Happy Little Trees

Another Veteran's Day is coming to a close. Bruce has had the movies going. We went to the parade. We won admission for one to the 2009 Chicken and Egg Festival. We have exceeded our yearly quota of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."

Please enjoy today's autumn leaves while I attempt to clear my brain.

A Case of the Mondays

I gave away my Monday and have nothing to show for it but a bad mood. Actually, I have come to terms with it all and am doing my best to display a more pleasant affect. The single serving of chocolate ice cream in the freezer is ready to swoop in and assist.

Anyway, I think my evening would be best spent knitting something that requires significant attention. Either that or a challenging aerobics workout might be a good choice. That being said, I do not know that I will have the opportunity for that kind of knitting, and definitely not for the workout. Never fear, there is plenty of other knitting to do, and it will help me.

Lest this all be doom and gloom, I started the son's hat.

Knit Gifts That Make You Go, "Huh?"

When I first saw Calorimetry, I did not think anything more than, "Meh." I just did not get it. Then my friend sewed the button on hers and modeled it, and I finally saw the appeal of it. I knew it would be great for me, and I could think of several other people who could use one.

I decided to knit one the other night, and I was done in no time. I love Calorimetry, but there is something of a problem with it. It is a gift knit that requires a little bit of explanation. When I showed my mom the one I had knitted, she offered a kind smile and a generic compliment. Then I modeled it, and she understood why I said I would make one for her. We were soon discussing color options. I gave this to my sister-in-law for her birthday. She smiled and thanked me, and then I demonstrated what I had given her, and she liked it even more.

I think I will knit a few more of these for gifts, and for me. Oooh, and it will be another project pile in need of buttons!

One Week Later

I am flying along with the February Lady Sweater. I would have shown it before, but I cannot get a nice picture of it. I decided that I could not wait any longer to show it. I promise that it is much nicer than this, and it keeps looking better each time I check the fit. I have not decided how long to work the body, but I am already thinking about buttons.

Las night, I had reason to browse my button box, and I confirmed my suspicions that I do not have any that will work for this sweater. This means I have a nice outing to look forward to soon. I like to shop for buttons. They are lovely little treasures.

Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself. I do not know why I am so excited to have this finished. I love knitting it, and I still have most of the month left to complete it. I suppose it is because I am happy to make this for my sister, and I think she will really like it. I almost want to give it to her before Christmas.

If you have the yarn, needles, and desire to knit this sweater, I highly recommend it. This is such an enjoyable knit. The pattern is easy to follow. It is amazing how quick a sweater works up in worsted weight yarn. I just might have the body finished by the end of the weekend.

Rinse, Rinse, Repeat

When I got my wheel out the other day to ply, I thought that would be the longest part of the process remaining between me and my new yarn. I planned to ply, skein, and wash, and that the yarn would dry overnight. I did not count on the amount of excess dye I would have to deal with. I lost count sometime after the seventh go-around.

Anyway, if my calculations are correct, I have about 570 yards of new yarn. The fiber is Mountain Colors Targhee Top in the Lupine colorway. It looks to be somewhere in the lace/fingering weight range, and I want to knit with it. I had hoped for Waves of Grain while I spun the yarn, so I might just try it soon.

Colorwork Calls

I decided what to knit for the son. When he saw it in the Knit Picks catalog, and noted that it is the type of hat he likes, I went to order it right away. However, it was unavailable at that moment. I checked back later, and saw in my Saved for Later basket that I could add it to my shopping cart, and I did so immediately. When it arrived a few days later, I was so excited. I looked over my kit, and discovered that they had made a few color substitutions. I think they did a good job with the other colors they chose, but I was still surprised at the changes. In my stash, I have one of the three back-ordered colors, so I can use Bark (as in the original pattern) instead of its alternate, Navy, if I choose.

My color options are not the only choices I face. The pattern for this hat is neat. There are extra charts from which to choose. For example, I can use either the ripples or the llamas chart (the charts label them as alpacas, but they look more like llamas to me) on the earflaps. There is plenty of yarn in this kit to make more than one of these hats, but the son is probably the only one who would wear one.

