Ducky Knits

Photo Phriday

2011-06-03T14:25:00.001-04:00

This:

Play At Life Fiber Arts "Acid Trail (Light)". 3.9 oz

Plus This: (or something closely resembling this)

Louet S15 spinning wheel (S17 shown - very close)

Results in this:

Singles soon to be chain-plied!! Wahoo!

Have a good weekend!

Photo Phriday

2011-05-27T10:32:00.001-04:00

I need a relaxing day, to recoup my center. I have still not been giving myself enough time for sleep, and today I am cranky and tired. Like most mothers of small children, I need a vacation. And because that is unlikely to happen, I need to put on my Big Girl Panties and just start going to bed on time.

I am leaving you today with this lovely Pissaro. It is called "Woman Carding". She looks so peaceful, I just want to bring her a cup of tea, and sit with her, working quietly. *Sigh!*

Putting my money where my mouth is

2011-05-26T15:50:00.000-04:00

If you've wandered around this blog a little bit, you've probably noticed that I am big on creativity. No matter who is getting creative, I am into it. I especially like the feeling when I am inspired to make something, that rush of an idea, the itch to get started...

Now I just have to work on my follow through. I tend to complain that I have no time to do, well, anything, but that isn't exactly true. I have two small children, and a household to maintain, but there is some time for creating, if I can just get into the routine of doing it. April, over at Blacksburg Belle, suggests that I get up earlier. That is a very good suggestion which I have been fighting for awhile, staying up late and complaining that I can't go to bed yet, I haven't gotten anything done (which I would do in the morning, if only I got to bed on time...) And because I am not accomplishing anything with my old way of doing things, I am going to switch. Today.

This morning, although I did not get up early, I snuck (sneaked?) in some creative time with a sketchbook, coming up with a girls sweater design for fall. I've been meaning to do that for a long time, and finally just sat down and did it. The big kid was at preschool at the time, and the little kid was at babysitting at the gym. I shortened my workout, got dressed, and sketched without any interruptions before picking up the little one. Boy, did that feel good! I am happy with the design, and now I can go to bed early, and get up early tomorrow.

On a separate note, sometimes the well of inspiration runs a little dry. We all have that problem sometimes. I've written about it before, and I'm gonna do it again. I had an idea that it is easier to be inspired by something someone else says, maybe because those words come from a different brain (one that isn't in a dry spell?) So Cheryl and I came up with inspiring each other, to keep the creativity ramped up.

I figure if I post something inspiring on this blog, and you're reading this blog, then you can get into the game too. Feel free to use the inspiration notes that I'll be posting for your own creative endeavors, whatever they are. I'm sure you can find a way to do that. You're so creative!

Inspiration Notes for Today:
I saw someone reading written music today. She wasn't playing music at the time, she was reading the music and making some notes. Written music makes me think of, well, music, even though I cannot read written music.

Outside it is hot and humid - for this part of the US anyway. Summer is almost here! For some reason I want to listen to the same music each summer. Beach music. I listen to it and I become a teenager again, a prettier, younger, and (in my mind) fitter version of myself. When I hear Love Shack by the B52s, Dancing Queen by Abba, or songs from the movie Grease, I need to crank up the volume and sing along! These songs' lyrics are feasts for the imagination:

...see a faded sign at the side of the road that says 16 miles...

...Friday night and the lights are low, Looking out for a place to go...
...Took her bowling in the arcade
   We went strolling, drank lemonade
   We made out under the dock
   We stayed out 'till ten o'clock...
Just reading the lyrics makes me think of the hot sand and faded colors during the day, and the boardwalk lit up like fireworks at night.

Do with the notes what you will. Leave me a comment - tell me if this is inspiring at all, or if I'm totally missing the mark.   Or leave lyrics from your favorite summer song!

Sheep and Wool Overload

2011-05-16T16:21:00.000-04:00

I made my yearly pilgrimage to Maryland Sheep and Wool at the beginning of this month, and had a ball! This year, I left the kids at home (thank you honey!) and was ready to go when my sister Cheryl arrived from RI. (yeah, that's how crazy we are. She traveled across SIX states! And in RI, they consider anything over 10 miles a trip where you need a hotel reservation...)

So we met up with some delightful friends in MD. We took classes and did way too much shopping. The best part was chatting with other knitters, spinners, and other assorted fiber fanatics. It was heaven.

I took two classes on Saturday with Maggie Casey (yeah, that one). She was wonderful. What an impressive amount of knowledge this woman has stored in her noggin! BUT, I think that her classes should be longer. The entire three hours was packed with information, and we definately covered the class material, but she didn't seem to be out when our time was over. She most likely could have filled another hour or two. Yeah, I'd pay more for that.

Teach your old wheel new tricks was the morning class. Little did I know that my (very) old Louet would be treated with such respect in a room full of fancier (and more expensive) wheels. Seems Maggie learned to spin on a Louet, and dispelled my feelings of inadequacy right away. We cleaned our wheels, and oiled them, then got to work. She explained how each type of wheel (Scottish tension, double drive or Irish tension - my Louet) worked, and the quirks of each. Then we got to adjusting our wheels and spinning. She talked about fiber, and staple length, and how to spin a finer yarn, etc, etc, etc!

Spinning Lace Yarns was the afternoon class, also taught by Maggie Casey A little repitition of basic information at the beginning of class, and then on to spinning thinner, and thinner until I actually had yarn on my bobbin that, when allowed to twist onto itself for a length, was an actual LACE WEIGHT. That's a two ply laceweight yarn, something I never thought I'd be able to do on the Louet. But thanks to Maggie, I did. She's brilliant. And very patient.

I've been stuck at dk weight two-ply for ages, and frustrated to no end that I just could not get the hang of spinning thinner. And Maggie's class made it easy. (hint: It wasn't so much me, as it was the settings on the wheel. Simple but amazing.)

Not too much shopping on Saturday, as the market closed soon after the class ended. I made up for that later.

On Sunday morning, I took a class called Thick and Thin and Coils with Jacey Boggs (ravelry link). I have not spun any "art" yarn before, and I was looking forward to trying some. The class was crazy good. Jacey talks non-stop, but not in an annoying way. She's engaging, and nice, and has a lot to teach. We started with the thick and thin yarn, and after I got the hang of it, I considered the class paid for. But then, there was this whole other type of yarn (using some overspun thick and thin) that was AMAZING.

Like Maggie Casey's classes, Jacey's class was totally worth the admission price, maybe even more. If you can find either of these ladies teaching in your area, I highly recommend their classes. And I've taken a LOT of classes.

After Jacey's class, I went SHOPPING. More about that later (with pics!)

My so-called knitting club

2011-02-25T21:22:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, I decided to start a knitting club. Even though I'm the only member so far, calling it a "club" seemed more friendly and less dorky (or is it more dorky to call yourself a "club"?) I picked out projects to give as holiday gifts and organized them with needles, yarn and instructions - I always think of knitting patterns as "recipes"; not sure why.

The plan was to knit one a month and I'd be 11 projects up on my holiday knitting. I probably shoulda thought about this earlier and started in January, but in January there's too much pressure to pick a new years' goal and I just could not come up with something to do until the pressure was off. I guess that's a reason to like the month of February. "February: crappy weather, but less resolution stress than January."

February's project is a pair of socks (sorry - can't tell you who they are for) and I started them with plenty of time to complete them in February. Then I had to re-knit the heel (foot too long), and I started a cowl for some easy knitting to work on when watching TV. So the socks have been languishing in the knitting basket until today, when I realized there are 3 more days in February. Including today. The socks are barely past the heel. It will not do to fail to finish my first project in this whole deal. It will not do. They must be finished before the end of the month. No excuses.

So, I'm knitting my fingers to the bone while watching "White Collar" on DVR. Trying to finish up BIG socks on size 1 needles is going very s l o w l y. Keep your fingers crossed.

Call it what you will

2011-02-09T16:48:00.002-05:00

I have a serious inability to estimate how long knitting something will take. For instance, when Christmas is just two weeks away, I will insist to myself that I can add two or three knit items to my list. (Notice that in this scenario, Christmas is in two weeks, and, not only am I not yet done knitting the list items, I am ADDING TO IT. Seriously delusional.)

