was proud of what I was making - I felt a part of something larger - and then I felt like a quitter.

But in taking a break, I have had a chance to think about what I really want from my shop.
I enjoy being a part of the online knitting community.
I enjoy sharing something I have designed and created.
I enjoy making my "stretch markers" ... but I enjoy many other things too, and some things far more.
I enjoy having a shop... when I am not also working full time.

I am taking all of this into consideration as I come back to my shop.
I have set some limits for myself and at this point I am only planning to keep my shop open for the summer.

There are many things I do for the joy I get from doing them - and I want to make sure I do what I can to enhance that in my life and still maintain the balance I know I need.

Thanks for being patient with me while I took a (long) break.

my shop: www.orinda5.etsy.com

Lunch today...

2008-06-13T14:09:00.001-06:00

I heart my new (but not quite finished) deck!

No more pencils, no more books....

2008-06-09T12:55:00.009-06:00

...no more of my dirty looks?!?

(completely random and gratuitous Bud pic)

It's the first real day of summer for me. I can't believe it is here already.
I looove my job, and one of the things I really love about it is the fact that I have summers off!
Although I do think that all the things I have planned to fill the days ahead will fill up at least 2 summers... hmmm.

My FO teaser from my last post, still isn't quite a true finished object. I still need to put on the buttons.

Pattern: February Baby Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy "Cloud Jungle
Needles: US 8
[Ravelry]

I loved making this pattern the first time with the lace, and I loved making it this time without too. I thought I would need more than one skein to make this sweater, so I bought two. I finished using less than one, so I have a full skein of this wonderful enigmatic color left for something else.

The last row of garter stitch on the yoke is an increase row. Without the lace, it really shows in that transition to plain stockinette. I may try to add one more row of garter stitch for a cleaner look if I make another one without lace.

In honor of my long summer days ahead I cast on for a couple of new projects - I have a feeling there are more to come.

The first I have been planning for awhile. I was inspired by Claudine's Little Cables Hat to write a pattern for socks. I worked out the math way back in January - luckily I wrote it down - and cast on last Friday to be a part of the Sock Knitter's Anonymous "Design Your Own" month.

Pattern: My own "Farfalle Socks"
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy "Happy Forest"
Needles: 2.25mm
[Ravelry]

I loved this color so much I decided to get a sweater's worth in the worsted weight - that may be a new work in progress soon.

I am so late to the party with my other WIP - there are of it in Ravelry.
Can over 6000 knitters really be wrong?

Pattern: Clapotis
Yarn: Blue Sky 100% Alpaca
Needles: US 5
[Ravelry]

This yarn was some of my bargain trailer purchase from the Shepherd's Choice festival.

I'm not really a fan of scarf knitting - I'm not sure I have the endurance to repeat, repeat, repeat without the milestones of heels and sleeves to keep me going. We will have to see.
I wanted to be sure I had enough yarn for a good length, so I cut out one increase repeat at the start.

There are not only knitting projects in the works this summer...
we finally got a start on recovering our sad looking dining room chairs.

We acquired some free sample fabric from a store that shall not be named (ahem). Since they are samples, we had to choose 4 different fabrics - there isn't enough of any one.

We started with my favorite.
One down, three to go.

Lastly... we have a new addition at our house, and not a moment too soon with the projections for gas prices this summer.

Scoot, scoot.

A Foretaste of the FO to Come

2008-06-02T19:21:00.004-06:00

soaking now...
then blocking and buttons

Earlier tonight I was making a last little fix and held it up for D to see...
he said (rather flatly) "I don't even know what I'm looking at, so I can't lie effectively."

I love that we have such honesty in our relationship.

He did have a properly enthusiastic response when I was totally finished and held it up again.

Perhaps he just figured out what he was looking at by then. Hmmm.

Gloria version 2.0

2008-06-01T05:29:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was an amazingly beautiful day...
blue sky, fluffy clouds, perfect temperature...
until the evening when the crazy hail storm hit.

Luckily I was able to pack lots o fun into the day before the craziness ensued.