I am excited at all this project offers me. As the earflaps are worked back-and-forth, I have my first opportunity to work stranded on the purl side of a project. I also plan to try a different method of colorwork. I have never tried this before, but I think it might be ideal for this hat. I have also seen the beautiful work of other knitters who employ this technique, and I would like to try it.

Now all I need is to make the time to get going on this hat. I have everything set aside in a bag, and the kit calls to me. It has several different calls. At times, it comes from the colors, or it can be the promise of new techniques and learning, and other times it is knitting for my son and the impending deadlines that urge me to this project. Whenever I do sit down to knit it, I know I will enjoy it, and it will be a wonderful labor of love.

Now with 30% More Camel

I finished binding off this shawl almost a month ago. It was close, with only about five yards of the discontinued yarn remaining. I blocked it, and then secured it in a difficult to access area of the wildly piled-up room. Once I made my way to it, I attempted a photo shoot. It was not a success. I kept thinking that I would get back to it, all the while feeling bad about not getting it in the mail. I finally decided that getting the shawl to the owner is more important than modeled pictures, so you only get to see it being blocked. Sorry.

When I wrapped myself in the shawl in its lumpy-bumpy, pre-blocked state, it did not look like it would be very big. I knew the size of the Noro one, and I had only knit one more repeat of the main chart on this one. The blocking was magic, and if I were not so fond of my friend, I would keep this for myself, too.


Yarn: Froehlich Wolle Camel 70% superwash wool/30% camel (discontinued), 3 skeins
Needles: US 6 (4.0mm) Knit Picks Options
Size: 86"x43"

I Brushed My Teeth, Too

Stay tuned to the blog. I may share other responsible, adult outings such as paying the utility bill. Cranky much, Sarah?

I have never missed our old polling place across the street more than I did today. Actually, the process only took about ninety minutes. I was number 555 at my polling place. I did people-watch and knit while I stood in line. I carried way too much knitting stuff with me. The lace ribbon scarf was enough. I managed a couple of repeats, and it made the wait and close proximity to people more bearable.

Autumn Afternoon

Weekend knitting was productive. We had a niece for the day on Sunday. All that stands between her and felting her purse are about five feet of i-cord. I kept my needles flying alongside her. She needed encouragement to keep going. The poor dear struggles with a chronic state of boredom, and difficulty keeping to an activity beyond the shiny stage. The fact that she is this close to the finish is quite an accomplishment for her. I hope we will be able to spend time with her again soon so she can complete it.While she worked on her purse, I was busy with a sweater. By the time she left, I only had one more set of raglan increases, and I started reading discussions on the February Lady Sweater. I wanted to familiarize myself with modifications others have made (no need to re-invent the wheel) and make myself aware of problems people have had with the pattern. Considering the fact that Ravelry shows 1013 finished FLS, I figure that the pattern is good, and I should achieve the desired results. However, having just enough yarn to knit the sweater has had me a bit anxious. Add to this the sizing issues people have encountered and the fact that it is a gift, and you will find me constantly checking and re-checking. I have already put it on waste yarn and tried it on, and it looked like it might be OK. For now, it is almost time to separate the sleeves from the body, and I am looking forward to the shorter rows.

Arrrr!

I am not quite sure how this happened. This greeted me Saturday afternoon with pleas for repair. I still have yarn leftover. I will try to fix it, but am not looking forward to the work. These are the perils of knitting for children. At least I know my nephew has been wearing his pirate hat.

When Abbreviations Attack

I decided to take a double plunge. Not only am I doing NaKniSweMo, but also, NaBloPoMo. After I saw that I would be in good company, and received a bit of encouragement, it became an easy decision.

It was easy to plan for NaKniSweMo. I only hope the knitting goes as smoothly. I will be knitting the February Lady Sweater for my sister. I did not tell her about it, but I think she knows I am planning a new knit for her. We discussed purples, and I think I know which she would prefer for her sweater.