Somehow, I just don't realize how limited my knitting time is, and even more so now that I have two little people to take care of in addition to my regular holiday duties. It was because of those little sweeties that I completely took the year off in 2010, and knit absolutely nothing for Christmas. NOTHING. I just could not take the deadline stress in addition to the stress of making a Christmas for my babies.

I thought I would really miss it, but it was more like a little gift I gave to myself. Much more relaxing. But, as soon as January arrived, I started thinking of what I would knit for Christmas. I do not usually start that early - I am usually forced into thinking of what to knit when I have already started gift shopping. After Thanksgiving.

So when I saw what Stephanie had done with her Self-imposed Sock Club, I decided to plan early and start NOW. It is kind of like giving myself the gift of a less stressful holiday season again this year.

So I got a bunch of zip lock bags and started assembling. I labeled the projects by dropping into the bag an old (outdated) business card with info written on the back: recipient, size, pattern to use, needle size, etc. Then I placed yarn, a copy of the pattern and when possible, needles and even notions together in the bag. Now when I need a project to work on, I just select a bag and knit something ahead for Christmas.

Need rules? I have rules! At least one project for Christmas is to be started and finished each month, and NO knitting for people who have not appreciated knit gifts in the past. I should have at least 11 happy giftees at Christmas this year. ( I didn't start until February - I'm late for everything...)

I do not have Stephanie's gift with words, so I'm not sure what to call this "club". The Christmas Crafting Club? The Less-Stress Christmas Knitting Club? My Bag O Projects For Christmas Knitting? The Hey I Don't Need To Name Everything I Do (Especially 'Cause I Can't Come Up With a Good Name) Club? Is it even a club if it's just me? What else do I call it? A Mission?

Anywhoo, here's the first project from the Whatever You Call It Club is a pair of socks for someone who shall remain nameless. That's the problem with this whole deal - I'll be working on, and blogging about, these projects, but I can't say who they are for. I don't wanna ruin the entire surprise.

(This is a few days' work here - check out the craaazy pooling!)
Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Socks from Wendy D. Johnson's Wendy Knits book. Brown Sheep's Wildfoote sock yarn in "Rock 'n Roll" colorway. Size US 1 /2.25 mm needles, and a couple of extra stitches. The intended recipient has BIG feet. No more hints, otherwise these socks' intended will figure it out.

I'm using two circs, I just worked each toe flat as the instructions indicated, then put them both on the two circular needles to work in the round. Edited to add: I really need to find a set of circs that have less of a bump where needle meets wire. Half my knitting time on this project is trying to get the stitches back onto the needle from the wire in order to knit them. And no, I'm not a tight knitter. Anyone know some good circs with a nice smooth transition point?

I'm looking forward to having the finished projects pile up throughout the year.

Snow again!

2011-01-27T22:23:00.001-05:00

We had a little bit of snow last night.

That's the grill, I think.

Only after the snow we've been having this winter could I refer to what happened last night as a "little" snow. About a foot fell in these parts. A foot. Of snow. Normally around here, that would be a crazy amount of snow. Not this year.

When it snows I would like to knit something warm all day, but my children had other ideas. So, we watched cartoons and danced around the living room. I took some pictures of new items for the shop, and a new finished hat!

That's The Amanda Hat, designed by Gina House. I took a class with her last weekend, up at Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI. What was Manos from my stash, now is a comfy, warm hat. Fits pretty nice, too. I might just make another one. or two.

Stovepipe

2011-01-06T19:24:00.005-05:00

SO the kids didn't sleep very late today but I'm still on my routine. I've been getting up with hubby so I can shower first thing, and that seems to help a LOT. Mt Washmore is almost gone, and the dishwasher has been run twice a day (by me) since Tuesday. This is unusual in this house.

Alex slept alone for a 40 minute nap, and I got a lot of work done for the Shop. I am making sure everything is inventoried, photographed, banded, and ready to go for our sale, starting January 22nd. 50% off all supplies for knitting, spinning and felting. (yeah, that's everything in the shop!)

I am knitting my fourth stovepipe hat. It is a tube that is pulled closed at one end and secured with a cord lock. ETA: When the cord is loosened, the Stovepipe can be worn as a cowl. So far I have knit 1 child hat, 1 adult hat with a neck flap, 1 adult hat with no flap, and the current one which is an adult hat with little girly cables on it. They need to be photographed, then the hats will be available in the shop. Here's an example of a stovepipe hat I knit as a Christmas present for one of my nephews:

That's hand dyed yarn by the Dyenamic Dyestress, people! I definately need a better model, Kinnearing myself is not gonna cut it.

Once the stovepipe hat pattern has been test knit, it will be available for FREE here on the blog. (See on the right, there's a place for patterns already? That's where it will be.) If you happen to download the pattern and have any feedback, please share it! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Alex wanted to play downstairs yesterday so I took the opportunity to look through some of the HUGE bags of yarn down there for some stuff I could use for the shop - and found quite a bit that fit the "cozy neutrals" theme a la MaryMary. I bagged each of them up with a note inside of what I wanted to use them for and tossed them in a reuseable shopping bag. Now when I need to start a new project, I just grab a bag! No wondering what to knit, etc. Yay me! Now if I could only streamline the rest of my life...

Resolute

2011-01-04T21:13:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year! We are finally home from all our holiday traveling! Boy am I glad to be home. It is very nice to visit family, but I've gots stuff ta do!

Today I took inventory of all the lovely rovings and yarns in stock. I was very tempted to sneak a skein and start a new project, but decided to be good and leave all the yummies for the customers. For now. Instead, I started getting ready for our big Anniversary sale! It is hard to believe the shop has been open for a whole year. The sale will be just two days, January 22nd and 23rd, and everything will be 50% off, so the inventory needs to be ready to roll!

I sorted out the skeins that need labels, and those that need new photos and started taking pictures. Tonight I'll be printing labels until bedtime. Tomorrow, reskeining and braiding. Cheryl sent me home from New Year's with a BIG box of newly dyed rovings which are GORGEOUS! Would you like to see? Of course you would! Here's a few teaser pics...

Arctic Ice progression dyed in Merino.

Persuasion progression dyed in Merino.

See? You thought I was kidding about the beauteousness! These and more will be in the shop in time for the sale, Sale, SALE!

On a completely different note, I have resolutions!

Do more feminine-type stuff. (like making sure I brush my hair everyday... )
Get to the gym.
Design a knitting pattern a month. (at least)
Start gift knitting NOW. (I'm trying to make the holidays less hectic next time around)
Knit for the shop.
Learn more about marketing the shop, to start the 2nd year off with a bang!

Do you have resolutions?

Out and About

2010-11-14T20:43:00.005-05:00

Thank God for those sell-at-home parties. I'm not usually a fan, but tonight DH let me go to one (perhaps because they were selling food products?) and then I snuck out to the bookstore! I got to look at so many creative books and magazines and now I am feeling very refreshed and inspired!

After pouring through a big stack of magazines, I settled on just one. It was Knitter's Fall 2010 issue. It is their 100th issue, and has a TON of designs. Normally I do not buy Knitters. Simply put, the magazine is normally not a good fit for me. The magazine started moving away from pieces I thought were knitable a few years ago.

There were, however, several designs in the issue that made it a good purchase for me. First, an incredible dress and sweater set (ravelry link) designed by Ann McCauley. Awesome cables and shaping! Then, by the Knitters Design Team, a one-button cardi and by Jean Frost, a basketweave cardi. (neither of which are on Ravelry yet) There are a few more that I'm interested in making, but those are the patterns that really struck me as being worthy of paying money for.

In a temporary vacation from apples, here is today's Painter practice:

A little corner to call my own

2010-11-11T11:43:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to convince my husband that I need to move the boys into the same room so I can have the little bedroom as my workroom. My fantasy is to have somewhere to create in peace, away from little grabby hands. I get very inspired to have a workroom with a door every time the boys get into my art supplies. They have their own. They should keep their hands off my stuff!