My good friend R and I went to Shepherd's Choice Farm for their annual Sheep Shearing Festival. It is a small farm out in East Bethel, MN. It has a little yarn store, and yesterday there were other vendors and events. We both came home with some great bargains.

During the day I was able to put the finishing touches on Gloria version 2.0.

Pattern: Gloria Cowl
Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Harmony Semi-Solid "Rambling Rose"
Needles: US 8

This time around I made a few modifications.
I started out with fewer stitches - I cast on 85 instead of 99 to make it cozier at the top.

I also wanted it to flare out toward the bottom so I increased by two stitches every 5 rounds or so.

(This photo has the truer color)

The last change I made was to transition from the seed stitch to the plain stockinette to avoid the tendency to fold at that point. After the three rounds of seed stitch I did...
1 round of K2, P1,
1 round of K3, P1
1 round of K4, P1
1 round of K5, P1
and then switched to plain stockinette stitch.

I really like the random look of the edge, and it succeeds in eliminating folding at that point.

If I make another one, I think I will try to increase twice as often in the bottom half of the cowl for more of a flare.
However I have a few other things in mind to make before another cowl... however I do remember what happened last time I said something like that.

Knitting Choreography (or... I'll show you mine if you show me yours)

2008-05-24T15:34:00.004-06:00

In the past year and a half I have learned a lot about manipulating yarn and sticks to create fabric. One thing I have discovered in that time is that there really are many ways knitters make this happen. There are pickers and throwers. There are those knitters that only move one needle and tuck the other under an arm. There are those with big movements, and those who hardly seem to move at all.
But even among knitters who knit the same style, each knitter has their own nuanced "knitting choreography" - a much rehearsed dance of the hands.

Those of you who read here may know of my oddball knitting style I call "Lefty-Combined".
I have not yet run into any other knitters who share my style, but I would love to.

Here is a short video of my hands in motion:

I am trying to go slowly at first to show my oddball ways a little clearer.
I move stitches from the right hand needle to the left.
The leading leg of my stitches are behind the needle.
I hold my yarn in my right hand and catch it from underneath with my needle to pull it through the stitch.
I tend to keep my right needle still, but I have noticed I do a little movement with my right thumb. Each stitch it jumps from the front of the needle to the back as I pull the yarn through.

Since the video quality isn't that great, here are a few stills to illustrate:

What is unique about your knitting choreography?
I would love to see other knitting in motion, please let me know if you decide to show yours!

OK... So... I lied

2008-05-18T19:00:00.006-06:00

I typed yesterday that I was not starting a cowl... and then all I could think of was cowls. Perhaps it was because of this yarn... my recent acquisition from the Zen Yarn Garden Semi-solid sock club...

...which has been screaming to be up higher up than my feet.

So I pulled it out last night and cast on for Gloria version 2.0 (version 1.0 is here)

This time I cast on 85 instead of 99, and I am increasing by 2 stitches every 5-7 rounds so that it is a little cozier at the top and flares a bit at the bottom.
I also wanted to have more of a transition from the seed stitch to the plain stockinette to eliminate the harsh line and stop the tendency to fold at that point.
After the 3 rounds of seed stitch, I did one round of *k2, p1*, then a round of *k3, p1*, a round of *k4, p1, ending with a round of *k5, p1*. I like the random look of the transition so far.
Although I am reserving judgment until I can try it on off the needles.

I also started my second February Baby sweater by Elizabeth Zimmerman during nap time today. After my first one, I knew that I wanted to try another one without the gull stitch lace. I'm using Dream in Color Classy in "Cloud Jungle".

So far I really like the yarn, except it is quite smelly. It's not a bad smell, but enough to make me need to take a break from it. I think it will be just fine after washing it. However it does make me think that I may want to wash the yarn first if I knit with it again.

I was tagged a few weeks ago for the top 100 yarns meme by Michelle of Knitting in Transit, and I have no good reason at all why I have not done it yet - especially since it is my first real meme (woo-hoo!).

Here are the details:
Using the top 100 yarns on Ravelry (by number of projects):
Bold the ones you’ve used and would use again;
~~Cross out the ones you’ve used and would not use again;~~ and
Italicize the ones you’ve never tried, but would like to.
Add comments as desired, and then pass the meme along to 5 knitters/crocheters. Link back to this post and to the person who tagged you.