I was surprised at how quickly I was able to come up with a nice plan for NaBloPoMo. I do admit that much of it relies on me making a fair amount of knitting progress. That concerns me a bit, but not too much. I think I might have fun with this.

Double-Triple Day

I had a wonderful birthday today. Celebrations began early. First, my husband had me order some presents from Knit Picks. It shipped quickly, but when I clicked on the tracking number, I always received an error message. Imagine my surprise when the box arrived just a few days later. I planned to wait until my birthday to open the package, but the daughter was here when it arrived, and my husband wanted her to see what he had gotten for me.

The next day, my mom had a marshmallow fire shindig. We celebrated both my younger brother's and my birthdays. My brother liked his new emo kid. I received the third season of Futurama. It was a wonderful night. The excitement of the night was when a wandering, friendly, stinky pit bull puppy found his way to the party and curled up in a lawn chair by the fire.

On Monday, I kept jumping up at the sound of passing vehicles in anticipation of the mail. I had no reason to be on the lookout for anything, but this did not stop me. Also, the sound of our postal worker's vehicle is distinctive. When he finally pulled up, the truck stopped in front of our home, and I saw him digging about in the back of the truck. I wondered what he was bringing that would not fit in the mailbox. I thought about some Knit Picks. It shipped on Friday; yet, the tracking info shows that the order had activity four days before it was placed. Anyway, I met him halfway to the door, and spied an Amazon box. My mind raced. Was it a book I had pre-ordered? No, Amazon said they would let me know before shipping it to me. Then I remembered something that happened at the marshmallow fire. My younger brother had asked for my address. He bought me the A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker. I immediately flipped through while my mind raced with inspiration. I'm sure it is no surprise that I spent more than a few minutes looking at the lace. Idea after idea flitted along with mental flashes of stash yarns. The fantasy portion my brain kicked in, and I imagined taking a stab at designing.

Today, I made my way about town collecting on a couple of free birthday offers. I enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Lone Star, and later it was a tasty Like It portion of ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. There was not much room left when my family took me out to Cracker Barrel for supper.

In between the adventures, I added a few more rows to my Lace Ribbons Scarf. It seems like I am finally developing a nice rhythm with the pattern, and it has become an enjoyable knit. I think it will be a wonderful companion for some upcoming extended knitting time.

Because November is Nearly February

The other day, I was leisurely reading the blogs, and I did not think I needed to be on my guard. Then, someone mentioned NaKniSweMo, and in my vulnerable state, I began to think about it. I have never really considered the BloMo, because I think I would fall off that within the first ten days. Now a new sweater in a month, that is something I could see myself trying.

Sweater in a month, sweater in a month, sweater in a month. It kept playing through my head, along with choruses of NaKniSweMo. Sweater month, month sweater, month February. Before I knew it, I was making my way to the yarn closet. I had been thinking of that yarn recently. I was considering using it for a Hemlock Ring Blanket. Anyway, I consulted Ravelry concerning this yarn and the pattern. I dragged out the yarn and counted skeins of various colors. It did not look like I would have enough in either of my two first choices (purples), but plenty for my third (red). Then I read the ball band for myself. It lists 130m, rather than the 103m Ravelry lists. That makes a bit of a difference. I did the math again, and maybe there is enough for one of my first color choices. If that is the case, there is enough for one in each of my first two color choices--one for me, and one for my sister. However, there is not enough for identical red February Lady Sweaters. Nah, I was not really considering that. I may be crazy, but not quite that crazy.

As the Weather Turns

My backlog of blog reading is finally out of the triple digits, so I am taking time to post. I was temporarily paralyzed by a need to comment on every post, became overwhelmed, and could not read. I can be so silly. So, I relaxed about not commenting, moved on, and will get back on the comment wagon soon.