Unfortunately, this fantasy workroom is not gonna happen any time soon. I think the fantasy is more about actually getting to craft, and it is unlikely that a room with a door would be enough to make that happen. So, I’ve taken over a big section of the Living Room. Once I find the desk, that is. Right now it is Clutter Central.

I cannot fit all of my materials in this area, but I should be able to fit enough to get some designing done. I got rid of some furniture to make a big empty space in the other side of the living room. If you have little kids, you know how much they love them some empty space. I’m hoping to get a little work done while they fill the empty space with toys. Then I will clear the space and we will start again. It could work!

Or not.

2010-11-10T08:28:00.003-05:00

The Raisin did NOT sleep through the night last night, and because of that, neither did I.
I am very tired, which is not conducive to creativity or productivity.
When I am tired everything bothers me. Normally, I can ignore things like the HUGE pile of dirty laundry or The Monkey leaving Legos everywhere. That will not be the case today.

I also resent all the WORK I have to do when I’m tired. I do not want to do the laundry, or clean up after breakfast, or do the dishes, or vacuum. I’d much rather be knitting, or spinning, or designing something. Whine!

I am trying to convince myself to do the chores anyway. A clean house, although very rare, does make me feel very happy.

Shopping also makes me happy, and is MUCH more pleasant than cleaning.

There is just enough time while The Monkey is in school to do some major damage at the mall.

I might have to lock up my credit cards while he’s at school.

Or not.

New apple from last night, Oil Pastels (love them!!)

Creative Energy!

2010-11-08T21:11:00.008-05:00

The Raisin slept through the night! This is not the first time, but it might be the third or fourth time since he was born - 14 and a half months ago.

Getting a full night’s sleep must be what I needed, because I am feeling VERY creative and energetic today!! In order to fulfill this burning need to create, I started playing with the Corel Painter that has been installed on my computer forever. I was having a hard time deciding what to draw/paint, so I just decided to learn how to use the tools by drawing the same subject over and over. The first thing that came to mind was apples.

Watercolor Apple

Artist’s Oils Apple

That’s it so far. I need a LOT more practice. I’m going to keep painting and drawing apples until Corel Painter is my friend.

In knitting news, I finished a sample scarf for the shop.

Soon we will be offering spin-to-knit kits for these scarves, in multiple colors. As soon as I write the instructions, that is. I'm on it!

Onward

2010-09-17T19:59:00.007-04:00

After wishing the Witches Stockings yarn a fond farewell today, I let the wheel rest and worked on my current knitting project. The Elizabeth Freeman Shawl KAL Group (Ravelry link) is knitting their way through three of Elizabeth's shawls. The KAL was already in progress when I joined, so I jumped in where they are and am knitting the Aeolian shawl (Knitty link). It is a beaded lace shawl with nups. I never thought I would be knitting something with (gasp!) bobbles, but it is soooo pretty I could not resist:

See? Gorgeous!

I am making the smaller version, the shawlette, because it fits the amount of yarn I have. I bought multiple shades of pink beads to go with the slightly variagated Shaefer Anne yarn (do not know the colourway off hand). Here is a progress pic:

I have a looooong way to go! Not sure what is with my current obsession with pink, but it might have something to do with living with three boys... could be!

Was not sure if I would enjoy stopping my knitting to place the beads, but it is a very enjoyable knit. Thank goodness Elizabeth designed the shawl so the beads are put on with a little crochet hook, and not threaded on at the beginning. Imagine threading 850 beads before starting knitting! If you have the patience to do that, you are MUCH more patient than I am.

Witches Stockings

2010-09-16T10:16:00.006-04:00

Cheryl dyed the Halloween colorway "Witches Stockings" which looks like this:

I worsted spun it into this:

Then I Navajo plyed it into this:

I have been coveting Cheryl's Halloween colorways since she dyed them, but I've been keeping my hands off - The rovings are for the customers. Then, a wonderful customer decided she had to have the Witches Stockings, and wanted ME to spin it!! WAHOO!! I love how the yarn turned out - long stretches of each color, then a long transition into the next color. Cheryl dyed long stretches of the roving to make just that effect!! Brilliant!!

Feather Cowl

2010-09-06T08:49:00.010-04:00

I put the final touches on the Feather Cowl today - I like to block first, weave in ends second. It came out pretty well. I used some yummy hand dyed sock yarn from Tanis Fiber Arts.

80% superwash Merino
20% Nylon
400 yds (365 m)
Seabreeze colourway

A close-up of the lace (running sideways, knit from right to left.)

The cowl is basically a tube, knit in the round using Barbara Walker's Japanese Feather lace stitch. Easy peasy! Here it is folded in half.

And here it is scrunched up.

I think if I knit this one again, I may lose two or three repeats worth of stitches, and one repeat of the lace pattern (could be narrower and shorter). I am thinking of tacking the top and bottom together to make a doughnut with the seam on the inside, so I can just pull it over my head and go, no fussing. I'll let you know how it works out.

Having a bit of a slide lately with my routines. Not getting anywhere with the house. I think the problem is all the clutter. I keep cleaning it up and it gets spread back around. Today is Labor day, and I'm going to take advantage of a bonus day of hubby being home to help with the kids. The clutter had better watch out! I'm gathering up donations for The Salvation Army today, and loading them into the car, to deliver them tomorrow! Baby clothes and old clothes of mine. (hubby's too. Shh! Don't tell. He wants to keep that old tee shirt that hasn't fit him since college. I am sure he won't miss it.)

Next on the needles: I'm designing a poncho for a client's daughter, with matching hat and bag. Yeah! I get to knit with PINK!! That's something that someone with two boys does not get to do very often... :)

Best Laid Plans

2010-09-01T21:02:00.003-04:00

Well I had planned to work more on the house today, establishing my routines, decluttering. And then my one year old fell and cut the inside of his mouth. All those plans went right out the window. The poor baby was bleeding and crying. Doctor says he had cut his frenulum (sp?) and did not need stitches. Thank goodness for that! Can you imagine how scary the emergency room would be to a little guy like that? Yipes.

My four year old was a peach through the whole thing, letting Daddy take him to his first day of preschool while I took his bro to the doctor.

The brave little dude even let the doctor check his lip, no tears, no wiggling. What a trooper!

Good to know my kids are good in an emergency!

Before all this excitement, I finished my latest project, one that I designed before I found out that someone else already designed something eerily similar (her version here - Ravelry link) While hers is a wimple, mine is a simple lace cowl. Pattern for mine with pictures to come tomorrow.

Today I cast on a go-to project, another baby bib from the Mason Dixon Knitting book. My sister has a few and RAVES about them, so I'm making bibs my car project for sitting in line at the bank, the preschool, the carwash, wherever I'm stuck in the car for a time. It is nice to have something to fill the gaps between projects, isn't it?

Back from Vacation

2010-08-31T14:40:00.002-04:00

We recently returned from vacation (LOVE the Outer Banks) and I am trying to unpack and get my act together around the house. I have been trying to get the house together for a very long time (longer than I am willing to admit) and have been largely unsuccessful. After staying in a clutter-free rental for a week at the beach, coming home to a big mess was very disapointing. Not only am I missing the beach, but the mess is overwhelming. I am VERY motivated to throw everything out of this house. Starting over feels easier than slogging through all the CRAP.

SO, I'm trying to get into a routine. The day to day stuff is first. I swept and vaccumed the public part of the house, just where I could get to. I consolidated the paper clutter into one spot and started a load of laundry. I took the boys out to lunch instead of trying to find the table. Then I unloaded the dishwasher and put the few dirty dishes in, and put the laundry in the dryer. Now I have a few minutes to hang with my boys before starting dinner.

Tonight, I plan on going to the gym and then knitting until bedtime. Hopefully I can get some sleep before Tiny A wakes up. And tomorrow is the first day of preschool, so I should have some "free" time to keep up with these daily things!

I am looking forward to tossing a ton of clutter and finding some peace and room in my life for creating! This fall is going to be very busy, with June Pryce's ads going up on Ravelry and tons of spinning and knitting in my queue. I also have some ideas floating around in my head and I'd love to work them up into patterns!