Instead of putting a huge list of so many things I have not used (I'm still pretty much a newbie), I have only included the ones I "marked".

1. Cascade 220 Wool – I’ve heard this is a great “go to” yarn, there has to be a reason it it #1
3. Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted - I just gotta at some point
4. Noro Kureyon – Only the new sock weight, which probably doesn't count for this
5. ~~Caron Simply Soft~~ - meh
6. Lily Sugar’n Cream Solid - just fine
9. ~~Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solid~~ - I don't like the acrylic mix
10. Noro Silk Garden - Actually I used the "lite"
11. Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM)
14. Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
15. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi
23. Zitron Trekking (XXL) – in the stash waiting!
29. Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock – Mediumweight – in the stash!
41. Lion Brand Microspun - meh
42. Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino - socks that were a gift, so I'm not sure how it wears
47. Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK
59. Dream in Color Smooshy – In the stash and casting on soon
61. Dream in Color Classy – Just cast on today, and like it - but it's smelly
87. Lily Sugar’n Cream Stripes - just fine
89. Lion Brand Magic Stripes – another meh
99. Cascade Fixation Spray Dyed/Effects

Other yarns not in the Ravelry top 100, but in my list (and not yet in my stash) to try in the future...
Wollmeise
MadelineTosh - Glazed Sock
Ewa's Sockenwolle - Wool/cotton
Hello Yarn - Fat Sock

I know I am supposed to tag 5 people, but I am going to be lazy and just invite those who have an affinity for listy things to opt in.

Cowls are the new scarf...

2008-05-17T13:10:00.013-06:00

...or so I've been told.

I had no idea that I was so up on (or is it down with) the trends.

Actually it's Grandma Gloria who is so trendy.
She was the one who asked for a cowl.

I was nervous about even adding it to Ravelry as a pattern - it's just a plain tube with a seed stitched edge after all.

How was I to know that I was adding a cowl pattern into the mix just before the start of Cowl Craze 2008.

I have loved seeing all the different versions of the Gloria Cowl on Ravelry,

...and reading about them
here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

I just borrowed the original cowl back to re-block and record my gauge and measurements.
If you are wondering... I added it here.

So many fabulous cowls and cowl patterns have been surfacing lately... perhaps I should announce (to fit with the craze) that I am currently working on a cowl, but no... instead I have sock plans for this...

and sweater plans for this...

and this...

I found this pile (8 skeins) of white, superwash, worsted weight wool at a local senior center "shoppe" in a grab bag with 4 more skeins of a different brand. I snagged them for a couple bucks to dye and possibly turn into a toddler sweater. I have not been able to find either yarn through Ravelry or the internet. I'm not even sure if the brand is Tessan or Jessan.

My other thrifty purchase (for which I do not yet have a plan) was a 75 cent bag of...

Green Mountain Spinnery Double Twist Worsted
250 yards of the bricky red color and 125 of the green.
It included a chaming ear flap hat pattern as well.
There was only one tag naming one of the colors as "Bittersweet" - I'm guessing the red one, but who knows.

I finally finished my "Harlot Socks" that I started for the Yarn Harlot's visit back in April.

For some reason the pink, red and orange together just makes me smile,
and I am flabbergasted that the stripes worked out to match - even with two splices in one of the socks.

Pattern: Improvised Toe-Up
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Cotton Stretch
Needles: Needles: US 1 Knit PIcks 40" circ
[Ravelry]

I am still working on Cascading Leaves in Shi-Bui "Honey". [Ravelry]

I really like the pattern - it has a very intuitive feel.
I'm not 100% in love with the slight striping effect of the colorway - but overall I think it is a good pairing of yarn and pattern.

Thanks to Nikki for sending me a wonderful surprise package from Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival - including the first of my flock. It was like my own little Ravelraiser prize!
She is participating in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life soon, and I'm sure she would gladly accept more pledges!

My first sweater!

2008-05-06T19:47:00.003-06:00

Finally a finished project to blog about.

Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK (less than 2 skeins)
Needles:US 5 circ
[Ravelry]

I became enchanted with this pattern when I saw this,
and again when I saw this.

This was wonderfully fun to knit - Elizabeth Zimmerman ~~was~~ is a genius. I have plans to use a few more of her patterns in the future.

Last weekend I soaked and blocked, and yesterday I picked up some buttons. Nothing fancy, but I like the look.

The Rowan Cashsoft is wonderfully soft for a baby sweater. I hope it maintains its crisp look with use. It was a little slippery feeling to work with - I think I would prefer using bamboo needles with it in the future.

Instead of following EZ's instructions of finishing the sleeves flat first and then completing the body, I finished the body first and magic looped the sleeves to eliminate any seaming. I also decided not to decrease by 10% at the base of the body.

Now that I have finished my first sweater... I am thinking of more.
I have plans to make another without the lace pattern, and I love the idea of making an adult version like this!

Two and a Half Years!

2008-05-04T19:35:00.005-06:00

We stopped doing the monthly photo sessions, but I couldn't let the half-birthday go by without one.
This was by far the easiest and most fun photo session we've ever had - there was laughing and even singing.
The Bud was a bit more cleaned up than normal to go to my concert this afternoon, so we took advantage of it.

He didn't make it through the whole concert today. He has sat through entire concerts in the past - entranced by the instruments and music. However today he only made it through the first piece. To his credit - the first piece did have 5 movements. The second piece had a cello soloist - the Bud thought he was intentionally making funny faces while he played, so at that point it was time for running in the lobby. He is very much in a go-go-go phase right now.

Although I really enjoyed playing in the concert - it was a physically demanding line up. The second movement of the Haydn Cello Concerto is a back-breaker. It is extremely slow with no breaks - I spend the whole, long movement making a tiny bow strokes every other beat or so. It just proves that sometimes seemingly simple pieces can be quite difficult.

I knitting news...
My February Baby Sweater is blocking.
Pictures coming soon.

It boggles the mind...

2008-04-19T12:21:00.003-06:00

We often feel like neurotic, paranoid parents thinking our child is sick when he is laughing, running and playing. However today we know we are not quite so crazy (well... we are crazy... just for other reasons).
I have not posted a video for a long time... here is the Bud last night dancing to the "S and T song".

He has been coughing and had some green snot - but no fever, no loss of appetite, and no loss of energy (in fact he was running laps after this video footage).
Really it was the green snot that clued us in (clear, "you're clear", but green is mean). This morning we got in to see the Dr - at our new clinic that we absolutely LOVE. We admitted up front that we feel crazy and tried to justify why we were there.
The Dr. took a look in the Bud's ears and diagnosed a double ear infection! He even said that on a scale of 1-4, that one ear was a 4 with a blister on his ear drum!
It boggles my mind that an infection like that would not keep him from dancing or running laps.

In other news...
My good friend R and I went to hear the Yarn Harlot speak when she was in town about a week ago. I realized the night before that I had nothing "mindless" on the needles, so I quickly cast on for some plain socks I could work on at the event.

I am farther now - ready to start the heel on both socks.

Yarn:Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Cotton Stretch
Needles: US 1
Pattern: improvised toe-up
[Ravelry]
I love the colors and striping of this yarn - I'm going to try a short row heel on these, so that I won't disrupt the striping through the gusset area. I am excited that they seem to be working out to match, despite the fact that I have had two knot-splices in one sock so far.

I have also recently started a sock for April's Sockdown challenge for Sock Knitter's Anonymous on Ravelry.

Yarn:Shi-Bui Sock - "Honey"
Needles: US 1
Pattern: Cascading Leaves
by Jeanie Townsend
[Ravelry]
I read from a few knitters that this pattern tended to be smaller than expected - so I started by trying US 1.5 needles. Luckily that was too large, because the yarn was pooling in a not so nice way. I started again on US 1s, and it is striping, but I think it works well with the pattern so far.
I shifted the start of my round back one stitch just before starting the lace pattern to create more of a flow from the ribbing into the pattern. I'm also adding 2 repeats on the leg - 5 just seems to short, even though it is such a great number.