If I seem a bit crazier than usual, I have something of an explanation. While I was out, I was not knitting. It was more than ten days of not knitting. I was too tired, too dirty, too sore, or unable to access my knitting. During one moment of desperation, I stuck my head in the piled up room to try to inhale some wool fumes. Also, there is some candy in there, but it was more of an ordeal to get to it than I could manage. Yep, that's my story on the chocolate. I did not really twist and squirm to score a hidden candy bar and eat it while I was taking a shower. That never happened.

So, what is happening? I am back to knitting. It feels good. I have been working on my sister's top. Yeah, that cotton tank will not be finished in time for the first frost, but I am making progress. The eyelet bits between the vine lace repeats have become ribbing, and four of those repeats are about to become stockinette. I need to place some stitches on an extra circ so that I can properly measure the piece. Now that I found the tape measure, I am well on my way.
Maybe it was the knitting hiatus, or maybe it is the change to fall weather, but I feel the need to start several new projects, and there are some UFO babies trying to wake up from a long hibernation and crying for attention.

Glad to Be Back

That was an unintended blog break. You might wonder what happened. The home repairs kept me away, but that was not all. We also had computer problems. That shook things up more than I would have guessed. Most things are back up and running, but now the lapdog (which was not the original problem) will not make friends with the innerwebs.

We finished the living room floor. It was a lot of work, but it is wonderful. I believe it will take some time to finish cleaning up from the job. There is dust everywhere, despite my best efforts to cover things with drop cloths. Anyway, we now have a bit of furniture in the living room. I must figure out where everything else should go now. Repairing the living room floor inspired us to think about other home repairs, but they will have to wait. We will take things a bit at a time. I know that clearing out excess stuff will help make everything else go more smoothly. The decluttering process is a personal challenge, but I am confident I can do this. I just need to do most of it on my own.

I am still wading my way through emails, laundry, and blogs. Of course, life insists on carrying on while I struggle to catch up, but that is probably just as well. I feel the temptation to mark all as read and start with a clean slate, but I am not making any decisions just yet. Stay tuned next week for such exciting events as knitting, my birthday, and maybe even the story of Baby Mustache.

The Story of Baby Mustache

No, my niece is not dressed in her Halloween costume. This is what she was wearing when my brother woke her from her nap. She had already ripped out her superstar piggy tails. You see that she is holding her pumpkin. It had a boo-boo from when she dropped it. She named it. It is called Baby Mustache. Of course, I had to ask.

Me: Why did you name your pumpkin Baby Mustache?
KOH: Because you have to name it someone, and I wanted it to be a girl.

Yep.

She is ready for the big day. She will be a Go Packers Girl. She tells me that Brother will be a Witch, Sister will be a Go Cheerleader Girl, Daddy will be a Baseball Boy, and Mommy will be Nothing. Someone has already coached her on her lines. She says,

"Trick or Treat
Smell My Feet
Give Me Something Good to Eat
If You Don't
I Don't Care
I'll Pull Down Your Underwear!"

Be forewarned, she means that last line. She ran up behind my husband the other day and yanked at his waistband, and nearly exposed his everything to everyone.

Happy Halloweenie, Everyone!

Music Memories

Ten Bands/Artists That Remind You of High School

1. Nirvana
2. Nine Inch Nails
3. The Essence
4. Pearl Jam
5. Alice in Chains
6. R.E.M.
7. Toad the Wet Sprocket
8. P.J. Harvey
9. Queensrÿche
10. Blind Melon

I almost skipped Ten on Tuesday this week. I do not want to remind myself of high school. Also, there is some music I still enjoy from those days but do not really care to associate with that time in my life. Still, I guess this list still works for the topic, and this is a busy week and the knitting progress is likely to be slim to share.

October Overhaul

Excitement and adventure abound here in the form of home repairs. We are blessed to benefit from someone else's home remodeling projects. They pulled up hardwood, and it will become our new floors. Since our home is smaller than theirs is, we will probably have enough to do both the kitchen and living room floors. The living room needs the fix more, so we are starting there.