Good to be Home Again

2007-12-31T19:39:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh. I do love the holidays, but after 5 days at my parents', and almost 3 at Hubby's, with only two days in between, it is so very nice to get back into our little routines at home... even if home is an enormous mess.

Right now, Monkey is having a bath, and Daddy is assisting, (I can hear the giggles from here) so I have a few minutes to catch you up. I finished my holiday knitting just in time, again. Now this year I didn't plan on very many knit gifts because I wanted to avoid the frantic knitting/felting/sewing at midnight from last December. But still, I was down to the wire. I may not have been quite as stressed about it this year, but I was still pushing the deadline. I'm thinking that no matter how few or how many handmade projects I plan on, I will somehow find a way to be done just in time. I should just be glad that I did get them done, because the alternative is a bit embarrassing (and knitting gifts after they've been given is a bit like a chore).

My holiday knitting consisted of dishcloths for 8 (four each), a shawl, and some crazy hats.

Here are some dishcloths:

The finished shawl:

No pictures yet of the crazy hats for my BIL who likes to soak in his outdoor hot-tub in the winter, sorry. He got an acrylic rainbow hat with tail an pom-pom, and a regular hat of terra-cotta in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, very comfy.

Today is New Year's Eve, and I'm thinking of the direction I'd like my knitting to take in 2008.

Knit up more of my stash, in order to switch the stash from the jumble of odd skeins it is to (many less skeins) of (nicer) yarn to be bought for a specific purpose.

Finish a few UFO's, to have less of them at the end of the year than the amount I have now (many more than you are thinking).

Knit some for charity. There are a lot of cold people out there. I have a ton of yarn. There's a connection there.

Publish some free patterns. Yeah, I said FREE. One pattern a month, minimum. Here on the blog. Be sure to check back.

For now, I'm working on a charity baby blanket for Warm Woolies. It usually takes me awhile to select a pattern and yarn, but this time I just picked yarn out of the stash and cast on. Yeah me!

Hosting Christmas

2007-12-09T07:42:00.000-05:00

Each year, at Christmas, my family (or as many of that can) travel to one house to enjoy the holiday together. Thank goodness I am not hosting Christmas this year. I hosted last year and it was a ton of stress and work! (admittedly, some of the stress could have been from having a one year old child who didn't enjoy napping and my deciding to make most of the presents...)

I had never realized before how much work goes into just cleaning for the holiday! Then there's decorating, and cooking, and shopping, and it's sort of rude to do those things after the guests arrive. Then where to fit everyone (we do not have a large house) and making sure they're comfortable and sort of letting go of whether they're comfortable because there's only so much I can do without adding on a wing to the house and hiring some staff. So, thank goodness I am not hosting Christmas this year. But I feel guilty that my Mom, who is hosting, has all this work to do, so Monkey and I traveled to my Mom's house last week to help out. We blasted the Christmas music, and danced around with our dusters, then set about decorating for the holiday. It was great fun, and Monkey got to spend quality time with Nana and Poppy, so he was happy.

I brought two knitting projects with me, a Baby Surprise Jacket and a shawl for my grandmother, neither of which had been cast on. The shawl hadn't really been planned out, but I brought a copy of "Folk Shawls" by Cheryl Oberle with me, I figured I could pick something out of that. I started the lace shawl for my grandmother about 8 times this week, and FINALLY got something that resembles lace and doesn't make me vomit. (yeah, the tries were that bad) The problem was not Cheryl Oberle's book, it was my interpretation of it.

Apparently, I cannot follow simple directions. First, I ignored Cheryl's beautiful patterns, and tried to adapt her technique and stitch patterns into something entirely new. I tried to fit a lace pattern meant for a rectangular shawl into a triangular shawl (vastly overestimating my ability to adapt lace). Then I knit across the back for awhile instead of purling. When I finally figured that one out, fixed it, and the lace still looked bad, I realized I wasn't following the chart for the exceptions at the beginning and end of some rows. Hmmm... I decided to do something a bit easier, because it was very clear that I was not capable of much here. I cast on for a rectangle, used the number two lace from the sampler shawl in Folk Shawls, and remembered to purl on the wrong side (most times). So far, it's looking pretty good, and about 10 inches long (and it only needs to be about 60. God help me!)

You're probably wondering about the Baby Surprise Jacket I took with me. Never touched it. Seems it's a bit difficult being a single Mom, even just for a week, and with a few relatives around helping. Well, it is for me, anyway.

It's that time again

2007-11-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

Sweater time! Wouldn't you know, Monkey has outgrown all his sweaters from last year (yes, it's true. Kids grow. Who woulda thunk it?) My goal last year was to have a handknit sweater that fit him for every day of the week. I didn't care if it was knit by me, or if it was knit for him. So, together with handmedowns from his nephews that were knit by me and by a talented aunt, the sweaters knit for him by the Knit Chicks (thanks again, ladies) and the ones I knit specifically for him, he had (at least) seven sweaters. But now, he has outgrown them all! Yikes! I went directly to the old standby:

The wonderful wallaby. You might be sick of seeing them here, but I never tire of knitting them. It's sorta mindless after you knit the first 10 sweaters... and mindless is exactly what I needed. The brain is still on vacation from my pregnancy (yes the child is almost two. Yes I'm getting worried that the brain will decide not to return.) I think the colors are victorian Christmas, but I'm weird that way.

So the wallaby musta jump-started my knitting mojo, 'cause then I started this:

It's the Dragon Skin Wrap from the holiday issue of Interweave Knits (the holiday issue is not included in the subscription. Yeah, that bugged me too.) I know what you're thinking. This is not a boy's sweater.
Well, maybe the wallaby got my hands warmed up for this project, but not my brain. I ripped. A lot. And then I ripped again (where can the brain BE?) So not so much with the mojo, but much with the "I gotta knit that!" What's that called? Hankerings?

Anyway, it's almost done, here's a pic:

I'm knitting it in Lion Brand Cotton Ease. Next I sew the side/underarm seams, knit the collar, and the i-cord tie, then add a snap inside, and voila! I brought it to Knit Chicks and Lisa asked if it was turning out the size it was supposed to, and I can honestly say I have no idea. I didn't check my gauge (yeah I know) and haven't measured the sweater yet to see if it turned out the way the pattern said it would. I truly believe that the child who fits the sweater (now or eventually) will appear to claim it. No worries.

Centaurs are thoughtful

2007-06-27T21:19:00.000-04:00

...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?

Book Review

2007-06-14T22:04:00.000-04:00

I started reading "The Knitting Circle" by Ann Hood on Tuesday and had a hard time putting it down, even though I was crying like mad. The book is about women coming to knitting as a way to get past a tragedy in their lives. The main character, Mary, has lost her 5 year old daughter to bacterial meningitis. It is very hard not to feel how lost and shocked she is. I'm sure part of my connection with her is having a small child myself. Just thinking of losing him is overwhelming. I was surprised at how the author could revisit the characters' pain and I felt it, each time. The characters are very compelling, and it's obvious in the way she writes about knitting that the author is a knitter. (I looked it up, she really is.) I highly recommend this book, although you might want to make sure you have plenty of Kleenex nearby. Double the number of tissues if you already know the story is mostly from the author's own experience.

Aren't you glad I started blogging again? If I hadn't, you woulda missed this wonderful book review, written at least a fourth grade level! You can't get a quality review like this just anywhere... only available at your local elementary school...

Stop the ride, I wanna get off

2007-06-14T05:20:00.000-04:00

Well, dear readers (if either of you are still out there), as you may have noticed, I have had a whole lot of nothing to say in the past few weeks (months). I wanted this blog to be a positive place, and have not had a whole lot of positive to give, so I have been silent instead. I also wanted the content to mostly be about knitting. I'm not sure that my goals for the blog were realistic. I mean, there is only so much waxing poetic about knitting and those who knit that one can do without mentioning that there is life that does not pertain to knitting going on. (surely not!) It could be that all the knitting content in my head is waiting for the other stuff to get out of the way, and I'll be stalled forever unless I tell you all about it. Why, it's possible that I might never design again if I only talk about how great knitting is. So, here goes.