I have been struggling with the fact that Addi Turbo does not make a true US 1 sized needle. Their US 1 is really 2.5mm instead of 2.25.
The difference between my 0s (2mm) and Addi 1s (2.5mm) is too great to get the right gauge on some patterns. So I went with a tip I found on Ravelry and ordered some Knit Picks circs (metal and Harmony) and I am really impressed. I like the metal a bit better, but I will still use the Harmony as well. The plastic cording is very flexible and does not have "memory" that makes it try to annoyingly coil after taking it out of the package. The join is very nice on the metal - the Harmony needles seem to catch just a bit as I slide stitches over. Also the metal tips have a point about as blunt as my regular Addis (not lace point) - which I like - the Harmony points seem a bit sharper. I don't like to feel like I am constantly impaling my finger.
The best part... they are about 1/3 the cost. Woo-Hoo!

The Opera and a Slushie

2008-04-07T15:51:00.007-06:00

This weekend Mom and I went to see La Boheme at The Met via an HD simulcast at a local theater.
It was amazing!
We could even have popcorn and an slushie - I know some people might not think that is a good thing - but I do.
We were able to enjoy being ultra close - it was so entertaining and engaging to really see all of the acting that goes along with the music.
Also, between the acts we were able to see behind the curtain - the scene change to Act II was astounding!
We had such a great time, that when we came home we got tickets to the next show of the season. I would highly recommend it if you have a chance to go in your area.

Yesterday we went to pal around with Nuttnbunny and Z.
The boys had a great time racing around on all types of conveyances

- and somehow we ended up coming home with the Cozy Coupe!

Thanks for all the fun, Nuttnbunny!

I recently started working on a pattern that has been in my queue (and on my mind) for awhile, Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Baby Sweater from The Knitter's Almanac. It's my first attempt at sweater knitting - best to start with something small, I say. Now that I am past the arms on the body, I think I may be ready for something larger in the future.

Yarn: Rowan DK Cashsoft
Needles: US 5 Addi Turbo Circs
[Ravelry]

The Rowan Cashsoft is so soft that it has a slippery feel. I think it might be nicer to use bamboo needles to combat that a bit - but I don't have any in the right size.
The color is really enigmatic - I feel like it's constantly changing with the light. Sometimes it's really blue, other times more teal-y, and sometimes a little gray.

I'm such a Ravelry junkie! I don't know how I could do without it anymore. Using Ravelry as I started this project, I was able to draw on the expertise of the 900-odd people who have knit this pattern and added notes and photos. Not only that, but I was able to narrow that down and look only at photos and notes from people who had made the same pattern out of the same exact yarn I was planning on using. It gave me a good idea of what to plan for getting the gauge I wanted and for the amount of yarn needed.
I also stalked some of the photos to see how many repeats of the lace pattern people had done on the body and sleeves, and what I thought looked the best for proportions.
I find the fact that I am able to do this astounding! Thank you, Ravelry!

Edited to add:
Nikki is right - I am gushing my love for Ravelry, and I should should take this opportunity to plug the Ravelraiser to help support it!

To frog or not to frog?

2008-03-30T12:10:00.011-06:00

...that is the question. I have been so conflicted about my Bellatrix socks [Ravelry].

This is take two for this yarn. I first tried this yarn as Monkeys [Ravelry] - but at the gauge I wanted, the colorway striped totally vertically down the leg. Is there a pattern out there that would be good for this colorway? Jaywalker has more stitches around at the same needle size (for me), but I don't know if I would actually be any happier.
I had totally convinced myself to frog.... but now I am just letting them sit. Perhaps I will just finish them - enjoy the lovely soft, cooshy-ness of the yarn on my feet before it gets too warm, and move on to some semi-solid goodness in my stash.

I was quite sad over my Spring Break a few weeks ago... I lost my "Java Beret" - the one I made with yarn I dyed with coffee.

It fell out of my coat pocket and was picked up by someone within 5 minutes - I was on the scene just after it must've happened. This has been my go-to hat all winter. Such a simple pattern... but wonderfully simple. I liked it so much, that as it happens I made another one not too long ago - so luckily I did have a new go-to hat waiting in the wings.
I hope that whoever has adopted my beloved Java Beret appreciates its hand-knit, hand-dyed goodness. Perhaps I will see it around town someday.