The fun has already begun. Bruce has been removing nails and sanding wood. I have begun the process of clearing the living room of everything. I have taken this as an opportunity to do a bit of de-cluttering. There is so much to do. I have been more than a little overwhelmed at times, but then I remind myself to take it one bit at a time. We need to enlist a bit of help to move the heavy stuff that will stay in my mom's garage while we work.

We have made steady progress on this project, and I am taking advantage of a break in the work. I have temporarily claimed the living room floor while it is still available. I will give you a hint: all of my rustproof pins are in use.

Ending, Beginning, Ending.

Today was the final stop of the 1000 Knitters project, the first book-signing event for "It Itches.", and I was fortunate enough to participate. Speaking of fortunate, nestled around my copy of the book are two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Franklin's Panopticon colorway that my friend won.

It was such a fun day. I knit away and visited with friends. I saw old friends I have not seen in ages, and got to meet many new people, too. People were exchanging Ravelry IDs and realizing that some of the people they were meeting today were ones they had already "met" online.

Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself. I was so nervous. I wore my Festive for the event. I jabbered like an idiot while Franklin took my picture as I knit on the massive scarf. Then I made my way back to knit with everyone else. It was a wonderful event. I wish I would have taken more pictures, and that I would have gotten over my nerves long enough to get someone to take my picture with Franklin. This is not to say that my camera stayed in its bag all day. There were the campaign signs. My friend, Helen, knit a fun hat for Franklin, and he was kind enough to model it for all of our cameras and us. Then there is my free bag from Interweave along with the yarn left after casting off something you will have to wait to see. Seriously, I had finished it about two minutes before the yarn shop owner announced that it was time to clear out of the store.

Finding Emo

Last Friday was my younger brother's birthday. As is our family's habit, we have not decided on a time to get together for the event. It will probably be rolled together with my birthday later this month. There is more to celebrate. He recently graduated from UCLA (local funny). In honor of his accomplishment, I made this little owl for him. I love the little amigurumi critters, but crocheting is a bit hard on my hands.

Thanks to the magic of Ravelry and watching friends' queues, I found my next amigurumi project, but it would be one I needed to make right away, too. I told my hands to suck it up and bought this pattern. I knew that I needed to make it for my younger brother as soon as I saw it. My brothers latch on to a word or phrase and then beat the living daylights out of it as they use it at every turn. My younger brother is most decidedly enamored with the word emo.

I hope that he finds this gift to be funny. If he fails to see the humor, at least he will have an emo kid to keep him company.

Because I Am a Crazy Knitter

The Jeopardy response would be, "Why are you knitting those?" They captivated me when I saw them in the Jan/Feb Piecework. The promise of a new-to-me technique drew me in further. However, it was not the right time for me to make them. I skimmed the prep work, and wondered if I would ever even try. I added them to my Ravelry queue, and there the Rovaniemi mitts sat.

In the midst of another sleepless night, and staring down two projects I wanted to have finished and given to their rightful owners a week ago, my mind took a flying leap. A few minutes later, I had the magazine with the pattern, and the tub of fingering weight yarn. I took a needlessly complicated path to wind twenty-two, four-yard butterflies of yarn. I cast on and ripped. I will try again with fewer stitches.

Spinning and Weaving Week

Spinning and Weaving week began with a bang this year. I made my way out to Little Barn to celebrate it, along with their anniversary. The weather was wonderful, the food was great, and there were prizes, too. There was a great group of people pursuing the various fiber arts. I was thrilled to sit next to a lady I have not seen in ages. Evelyn has always been encouraging in the pursuit of all things fiber-y, and doing it all on whatever your budget might be.

A few people came by just to shop. It is a fabulous shop. Maybe a little fiber followed me home, and maybe some of it is meant to make its way to someone else's home. Time and the fiber will tell, and those bundles of fluff are chattering away. It was interesting to watch a lady warp her triangle loom. I had never seen that in person before. There was plenty of knitting, weaving, spindling, and spinning all around. I even spied another blogger, but I was too shy to say anything.