There are times in life when something earth-shaking happens to one you love dearly, and you rally your reserves and do everything you can to help them through that time. And then when that time drags out for weeks and weeks (through no one's fault), it gets VERY tiring. You need time for yourself, or you're going to, at best, seem like a real bitch, and at worst, make the kind of mistake that makes said love one wonder what they ever saw in you in the first place. I choose the bitch part.

It has been almost 4 weeks since my DH's Dad was diagnosed with a Pulmonary Embolism (a blood clot in a very, very bad place). Now technically, it should have killed him and we would have found out later what it was. But luckily, the clot stuck fast. Needless to say, DH is distraught. He could have/ might still lose his father.

DHsDad was in the hospital for a week. They know what he has. They don't know. They believe it's what they diagnosed. He needs surgery right away. They have to wait for the surgery. They schedule his surgery for a week later. He goes home for a week, then back to the hospital for the surgery. Almost two weeks ago, he had open heart surgery to remove the (the doctors find) multiple blood clots. The surgery goes great. Then he develops pneumonia. He's making progress, but he'll still be in the hospital for at least a week. Up, down. Up, down. And on, and on. It feels like we've been on some sort of horrible roller coaster ride for a month. Once DHsDad actually gets home from the hospital, he'll be recuperating for at least six weeks.

Now DH has been visiting at least three times a week to either the hospital (one hour away) or to DHsDad's (and Mom's) home (an hour and a half away). Sometimes the Monkey, who is now 16 months old and I go with, sometimes we don't. Now comes the bitchy part. You ready? I am so very tired of not only driving back and forth to the hospital, but also of trying to entertain a 16 month old in a hospital waiting room. When we visit Grandpa, the baby is not allowed to touch anything, and must be held the entire time. Ever seen a toddler who has been trapped in the car for an hour and then held for 15 minutes? They have this kind of meltdown that results in them running down the hall of the hospital, throwing themselves at any legs they find, hugging briefly before running away, giggling like mad. Now these unsuspecting legs usually are a bit surprised to be almost tackled in the hospital hallways, and not too pleased with me, even though they seem to smile and say through clenched teeth that the child is "cute". Put the child in a small waiting room, and he practically bounces off the walls, until everyone else waiting in there wishes he would go and molest the hall people again.

I'm half expecting that we'll get kicked out of the hospital one of these times, and asked not to return. The bitch is excited about that prospect. She is tired of being in the car and changing diapers on the (scary disease ridden) floor in the hospital. She is tired of having her life on hold for the past month, and not looking forward to having it on hold for at least two more.

We can't take two more months of this. I do have sympathy for DHsDad, but we can't wait. I decided that when we are not on our way to/from the hospital, my toddler and I are on vacation. I made some dates. Play dates during the day when DH is working, and a few nights out when DH is staying home from the hospital. We need progress and relaxation that is not connected to DHsDad's recovery. I started projects. I organized the cabinet in the bathroom. I started cleaning out the guest room so we can have some company. I bought a book. I read the book. Book review tomorrow.

Off the Wagon

2007-04-03T17:21:00.000-04:00

Why do knitters stash yarn away? Is there a yarn shortage coming?

Do knitters feel as though the yarn will run out? I know that even if I were to knit every day of the rest of my life, I'd be hard pressed to use my entire stash. And yet, more yarn beckons.

I have to admit to being really impressed with knitters who don't stash. They buy yarn for a specific project, start the project upon receiving the yarn, then finish the project before buying yarn for the next. These knitters are few and far between, (or they are just quiet in the face of rabid stashers) and have my deepest respect!

On the other hand, knitters that put yarn away for a rainy day show forethought into the knitter's process. If they find themselves, say at midnight, with the undeniable urge to start a new project, say something to wear to Maryland Sheep and Wool, they are prepared. These stash knitters know how to think ahead. Sale yarn is put by for when money is tight. One of a kind yarn is collected like fine art. Some stashing knitters know where they have bought each skein, who they were with, and what the weather was like. (Happy Birthday Barb!) These knitters think of their stash as a collection. It isn't how many skeins you own, but the type of yarn that is important.

In January, I decided that my stash was plenty big, and my guestroom might benefit from a few months without any additions. I knitted from my stash for two months without even a glimmer of an urge to buy yarn. On the whole, I didn't knit enough during that time to make a noticeable dent in the stash. On my first visit to a LYS after that time, when I was free to buy yarn, I bought no yarn, just tools and patterns. (I'm guessing that I was still in StashAlong mode at the time.) So why is it that in the three weeks following that visit I have bought all this?

(Dale of Norway Baby Ull on the right, lots of sock yarn on the left)

That's just the backlash from two months' restraint! I've decided to sign up for the StashAlong for another 5 or 6 months. Today's investment advice: buy yarn futures.

Finished Object Mojo

2007-03-16T14:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I groused. I whined about everything. The house is a mess. Mount Washie (pile of dirty laundry on floor next to washer) is enormous. The sink is full of dirty dishes. There are thousands of milk stains on the family room rug. No matter how much I do around here, I'm still about a week behind. The baby won't play by himself for even one minute. I don't have time for knitting, I haven't had a shower, I never get any time for me, I'm haven't gotten enough sleep, my back hurts, my tongue's asleep and my teeth itch. And then, through no fault of my own, this happened.

Today, Mount Washie is considerably smaller (It's down to the tree line already), the sink is only half full, some of the spots have been scrubbed out of the rug, the baby not only played by himself, but did not follow me and drag out everything right after I had put them away, as he usually does. It must be some sort of finished-object mojo.

The sock is Regia color #5343. (I am assuming here that "Farbe" means color. If, in fact, "Partie" is color, it is #30771.) This sock is for younger Nephew, and should fit his Mother nicely after he outgrows it. (he's eight. The monster feet on these boys...) You might be thinking it's not technically a finished project until there's TWO socks. Back off, I need this one.

See the background of the sock picture? Ice. About 1/2 inch of ice. That fell from the sky. And still coming down. Ick. I'd much rather have snow. Even rain would be better, but I definately prefer snow. Snow is "sit with a mug of hot tea and knit" weather. Freezing rain & ice is "how long will the power lines stay up?" weather. Obviously my mojo does not extend to controlling which weather we get.

As for the trekking socks that have uneven cuffs, I've decided to re-block and see if there is really an issue worthy of ripping out the tops of two socks and finishing them off, or if I'm just making a mountain out of a molehill. (totally unlike me, no matter what my husband tells you) Besides, I'm told by the highest authority that blocking is completely unneccessary for socks, so blocking is most likely what messed them up. I should do that today while my mojo is still good.

I meant to do that

2007-03-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

Blocked the Trekking socks and went to put them in a box to ship them when I noticed it. Here they are, do you see it?

The feet are perfectly lined up, and they match great. (in size, not striping) It's the CUFFS that don't match. They are each 72 rows. Crap!

I don't know if my gauge changed for the second sock, or if I was in a different mood. I can imagine that if I were angry for one of them, I would be gripping the needles tight and that would reflect in the knitting. Or did I relax for the second sock? I was so excited to finish them for someone who would truly love them, and now I can't send them. Even a 10 year old receiving a gift would notice this. Any ideas on fixing it? I toyed with the idea of snipping and ripping out the last 7 rows on the longer, last 3 rows on the shorter, and finishing them off (so they look alike at the edge.) I am not looking forward to doing that...

Keeping Track of Progress

2007-03-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

Knitting a little at a time means I have to remind myself of my progress so I don't go on a knitting binge, or start a mess of new projects at once. Here's an update on my project progress:

FINISHED

"Wonderful Wallaby" by Cottage Creations in purple acrylic Red Heart
(found almost finished in stash) Wallaby in "mexicali" acrylic Red Heart
Barb's recipe for socks in Trekking XXL Color #68 for DNephew (yeah I finished these last night, I'll post pics soon!)