I had been feeling like I had been sprinkled with some Black Fairy Dust (right around the loss of my Java Beret), so my cure was lots of Garter Stitch.

I frogged my Dropped Stitch Scarf (another project that was not making me happy) and went for simple and mindless knitting: the classic garter stitch scarf [Ravelry].
It's not super cuddly and smooshy, but it has great weight and drape.

In other FO news: I finally finished my Noro Socks [Ravelry].
These were also mostly mindless knitting (just plain stockinette), but for some reason the last 1/2 a sock took me ages.

But... Ahhh Noro - so worth all of the cursing I did while trying to wind it into two yarn cakes. It was like velcro on itself the entire time.
I am so in love with how the colors transition into each other.

It's too bad that they may not get much "foot time" until next fall. They feel like they are one of the warmer pairs I have made so far - and it is starting to get too warm for that around here.

This pattern (Wendy's Toe-up with Gusset Heel) was a new heel for me. I will definitely use it again. It seemed to eliminate "holey" issues better than other heels - which I really liked. I would like to be able to insert it into other toe-up sock patterns I make - if I can wrap my head around the math of it. It may have just been my own confusion, but the stitch number pre-gusset and post heel is not the same - which I would need to work out if I were continuing a pattern up the leg of a sock.

My birthday gift to myself arrived last week: a yogurt maker.
My second batch is in the works right now. The first batch has already been eaten!

It's pretty easy:
Heat some milk,
let it cool to a certain temp,
add some starter,
and pop it in the machine

My biggest motivation to make my own has been the stupid non-recyclable plastic containers for store bought yogurt... but homemade also tastes super yummy.
Last night the Bud specifically asked for "yogurt with honey" for dinner. :)

Other fun around our house has been bringing my old doll house in from the garage.

The Bud thought it was pretty cool even with it empty, but we got a new family and furniture for it yesterday afternoon (my old dolls and furniture are far too fragile for 2 year old play).
I love the furniture we got - it is really well made and has many fun pieces.
We only put out a few them, so that we can have some surprises every so often.

I know there are a few people waiting for me to add to my etsy shop again.
I have made a number of sets in preparation, I just have not had time to take photographs and get things going. I am way past my self imposed time-line of mid-February
- it's still in my plans, just a little delayed.

Egg Fun

2008-03-23T10:04:00.005-06:00

We spent the morning on Friday dyeing eggs. We used rubber bands to make the designs: Wrap once, dye in one color, re-wrap and dye in another color.
I really like how they turned out, and the rubber bands made the eggs a bit "grippier" for little hands.

Today the house smells of ham with a cognac glaze - and we are in the lull before family arrives to share the day with us.

Happy Easter!

Reality-sicles

2008-02-24T11:45:00.007-06:00

My Dreamsicle Monkeys are finally a reality.

I have learned so much with each pair of socks I have made. I am so excited to be at a point where I can read through many patterns and say to myself - hey, self, I actually understand what I am supposed to do! It is liberating not to solely focus on the ease of the pattern when deciding what to make.

There is a reason that Cookie A's Monkey pattern is so popular. It really is fun to knit, and works well with many variegated yarns. I think it was the first thing I put in my queue on Ravelry (before that it was just in my mental queue).
I was surprised by how intuitive the pattern felt after knitting only a few repeats.
I chose to knit the no purl version - a trend started by Crafty Pancakes.

Not that I dislike purls, but I love how the "trunks" flow out of each other in an "Escher-esque" way without the purls.

One thing I love about doing socks cuff down, is how speedy the knitting feels on the foot after the decreases of the gusset. It just seems to fly. There is always the worry about how much yarn you have left - which is one reason I would like to try a few more toe-up socks.

I had an itch to start hookin' again after I was inspired by some of my freebies at last weekend's Knit Out - an issue of Crochet Today and a free hook - as well as the YarnPirate's recent sock yarn granny baby blanket.