I spun along on my fabulous Kiwi, and it enjoyed the attention of other curious spinners. This was Kiwi's public debut. I finally made my way past my spinning-in-public nerves, and treadled away. I had brought along my bag of Indian Summer wool to spin, and it seemed to be the perfect choice. I loved watching the colors in the sunlight. When I bought it, I wondered how it would spin up. I am delighted. I think it will be perfect for those mittens on the cover of the Fall 2008 Vogue Knitting by Jared Flood.

Anyway, there were prizes for everyone. Each bag had a sticker, and it was a clue to the contents. There was lotion, heirloom seeds, soap, fiber, yarn, or some other little gift. I chose the bag with a sheep sticker. Inside was the most wonderful Shepherdess lavender wool wash. I hope to finish something and try it out soon.

Maybe

This scarf caught my eye when I first saw it over at Knitty, but I was not quite sure of when I would knit it. Then the idea of using my hand spun yarn for it flitted through my feeble mind. It danced about from time to time while I treadled, but none seemed right. It turns out, I had possibly already spun the yarn for this scarf. I wound the hank of Warm Wine Corriedale and cast on those fifty-three stitches. I knit two repeats of the chart. This is a bit wider than the pattern stated it would be. No, I did not check gauge, but I did go down in needle size. I was not sure. To be quite honest, I was having a bit where I was unsure of all of my knitting. Then the cowl blocked nicely. (Side note: I had my mom try it on, it looks even better on her, and she agrees that this will be great for her sister.) Anyway, I decided to let the in-progress scarf take a dip in the sink and then pinned it. Yeah, it is definitely wider, but maybe not too wide. What do you think? I think it might be a good knit to carry along and work on when I have time, but not quite have front-burner status.

Lucky Seven

This was all the yarn I had left when I finished. It was yarn I had spun, and I did not have any more of the fiber. I could not look at the dwindling pool of yarn while binding off the project.

So, what had I chosen to create with this precious yarn? I knit the Good Luck Cowl. I still think cowls are funny, but I also think my aunt will enjoy this. It was a quick, easy knit, and I have another gift crossed off the list.

I show you the blocking cowl so that you can see the pattern better. Also, I have been immensely unsuccessful at getting a nice modeled shot. This also helps explain why I think these are so funny, and why I am unlikely to make one for me.

Pattern: Good Luck Cowl
Needles: Susan Bates Silvalume US 6 (4.0mm)
Yarn: Handspun, Navajo-Plied, Alpaca (I think it was from an alpaca named Charlemagne)
Mods: Only worked 7 pattern repeats

Schedule Change

It is good that we have a flexible schedule. When things come up, we can usually be counted on to help. We have an overnight guest. It is her first time spending the night here. My niece can be wild.
I had already promised to have a nephew overnight this weekend. Whether it would be Friday or Saturday night had never been determined. The answering machine revealed that it would probably be Friday.

Aunt Sarah loves being an aunt. She is a wee bit unsure about having back-to-back overnight duty. She will survive. She will get back to the computer later this weekend.

Whose Shawl?

Pattern: Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style
Size: 64"x33"
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock
Needles: US 6 Knit Picks Options
Mods: 10 reps of main chart instead of 8; added beads on edge chart
Began: September 15
Blocked: September 20

As you probably guessed, chocolate and iced coffee were not the ones to give me the answers I needed to finish the Shetland Triangle. I used my little digital scale, and when all was said and done, I had four grams to spare. I was so pleased. I wanted to use up as much of the yarn as possible, for it is very special yarn. I knit this using the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn that I won from Joan. This was also my inspiration for adding beads to the shawl. Now I cannot decide if this shawl is for me, or if it will be a gift. I love this shawl!

It Was Good

Ten Greatest Things That Happened This Summer

First trip to Little Barn
Daughter Began College
Sister Quit Smoking
Ravelympics
Our Garden
Riding Lawnmowers
New Great-Grandniece
Ten Minutes for Spinning
WWKIP Day
Our iPod

Bye, Summer!