UFO's

(got nowhere on) Philosopher's cardigan kit "Trillium" in autumn colors
(one of two done)Feather and Fan shawls from Interlacements in "Rick Rack" by Interlacements
(didn't even touch) Cardigan (my design) in purple "Muskoka" by Berella
(haven't thought about) Pullover (my design) in green heather "Amawalk" by Filofin (Italian)
(almost done)Helmet liner in olive green Lion Brand Wool????
(couldn't help but start) "Lizard Ridge" from Knitty.com in "Kureyon" by Noro

From the Stash

Philosopher's cardigan kit "Colour your own" in pastel colors
Socks for TM out of leftover/orphaned sock yarn
"Nantucket Jacket" from IK Winter 2006 in blue "Muskoka" by Berella
"Children's Cotton Hats" from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in 1824 cotton by Mission Falls

Isn't it amazing how the core of the UFO list did not change? Gee, I wonder why these things are not getting finished... I must really be avoiding these. I even started new projects instead of working on them.

Well it's snowing here today. I love snow. I love the way the world gets quiet when the snow comes down, and everything seems to wait. When I was little, my Mom would bake on snowy days. Now that I'm grown up (yeah, that's debateable) I always feel the need to bake when it snows. Then I knit until the feeling passes. The urge to eat all of what I bake is a definate drawback to having home baked goodies in the house. The snow is still falling. It's really piling up. Soon someone will need to shovel the driveway and walks. That's usually DH's job. I'm sure he'll work up a big hunger while he's doing that. I should make him some brownies as a reward for all that hard work, don't you think? You don't suppose he'll need them all, do you? I could eat a few and he wouldn't even know. I'm sure he'll be so grateful that I made him some that he won't even question where the corner pieces went...

Timing is Everything

2007-03-05T12:15:00.000-05:00

One row at a time is not how I usually do things, but I'm learning that it has benefits.

Usually I procrastinate until I get fed up with having no results and engage in a marathon knitting/cleaning/working session which lasts until I feel that progress has been made. Recently, I have been finding evidence that doing a little at a time has its benefits. First I found that it works in de-cluttering my house, via Flylady, a mentoring website for clutterbugs. Then I learned it worked for cleaning the house. Now I'm finding that it works for quite a bit more.

I used to knit so much at once, that my wrists would hurt. Pain would linger so I couldn't knit for a few days. When I started to Knit a little at a time to keep the pain at bay, it was very hard to put down the project. I had only knit one row! That's almost no rows! I tried to think of it as pacing myself.

When I knit one row at a time, I found I could knit another row later in the day. I managed to knit a little so often that I could get more knitting done in one day than I had before, this time without pain at all. That's not usually how it happens, but the possibility keeps me at the slow pace.

So a little at a time is how I finished this Wonderful Wallaby which started out to be for The Monkey, but since he has about 10 sweaters that are the same size, (size 2) I decided to send it to a friend, who lives in Hamilton, Ontario. I figure that it's a bit colder there, and her son might need it a little more than TM does. Besides, I love the colourway so much, I'm thinking TM needs one in the next size up!

I was rearranging the stash (fondling the sock yarn) and found another wallaby, which was almost done, it just needed a hood! so I dug right in. This one is MUCH bigger. (size 8) What was I thinking, abandoning a project that was so very close! Musta been some sort of knitting emergency...

I'm almost finished with this helmet liner, they go pretty fast, except I wait until TM goes to bed. I don't dare knit with dpns with him around. For his safety, not for the integrity of the knitting. He likes to pull dpns out of the knitting, and run away while chewing on the ends. One little trip at that point would mean he needs to go to the hospital. I'm trying to make it a year without his needing to go to the hospital, which means he has to last until the end of March. After that, he can swallow anything he likes/run with sharp implements/stick things up his nose to his little heart's content. I'm such a good Mom!

Here's the beginning of the Lizard Ridge blanket, thanks to Margie's cheat sheet. I would have waited until my brain returned (which might be a while) if I had to work straight from the pattern. I read it eight times. Eight Times. I had no clue what she was talking about. Margie made pictures, and used colors. Pretty, pretty colors. Then I got it. I am working on my third block. Unlike the pattern, I am doing mine in a purple/blue/green colourway. (I like the canadian way of spelling, don't you? Fancy!)

The first sock and a half for Eldest Nephew. The yarn is Trekking XXL in #68. Youngest Nephew (there's just the two so far) is getting neat blue and green stripes, Regia #5343. My sister seems to think they'll wear them under their birkenstocks all summer. They are such great Nephews!

Happy Birthday!

2007-03-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note...

Today is Margie's birthday! Margie is a wonderful person, and I'm very lucky to be friends with her. Good friends are hard to come by. She has an awesome sense of humor that tends toward the sarcastic. She is always enthusiastic, even when she's in a bad mood. (especially then) And it doesn't take much to talk her into a yarn-store road trip. (a very good quality in a knitting friend) She also knows where to find the good snacks. (an awesome quality in a knitting friend)Did I mention that she's an incredible knitter? And you should see the quilts!

I haven't had too many friends that I can be truly honest with. One time I became really uncomfortable with a subject we were discussing and, to be truthful here, with anyone else, I wouldn't have mentioned it. But I felt I could so I did and she did something wonderful. She changed the subject. And didn't open that subject up for weeks. When it did come back up, I brought it up, not her. Have you ever felt really respected by a friend like that? I hope you have.

Happy Birthday Margie! And thanks.

Hiding Out

2007-03-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

Thursday is usually the day when I take a few hours and spend a night being ME, not Mama, or wifey, sister, or daughter. It is my Thursday routine to get OUT of the house, and knit with the Knit Chicks. Not tonight. Tonight I have barricaded myself into my guest room (amongst the yarn) and am pretending to be at a B&B until bedtime, when I'll rejoin my family.

Don't worry, I remembered the snacks. Unfortunately, I forgot the alcohol, and the room service here stinks. When one rings for champagne, one should not be greeted at one's door by a naked one year old, who grins at you before peeing on the floor. Cheeky. I just don't appreciate that sort of service. And he forgot the booze.

I have finished a bunch of projects. (ok, two) Will post pics soon. I'm procrastinating. Seems I'm a bit embarrased that the bulk of the projects I am finishing are all the same pattern. Yep, two more wallabies. Yawn! I started some new projects though. I started socks (from stash) for the eldest Nephew who's feet are as big as mine (he's 10). Using Trekking XXL in a cool blue with a touch of orange colorway. Also started Lizard Ridge blanket (knitty.com) in Kureyon (from stash). Margie really saved me by giving me a cheat sheet for that one. I woulda never figured it out by myself. Thanks Margie!

Today marks the last day of my commitment to the StashAlong. I didn't buy yarn for two months. I didn't even use my "free"shopping days. Can't completely take credit for having such great self-control, having a one-year-old in the house makes it real easy to avoid the yarn shops. I might even sign up for another go. I kinda like it. I just need a ball of sock yarn for DBIL. He likes crayon colors, and I don't have anything like that in the stash. Maybe I'll take a couple of days off before signing back up...

Pride goeth...

2007-02-19T04:28:00.000-05:00

I didn't mean to brag. We had company today, and I told them (very happily) about how well The Monkey was sleeping lately, and now that DH and I switch off nights, I am getting some quality sleep, which makes me very happy. Giddy, even!

So, there I am, chatting with adults (with adults, can you imagine?) and I got a little out of hand (like I do) and went on, and on, and on about the sleep. Can you guess what happened tonight?

Last night was DH's night. TM woke up once, for an hour, and went right back out. Tonight? Not so much. I'm up for the fifth? time right now, (it's 4:30am) and have gotten about 3 hours of sleep (not contiguous). I just had to go and open my mouth! Next time, I'm sticking to talking about the weather...

Brain Fart

2007-02-16T12:01:00.000-05:00

Wendy is making a gorgeous sweater called Cromarty by Alice Starmore. Love it! I looked in Aran Knitting for the pattern, and just could not find it. Figured I missed it. Looked again. Went to bed. Got up, convinced it was there, and searched again. No Cromarty. So, I searched Wendy's blog for mention of the pattern. It isn't in Aran Knitting! It's in The Celtic Collection. Duh!