So I started a swatch with with sock yarn leftovers. I was having a good time, so it kept growing, and I added more leftovers...I'm not sure how it will end up, but I am enjoying it so far.

I forgot how pleasant the rhythm of crochet can be.

I am continuing on with my Noro Socks - not much progress since the last picture - and I plan to cast on for Bellatrix with my Cheeky Monkey "Mississippi Queen" - this will be take two for this yarn. I love the colors and the smoosh factor, and I want the pattern to be a good fit.
I fell in love with Gigi Silva's Harry Potter sock pattern series awhile back - with her recent passing it seems a fitting time to finally cast on. I have yarns picked out for Fawkes and Nagini too, but I may not get to them for awhile. (More info on her patterns in Ravelry under the designer name Monkey Toes - her website is currently off-line). I hope the yarn and pattern will be a good pairing.

Lastly, thanks to AreaThriftyOne for a surprise 5 in my recent package.

I'm not revealing my purchase (although it is probably not a secret on etsy), but she is very talented and I love how she turns "tiny leftovers into objects worthy of love."

Popsicles and Super Why

2008-02-17T20:48:00.015-06:00

We encountered a little sickness at our house this weekend. So we employed the age-old home remedy for puking and a little fever... a strict regimen of popsicles and TV - namely Super Why - and things seem to be getting better.

Super Why has really grown on me... although I don't appreciate the songs stuck in my head at 2 a.m. "Hip Hip Hooray... the Super Readers saved the day..."

Here is a bit of my librarian geekiness though... I do get a kick out of the fact that at the beginning of the show you enter the world of the Super Readers through the 398.2 section of a library - since the whole premise of the show is solving problems through fairy tales. You can actually see the call numbers on the books!

I'm still working away on my Monkey and Noro socks.

I am in the middle of both pairs, and depending on which pair I am working on - that one is my current favorite.
It's hard to believe I have now been knitting for over a year. I started at the beginning of last February out of a desire to knit socks. I still feel like I am such a newbie, but looking back, I really have learned a lot in the last 12 months. I never would have believed that I would now be in the middle of my 12th and 13th pairs of socks.

Much of the credit goes to the online knitting community - without the ability to lurk online and take in all kinds of tips and tricks, I'm sure all I would have is an unfinished garter stitch scarf (nothing against the classic garter stitch scarf!). Instead I have been able to learn from master knitters as well as knitters just starting out and making mistakes like mine. I have been inspired by so many "fiber artists" in the past year who have kept me growing - many of whom are listed in my blog roll. I feel grateful - thank you!

I am excited to see where "year two" of knitting takes me.
I even hope to reveal my very own sock pattern (which is currently in the works) in the next few months.

I went to this weekend's Knit Out at the Mall of America with my good friend (and fellow sipper) R as well as my neighbor Shelly (due to some fortuitous timing).
We had a fun time walking and chatting - and enjoying ice cream!
Shelly and I just had to pose with the Lion Brand Lion (they have an intriguing new sock yarn coming out very soon - we were surprised). Thanks to R for taking the picture of us nerdy, knit bloggers. :)

And the long awaited good news... Davin has been home for good since Feb 1st. Things have been pretty busy, but at least he is living at the same address again.
For Valentine's I had a wonderfully creative surprise of a bouquet of homemade 5 shaped marshmallow "peeps"!

and this little treat he found while antiquing.

(the ring, not my aging computer)
We also have plans for a night out this week when this guy is in town.
I'm getting out my can of red paint for the town.

Hangin' In There

2008-01-20T10:17:00.000-06:00

We're hangin' in there - we've made it to the final stretch of Davin being away.
It's hard to believe it has been almost 4 months, and at the same time it seems like forever since he has actually lived at home.

The Bud enjoys wearing his dragon Halloween costume around lately - it worked great as an extra layer against the cold this weekend.
Great-Gramma and her friends "got a kick" out of the visiting dragon.

I find it so interesting that many strangers assume that the Bud is a girl - especially since I looked very similar as a child and many strangers thought I was a boy. Hmmm.

I finally finished Davin's Charade Socks.
I felt like they were taking me forever. They are a bit big for the blockers - size 13 mens!