Happy Fall! I did quite well with my summer knitting goals. I still feel like I had a miss on knitting with handspun because I did not finish anything with it. I tried my two-ply Corriedale out with a pattern, but it was not a match. I have a couple of other ideas with that yarn, so all is definitely not lost.

I have an attraction/repulsion thing with Feedjit, but finally caved and added it. We will see how long it lasts. I had to do something different. Blogger annoyed the stew out of me last week eating posts and mangling them.

I have yet to get a good picture of the finished Noro Shetland Triangle, so today you get to see the back of the unblocked shawl with a fabulous, feline photography assistant.

No Triangle Today

I fully expected to be finished with the first Shetland Triangle by now, but obviously, have not. I am on the eighth or ninth repeat of the body chart. My progress is sure to be slower as I work to keep a better balance in my life. I have been getting a bit more work done around the house, done more strength training, and it is time to change bobbins on the Mountain Colors fiber. Unfortunately, my super-special-socially awkward self has also been putting in more time, and that puts me off my game in a serious way. I am recovering from the blunders, and even finding humor in them. At least my awareness of the increasing frequency of the episodes had me on guard, and I kept my mouth shut rather than letting loose with a rant or three. Coming back from those would have been much more difficult.

Anyway, back to the Shetland Triangle. We have been trying to determine how many repeats we will work of the main chart. I want as large of a shawl as I can knit from this single ball of yarn, so I will work until I think I have just enough for one more repeat and the last chart, put in a lifeline, and hope for the best. I am OK with ripping back if I make an incorrect guess. I wish I had better advice to offer those who are new to lace and are feeling a bit of anxiety over the process. I am thinking math might help. Then again, I felt better after an iced coffee and a bit of chocolate, so that may be a better idea.

KISS

Ten Simple Things That Make Me Happy
Knitting
Chocolate
Spinning
Stretching
Sleeping
Flowers
Hugs
Colors
Bubble Baths
Coffee

Skanky Start

The Skanky Shetland Triangle KAL has begun. I have been so ready to cast on for probably the last ten days, but I waited for the pre-determined start. However, I did not wait until sitting down with everyone tonight to begin. This is going to be such fun! I am excited for the people who are new to lace, charts, and shawls. I am so glad that they decided to take the plunge, because I know that they can do it. As varied as the people knitting along, so are the yarns we have chosen. So far, I believe there will be Schaeffer Anne, Malabrigo lace, Knit Picks Palette, a lace yarn that someone dyed himself, a camel/wool blend, and Noro sock yarn.

Those last two are mine. I decided to start with the smaller version. I am interested to see how the Noro sock yarn will look with this pattern. If it does not work, I have plenty of other options in the stash. I am already excited to begin the second shawl. It will be out the of camel/wool yarn.

Fiber Overload

I started my Saturday by making it out to Little Barn. I knit the rest of a ball of yarn on one project, and did not have any more of it with me. I was glad to have another project to work on, and by the time I reached a part requiring more attention, it was time to go. In between the knitting, I looked around the shop. I admired the wheels and beautiful work of two other ladies. I saw an antique spinning wheel. It is tiny and gorgeous. I wandered the store with a fellow knitter in search of alpaca yarn for a scarf, and fiber and drop spindles for a demonstration next Saturday (argh--I do not think I will be able to attend that event). Then I made it home. I needed a nap, but it was not to be. Before long, we were out the door and headed towards the next adventure. My mom and I made it out to see a bit of a llama and alpaca show. It was too hot for us to stay very long, but we wandered amongst the critters and spoke to a few people spinning and selling fiber. I did not bring any home, let alone the too cute baby alpacas that were for sale. I received a handout for some shindig at a local alpaca farm next Saturday (not likely to be there, either) that sounds like fun. I met a Raveler who has angora rabbits at home. I finished my day by spinning some Mountain Colors Targhee top. The scent of all of the fiber-bearing critters lingers in my nose.