Well, searching for Cromarty has exhausted me so I can't tell you about my finished projects right now. (Multiple. Finished. Projects. Can you believe it?) I'll post pics tomorrow!

In baby news, The Monkey has discovered doorknobs. And he's tall enough to reach them. So much for stashing things in bedrooms to keep him out of them! Maybe I should stash stuff in the attic now. It should be at least a month until he figures out a way to get up there...

Disciplinary Action

2007-02-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

Finishing things has never been my strong suit. I like to start things. Starting things is way more fun! You get a sense of accomplishment with a finished project, but there is a rush to starting a new project that is pretty great. I've been holding off starting a new project until I finish one. I am trying to be disciplined, which is new for me. This is very clear by the large amount of WIPs I have. I am also trying to alternate big projects with small ones, so I don't go crazy and cast on for more projects than I'm finishing. It's all part of my master plan: finish as much as possible and make room in the stash for some new yummy yarn!

To stave off boredom, I've also started swatching stitch patterns. I'm using some kitchen cotton so I'll have a mess of washcloth/dishcloths instead of swatches laying about. Hmmm, does this count as starting a new project? Dang!

I finished one of the rayon shawls I was working on. Yep, just one. I started a blue shawl after the rust one (don't ask) then worked on them both at the same time, so I still have a ways to go on the blue. The blue got more than one pattern repeat last night at Knit Chicks, so it's cruising right along!

This rust one is for someone very special! Sorry, can't tell you who yet!

Didn't the picture come out nice? I draped it over a tree branch and just as I was about to take the picture, a breeze pooched the shawl out nicely. I love it when stuff works out like that! Especially when I didn't want to stay out in the cold to take another shot... brr!

I also started a helmet liner for Margaret, who is sending a bunch to Korea for US service persons stationed there. I'm trying to put a rush on this one. Some projects are a little more important than my having new washcloths, don't you think?

Let's see: Project tally... Finished: 1 Started: 2. I am soooo grounded...

Getting Inspired

2007-02-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

Thursday is my night off. I run errands, dine out, then go to knit with the Knit Chicks. I look forward to Thursdays. Sometimes I don't think I would retain my slim grasp on reality without them. So when life got in the way of my last three Thursdays, I was not happy. Baby wasn't sleeping, errands, last minute preparations for the big first birthday party, bad weather threatening, all kept me from where I really wanted to be. I was teetering on the brink of going quite insane. I wanted to talk to adults, about anything except diapers, boo-boos, naps and formula. Maybe pretending to be an adult for one night might bring back some creative inspiration too, but I'd settle for a conversation that didn't revolve around poop.

I wasn't away from home more than two hours when I got my first flash of inspiration. I was reading Cat Bordhi's book while I ate dinner. Side Note: People seem to be stunned when I say I went out to dinner by myself. I used to do it all the time, not so much now. Is dining alone something to be embarrassed of? Does the dining public expect me to stay home just because my friends weren't free tonight? Or do they expect me to eat fast food by myself in the car? That does not sound appetizing... ANYWAY, Cat has written a lovely book "A Treasury of Magical Knitting" which is very interesting reading, and I got really inspired to knit some mobi-eye. (what's the plural of mobius? any idea?)

I thought that was great, then I saw what all the Chicks were working on! We celebrated Irene and Elaine's birthdays with yummy cake. Happy Birthday ladies! It was a pleasant night of chatting and knitting, and I got home only a little after bedtime. My head was so full of ideas, I couldn't sleep. I was up until three in the morning.

I joined this Design Along with some pretty darn talented knit designers. Now that I have lots of inspiration, I'm ready for the challenge. Just have to narrow the potential design projects down a bit... details on those so you can vote for your favorite tomorrow!

Stalled

2007-01-31T19:45:00.000-05:00

The tiny amount of knitting I accomplish each day is frustrating to me. I know, just the other day I was excited about progress on the wallaby. Today, I'm frustrated. Can you say Mood Swing?

There are so many projects that I want to start. I want to start them all now. Right now. Like a petulant child, I wanna start them now, now, Now! (imagine spoiled brat foot stomp on each "now") Except I should finish what I'm working on first. That's what an adult would do, right?

Since I'm stashing along, I mustn't add to the stash. The trouble is that adding to the stash is fun, and usually relieves the boredom/frustration of moving along so slowly with the knitting. I've been fantasizing about Koigu. Piles of Koigu. Must. not. Buy. Koigu. Sigh!

Margene writes "Stash is full of potential, full of promise and good things to come." So very true, it's ridiculous. Go check out her sock yarn p0rn. You know you want to. On a similar vein, Kate Antonova wrote this article about looking at your stash in a new way on Knitty: http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/FEATcollection.html Go, read!

Sorry for the picture-less post, there isn't any real progress to report. I'm going to go rearrange my collection. I'm hoping it will inspire me to be a good girl and finish my WIPs.

Progress!

2007-01-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

It was cold in the house today. (How can 70 degrees feel so different between summer and winter?) I started a nice fire in the fireplace and made some progress on the wallaby:

The pic makes the sleeve look like it's a different color than the sweater, but it's not, I swear!

It's nice to see a project move along, especially with the shawls crawling along at a snail's place.

I had a dream the other night. The very talented Lia was teaching me how to knit a new stitch pattern. While she was teaching me, I coulda swore it was an eyelet pattern, but when I turned it out to show it, it was a color pattern. It was the most beautiful pattern I've ever seen. Wouldn't ya know, I couldn't remember it once I woke up. Dang!

Small Fuzzy Animals with Pouches

2007-01-29T10:45:00.000-05:00

I'm working on yet another Wallaby for the Monkey, (he has three) who just turned one! (gratuitous icing-covered baby shots available here) Here's a progress pic of the wallaby, taken on the patio in the newly fallen snow.
I've knit the body up to the arms, including the totally cool pocket, and next to the body is one sleeve, partially worked. After the sleeves are knit, everything goes on one needle in order to do the raglan shaping. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this pattern? Can't knit enough of these. The yarn is a Red Heart variagated, I love how the striping is turning out!

I think the thing I like best is how little finishing there is to this pattern. It's not that I hate finishing, I just tend not to. It's sad to have an almost complete project living in a basket or knitting bag, when all that needs to be done is seams. Sigh! With the Wallaby, once the knitting is done, it is so close to being done. I just can't help myself but sew up the hood. So cute!

Still detemined not to buy any yarn until at least March. Not even considering a free day at all. I must be sick! I am trying to stick to the projects I picked out, but new projects keep inserting themselves into the lineup. My nephews, who are big cheerleaders for the handknit gifts their Auntie foists on them, requested socks. A friend requested helmet liners to send to US service persons in Korea. Can't deny either of those! I can even knit these from the Stash, so no shopping required.

Knots, Stash, and a Birthday Bash

2007-01-28T15:39:00.000-05:00

The rayon shawls are progressing nicely, thanks to the wonderful Lia, who put aside her knitting for an entire evening to untangle a very ugly mess of Rick-Rack yarn. The yarn is gorgeous, but sooo very tangly! It was not the first time the yarn had snarled, which is not surprising considering it is a big project stuffed repeatedly into a little bag. Thank you Lia, it was very kind of you!

The shawls are now taller than me, which was my goal, but I just can't stop. Since I started to Stash Along, I want to use up as much yarn as possible. I don't want to leave a small ball of yarn without mates, or a project. I'm trying to use as much of it as possible. RickRack comes in one big ball, which is great, because I haven't had to weave in any ends yet, but it means that whatever is left, is, well, leftover. I figure that an extra few inches on the shawl is more preferable to a sad little ball of leftover yarn. I'm gonna see how close I can cut it...

The Stash Along is having side-effects. I started reading my stash of knitting books! They aren't just picture books! There's writing in them! Pretty interesting writing, as it turns out. Currently reading Wendy Knits, which is Wendy's knitting adventures interspiced with knitting patterns in increasing difficulty. Lia, Margie and I met Wendy, who was very friendly and lovely and signed my book before her talk so I could sneak out with the baby if I needed to, at her book signing at Loop in Philadelphia sometime last year. (I don't remember exactly when, because last year is still mostly a baby-induced blur.) I do remember eating some darn good Dim Sum beforehand in Chinatown, then a nice walk to the store.