Pattern: Charade
Needles: US 1
Yarn: Yarn Pirate "Killer Bees" October 2007 Booty Club
I meant to finish these by the end of December to be part of the Sock Knitters' Anonymous Knit-Along, but I just couldn't make it happen.

I must be in a dreamsicle mood...
because along with my Monkeys I cast on for a Drop Stitch Scarf with the same sort of colors.

I found this yarn in a bargain bin for next to nothing and really liked the idea of knitting the two colors together.
I love the look of this scarf, but I find that I get bored quickly with working on it - and I'm not even that far yet. I just don't think I am a scarf knitter at heart. I like the result, but I think it will be a back burner project that I will work on a little here and a little there in between other things. It will be good for that since it is a really easy pattern to start and stop at any point.

I'm not sure how it will block, since the yarn is mostly rayon, but I think I will enjoy it regardless.

Can it really be 2008?

2008-01-06T12:04:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

It has been a high energy weekend for the Bud. He is always thrilled when Davin is home, and he was home this weekend for almost 48 hours.

The end is finally in sight, and he should be home for good at the end of this month.

I am looking forward to adding a few things back into my life. I have taken a short leave of absence from my etsy shop, but I plan to get back to it as soon as life gets back to normal. I started it for fun and a way to channel some creative energy, but around the beginning of December it started to feel like a huge stress. I decided to let myself stop for awhile. I will come back to it when it will feel fun and rewarding again.

I have been knitting since my last post and have finished a few things:

The Last FO of 2007
Gloria Cowl

This cowl was a christmas gift - I can blog about it now. I thought that my recent Yarn Pirate Booty would be perfect.

Luckily, after 4 frustrating attempts with various needle sizes and # of stitches cast on, I finally came up with a way to stop the horrible pooling that kept happening. I knit 2 strands together with the colorway staggered. I was quite pleased with how the colors blended after that. I added a little seed stitch edge to keep it from rolling.

I put my cowl "recipe" on my flickr page here.

First FO of 2008
Noro Silk Garden Lite Socks

Last October I was inspired by the beauty of Lolly's Silk Garden Lite socks.
I loved the colors and transitions.

Since then I wanted to make some for myself. So I bought 2 skeins on ebay - they ended up being very fraternal. I set up the skeins to have the cuffs match, but due to the long colorway repeat and other joins (from Noro) that's all that does. I loved working with the yarn, and despite the fraternal-ness, I am still very much in love with the finished socks.

First CO of 2008
Monkey socks
I enjoy participating in the Sock Knitter's Anonymous group KAL on Ravelry. For January the theme is Cookie A. designs.
I have been wanting to make some Monkeys for a long time, so I cast on with my Cheeky Monkey sock yarn yesterday.

I have been saving this yarn for something special. I love the colors, and it feels fabulous to knit with, but sadly this yarn will not be for Monkeys. The color repeat worked out to exactly 2 rounds - so there would be yucky vertical striping down the whole sock.

I couldn't let myself do that to this wonderful yarn. It will have to wait for another pattern another day.

I looked through my stash and tried this:

I am far happier with how the colorway is working out on my "Dreamsicle Monkeys".

Oddly enough... when I dyed the yarn last summer I thought it would make good monkeys - but I wasn't ready to follow that pattern yet. I have learned so much in the past few months about the way I knit (lefty-combined) and how I need to translate patterns for myself to make the finished product come out as intended.

I only recently figured out that that to K2tog, I need to knit one, change the stitch mount on the next stitch, return the knit stitch to the "unknit" needle and pass the "mount-changed" stitch over it - it took me awhile to discover that one.
For SSK I need to slip, knit one and PSSO.
My lefty combined world is so complicated!

I also discovered that to create a twisted rib, it is far easier for me to twist the purl stitch (P-through the back loop) than it is to K-through the back loop. K-tbl, for me, entails changing the stitch mount for each stitch - yuck! It doesn't look exactly the same, but it gives a similar enough effect for me.
With all of this new knowledge, I am set to put it to use on Cookie A's Monkey pattern.

I love it when a plan comes together. (Ahhh... the A-Team!)

My new year's resolution... be creative and enjoy.