Weekend Wrap-Up Wednesday

I fell off my ten minute spinning wagon with the Ravelympics, but I think a Saturday adventure was just what I needed to get me back on track. I finally made it out to Little Barn. It is fiber-ific! I had promised myself that if I ever ventured out there, I would buy a bag of silk top, and I did. I also picked up this blue because it is fabulous. Such a brilliant color often intimidates me, and I feel unworthy to claim it. I rounded out my purchases for the day with a bag of what is perhaps my favorite sheep name--California Variegated Mutant. It makes me smile, and it causes other people to crinkle up their faces in confusion when I speak of it. Anyway, I forgot to take any pictures when I was there. Next time, right? There are people knitting and spinning each Saturday that they are open, and now that I know my way there, I hope to attend more often. There is to be a big shindig October 4th for Spinning and Weaving Week. It sounds like it will be fun.My knitting progress for the weekend was next to non-existent. I picked my sister's top back up, and was knitting away on it at Little Barn. After knitting a few rounds, I had a problem. I had made a mistake on one lace repeat two rounds previous. I tried to fix it while I was there, but it was a no-go. The next time I picked up the knitting I was able to make things right again, but then my knitting time was over as quickly as it had begun.

Movie Music

Ten Favorite Movie Songs



Star Wars theme
"The Last Unicorn"
The Godfather theme
Harry Potter theme
"Streets of Philadelphia"
Oompa-Loompa songs
"Over the Rainbow"
Forrest Gump theme
"My Favorite Things"
"Holiday Road"

The Votes Are In

Camel will have its day. Now I just must wait until the fifteenth to begin knitting with everyone.

I have a bit of the crud. Getting sleep would probably help. I will fill you in on the weekend adventures later. Right now it is time to jam a teapot up my nose. Hope your weekend was peachy!

Learn Something New Every Day

I have been on a roll with the knitting of gifts. Check out these fabulous Fetching. That birthday is not until September 15th. Since I am busily gift-knitting so far into the future, why not begin thinking about Christmas, right? So, I ask the son about the girlfriend. We have not had much opportunity to get to know the young lady, but they have been a couple long enough that I decided to ask if she is the kind who would like a knitted gift. I know that not everyone adores a hand knit gift, so I thought I should ask before I become carried away. Anyway, his response surprised me. Not to the question of whether the young lady would like a knitted something (yep), but to the idea that not all people want to receive handknits. He believes that anyone would appreciate such a gift, especially considering all of the time, effort, and skill involved. He further stated that the only ones who would not like to receive a hand knit gift would be people with too much money and the stupid. I guess I need to add my baby chicken to the holiday handknit list. I did not think he would much care for such a gift. Now to figure out what he would like. He is twenty-six. I am thinking mittens.

Thursday Already?

While trying to choose a project for the Ravelympics, Helen considered knitting a sweater or the Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style. I urged her to knit the sweater, and said I would knit the Shetland Triangle with her afterwards. Interest amongst other Skanky Knitters has turned this into a full-fledged knitalong. I checked the book out from the library. Now that the date to cast on has been set, (9/15) I can hardly wait. I see other people knitting that shawl everywhere. I am ready to begin.

There exists a bizarre rumor that I am a fast knitter. It is a myth, yet despite my protestations, it persists. This legend inspired Helen to suggest that I should knit two of these shawls. I am willing to give it a go. I plan to knit one shawl as written in the book, and one with more lace repeats. I have decided on the yarn for the smaller one, and have narrowed down my yarn choices to two for the larger. While these are not great photos, I present them to you and seek your opinions for the shawl.

While waiting for the time to begin, I have spent a bit of time looking through Wrap Style. I am glad that it is available from the local library. I do not feel much for the other patterns in the book. I take that back. There are those which hold some appeal, but I cannot see wearing them, nor do I know someone for whom they would make a nice gift.

On the other hand, I flipped through my copy of Folk Shawls the other night, and I saw many designs I would love to knit. As I looked at many of the pictures, my mind began to spin. I mentally matched patterns to stash and recipients. Then I recalled Margene's recent writings on monkey mind, and I relaxed.