We celebrated the Monkey's first birthday yesterday, with a mess of family and lots of noise. He was a little overwhelmed, and fell asleep instead of digging in to his birthday cake. A few hours later, we tried again. Success! His Grandmother made, not one, not two, but FOUR birthday cakes. One vanilla in the shape of a tractor, one chocolate Mickey Mouse, and two very beautifully decorated applesauce cakes with no eggs, as the Monkey has issues with eggs right now. He's working on the little applesauce cake (with blue icing) in the photo.

He was very tired from all the excitement, and slept, well, like a baby last night. That wouldn't be a big deal except this kid is not a sleeper. I think it was at least two months after he was born that he slept more than a couple hours at a time, and he had to be cuddled on his Daddy's chest to accomplish that. Currently, It is still the majority of nights that he sleeps awhile then is up to eat or play. Right now, he's on his second nap of the day, which most likely means we'll be eating more cake at midnight...

Well, I can't top a cute pic like that with talk of after-party cleaning (ugh!) so I just won't.

Feel the Burn

2007-01-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

Why did I ever put those shawls down? I remember now! Pain!

One row in this pattern is almost 200 stitches, times two shawls = about 400 stitches. Add in rayon yarn, and the weight of these (they're as tall as me right now) and that comes to... a very numb middle finger on my right hand about halfway through the second row. I could be knitting more in one sitting, but I really like it when my hands can grab stuff. It's something I've grown accustomed to. But where's the pain, you ask? Yes, numbness is pretty much the opposite of pain, I admit. Remember what happens when numbness goes away? That pins and needles feeling? Not pleasant.

Now that I've been working on these again, and figured out why I put them down in the first place, I can forgive myself for taking so freaking long, and limit myself to one row at a sitting. It is frustrating, but I'm determined.

On the home front, The Monkey is almost one! One whole year. Hard to believe he's that old, even though he's walking, and making sounds that could (if the listener has enough imagination) sound like words. Preparations are under way for a family birthday party. Just cake and ice cream, nothing fancy. Unfortunately, even though I've started a new cleaning regimen and the house was clean and orderly for company at Christmas, the house is now a wreck. And I notice that when there's only one week till the party to do something about it...

Hmmm, saying "new cleaning regimen" makes it sound like there was an old regimen, which isn't exactly true unless you count shoving everything into the guest room and master bedroom 15 minutes before company arrives. It's a great system, as long as you know when company is coming in advance, and you're not adverse to digging through the piles to find the overdue bills that accidentally got shoved into the armoire with the "leftover" section of the yarn stash. I'm not very organized, but I'm getting into a routine where 2 or 3 rooms are kept relatively useable more than 50% of the time. Pretty proud of that. We'll worry about the other 7 rooms later. Good guests let you know they're coming anyway, right?

Cleaning, organizing, finishing difficult projects... I think that kind of dedication deserves a treat, don't you? Darn right! I got these in the mail today:

Wahoo!

Man the Oars!

2007-01-16T16:47:00.000-05:00

dol*drums ^pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

1. A period of stagnation or slump.
2. A period of depression or unhappy listlessness.
3. A region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls.
4. The weather conditions characteristic of these regions of the ocean.

Ever get to the middle of a large project and get stuck there? Seems like forever since you cast on, and yet, you don't seem to be nearing completion, no matter how much you knit. You've hit the knitting doldrums. Hours and hours of knitting don't convince the tape measure to show even a little progress. Put it away and let some time pass. Work on something else. Chances are, when you pick the large project back up, after a couple of rows, you'll be right back where you started. Hoping against hope that sometime soon you will. finally. be. done.

I am stalled on these shawls. They are being knit in Interlacements "Rick Rack" yarn, using Interlacements "Feather and Fan" pattern. Great pattern, lovely yarn, not difficult to knit at all. They joined the stash in the summer of 2005, and I started them right away. That's a year and a half, folks! Yes, I'm working on two at one time. No, I would NOT recommend you attempt this. I picked them back up as part of my commitment to StashAlong, and finish my UFO's. I still love them, just wish they were done.

When your ship is stuck in the doldrums, it is only a matter of time until you get pretty darn cranky. With the knitting doldrums, shopping for new projects helps. Unfortunately, I am de-stashing right now, so that outlet is closed to me.

When your ship is stuck in the doldrums, there's only way to get out. Keep rowing (sorry for the totally unintentional knitting pun) until you catch some wind and can sail out. So, no matter what happens, I am determined to keep knitting on them until the shawls are done, and I can steer my knitting to more exciting seas.

Stash or Trash?

2007-01-09T11:46:00.000-05:00

The knitting is going so slowly that I think I'll have to approach the de-Stashing from more than one direction. There is some legacy yarn (hand-me-downs) hiding in my stash that could be considered trash by some knitters . In fact, it arrived in a trash bag, and it might just leave that way, too. The monkey is asleep, so I'm off to sort.

Got Stash?

2007-01-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

If you have a ball of yarn, you have a stash. If you have a room full of yarn, perhaps the guest room, and you can't find a large piece of furniture, such as the bed, because the yarn has enveloped it, you have a problem. I have a problem. A big one. "Hi, my name is Jenn..." The amazing, always helpful Lia suggested that I join this StashAlong in order to try to get my habit under control. I signed right up. The first step is abstinence. I chose to quit for a two month period. After that, we'll see how anxious I get for a hit. I'm trying not to think about it as losing a stash so much as regaining about 80 square feet of guest room.

Here's what I'll be working on.

UFO's

Philosopher's cardigan kit "Trillium" in autumn colors
Feather and Fan shawls from Interlacements in "Rick Rack" by Interlacements
Cardigan (my design) in purple "Muskoka" by Berella
Pullover (my design) in green heather "Amawalk" by Filofin (Italian)
"Wonderful Wallaby" by Cottage Creations in purple acrylic Red Heart

From the Stash

Philosopher's cardigan kit "Colour your own" in pastel colors
Socks for The Baby out of leftover/orphaned sock yarn
"Nantucket Jacket" from IK Winter 2006 in blue "Muskoka" by Berella
"Children's Cotton Hats" from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in 1824 cotton by Mission Falls
"Lizard Ridge" from Knitty.com in "Kureyon" by Noro

Don't expect that I'll finish them all in two months, but we'll see...

A time to blog

2007-01-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

Did you ever write a letter in your head? You rewrite it over and over to get it to where it sounds great. Then, by the time you find paper and a pen, that letter is long gone. It has been replaced by a short, dull, to the point letter that takes about five words.

That's what happened to this post. I've been trying to convince myself to write this first entry for a few years, convinced myself that, like the imaginary letters I write, it would be a wonderful, easily creative experience. Yeah, right! Nothing like an empty page staring at you to scare the ideas away! So, pride be damned, this is my first post, even though it isn't the perfect prose that I dreamed it would be.

Outside my head, I am not a good writer. I tend to leave the important bits unsaid, so it is difficult to know what the hell I'm talking about. I'll fill in the blanks with lots and lots of pictures. Getting to the point is also a problem for me. (Look! Third paragraph, and she still hasn't told you what the darn blog is gonna be about!) So now that I've explained all the reasons this blog will be absolutely terrible, and I'm amazed that you're still reading...

This blog will mostly be about knitting, with a few other crafts thrown in just to mix it up. I like to make stuff. Mostly, I love to knit, but I also spin, dye, bead, quilt, sew, paint, draw, and fold. (paper, not laundry.) Knitting is the easiest to find time to do, and the craft I'm most comfy doing. Also, I can get more time to knit because it is (except for double pointed needles) one-year-old friendly. I can sit on the floor with my son while I knit, and he loves to play with the yarn. He loves moving yarn around. Takes all the yarn out of a bag, chooses a ball, puts that one back in the bag, then scatters the other balls around the house. Does that with laundry too. That's the reason I don't fold it. Complete waste of time. Pictures soon, of son and what's on the needles too!