Year: 2006

34 mph average winds, power outages (or surges as the kids call them), gazebo’s blowing over (and top ripped completely off, beyond repair, lame!), shingles flying off roofs (yes we still have cedar roof shingles),  recycle bins blowing down the street. That was the last 24 hours here in lovely Goleta. We don’t get snow, but it’s pretty much garaunteed that we will get a great windstorm sometime around new years. A little too unsettling for me. I kept finding myself spinning faster when the wind blew harder, slower when it calmed down. I had to just stop & read my Robert Jordan books (finished book 3 yesterday).

Today, a lot less wind, 12 mph average it says. Sunshine but a little nip to it. The kids actually moved all of the gazebo frame pieces off to one side of the yard for me. They were happy to see it down only to be able to ride their battery operated race cars around & around in circles without banging into the corners of the gazebo.

Knitting tonight, Java Station, be there!

 

I have just been spinning the pound of merino/tencel I got from Copper Moose the last two days. Predrafting all the fiber, filling the bobbin. I am really excited to have it done to swatch it & see what wonderful patterns I have laying around to knit. It is single spun worsted weight with a little bit of thick & thin throughout because I am not a very experienced spinner by any means.

Tracy had a wonderful Christmas with all her gifties, one of which I am so jealous of! She also finished the Feather & Fan shawl! Go check it out, it’s ridiculously gorgeous in burgundy cashmere 2/14 from Colourmart UK on Ebay.

I have my birthday present coming from Tracy, 2 more cones I bought  that I am going to ply together on my wheel to make a nice dk weight cashmere. Yummy!! Oh & Hello??? How about a 900gram Scrap bag of cashmere? Sound good? We thought so!

I suppose I had better use some of the yarn I have on hand to account for getting all this new cashmere. Huh, what shall I knit with it?? I do love the print o’ the wave stole. I have been thinking of using the 150g cone of burgundy I have for that. It sure seems like it’s a quick lace pattern to knit up. I should finish up some things I have on needles before going bonzai for a bunch of new projects. sigh. lame. Why don’t I have 8 hands to knit with and 26 waking hours in the day?? And I don’t even work outside the house.

I did start the Deep V Argyle Vest pattern that Tracy bought for my bday, using Top of the Lamb sport weight yarn in Stone and Charcoal that I had on hand. The charcoal is the main color and the stone the contrast color. I have the ribbing done but have put off starting the actual charted argyle pattern until I have the merino/tencel roving all spun and off the bobbins.

I have never been one for New Years Resolutions so I will leave 2006 and enter 2007 with the knowledge that I will accomplish many things next year, chance and circumstance may determine what gets accomplished.

 

Just by the hair on my chinny chin chin did I finish both vests. Trevor’s I finished Friday. Tyler’s I finished Saturday night, 1am. And aren’t they so handsome in them for Christmas Eve service and the day with cousins? awww, my boys

Forgive the fuzziness of the picture. With the flash you could see through the knit stitches to their button up shirts. So you get a little fuzzy, yellowy pictures. whatever

And here are a couple of snapshots from the Christmas Eve festivities with family today.

I took two full rolls of 35mm film that I will get developed & on cd. They spent 3.5 hours in the pool today before dinner. Granted, we live in socal but come on, Christmas Eve in the pool? Even I realize that is almost sacreligous! heeheehee

Um…do you think she was excited??

And once again forgive the blurriness, my camera is old & sad. It doesn’t have newfangled technology that lets the true light & colors come through. So you all must suffer with me.

If you look closely at my niece on the right, she has on a Meathead! They were the best Christmas gifts, I had requests from brothers-in-law for them too. More pictures when the FILM is developed.

 

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas from our Family to Yours!

I have been saying over & over how I would just love to be able to whip out some fast, useful projects. Well here is one.

I found a bunch of Lion Brand Kool Wool in my stash that I had purchased  to make the boys sweaters. Well, they needed new vests for Christmas Eve church so what better way to kill 2 birds with one stone than to make the vests using stash yarn!

I used a simple 4×1 rib pattern with 4 stitch cables across the front of the vest. I used my Denise Needle set size 10.5’s for the bottom inch, collar and sleeve edgings and size 11’s for the body. I worked it in the round, then separated front and back to work the crew neck collar.

I finished Trevor’s with a total of about 4 hours worth of work. I really didn’t expect it to go that fast! I cast on Tyler’s in the perfect olive green color and have about an inch of the ribbing done so far. Tomorrow it will be done in the evening I am sure.

There you have it, a child’s cabled vest! yippee~skippee

It was my birthday yesterday. I have no qualms about telling you that I turned 32.

It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine, family, church, friends, coffee & pumpkin pie as my birthday cake. Tracy & George know me so well.

George woke me up with a dozen red & white roses

Then I opened my gifts. Since I received my big birthday gift last month, my Louet s10 spinning wheel, I had just a few to start my day off. A hank of Louet Eruoflax fine weight yarn & a market bag pattern

And a gorgeous cut gold butterfly pendant (I do love those butterflies, I got that from my mom)

After church we came home, had lunch, Tracy & I did some last minute christmas shopping over at the K, came home and just sat around spinning & knitting my bday goodness

If you notice, in the picture there is another project on the chair. It’s a bamboo washcloth for myself. I am going to have myself a little experiment. I am fascinated with these yarns that are so rough and stiff to start out with and become as soft and drapey as cashmere in the end. So I will knit myself a washcloth out of the bamboo and one out of euroflax linen. Use and wash them exactly the same to see just what the difference is between the two yarns. They are constructed totally differently, one plied, one knit/cabled. And made from different fibers but it is just an experiment for my own satisfaction.

Last week I did finish one amenoi mitten. I had to set it down right before the decreases so I could finish an embroidery project for a dear friend for christmas, more to come on that at a later date. So with only an hour of knitting left to do I set it aside. I would say this  mitten took me a total of maybe 6 hours to knit. Pretty darn fast little project. Now to get the second done so I have a set to wear & use.

Can you see my 1 row mistake right there in the middle of the palm that created lines? Yeah, I didn’t notice it until I was a good 8 rows past & since they are for me & I am not exactly a perfectionist when it comes to things for myself I am just going to replicate it in the second mitten so they match. 

I do love the snug fit of the mitten and the choice of a superwash wool, Patons Kroy.

So that is all I have been up to, if it is not enough then I must be going mad!

 

Last Sunday was Mel Clark’s visit & book signing at Knit & Pearl.

Unfortunately for me, I left my book, and hooded scarf from the book, in the car that my husband drove the kids home in after church. Alas, I had no book for her to sign.

We met and talked a bit about the patterns in the book, what we like to knit, altering patterns to our liking and so on and so forth. After a while of being there and chattin’ it up Mel approached me with a book she had signed just for me, a gift from one teacher to another, she said! Knowing that I had a book already but didn’t have it there she took it upon herself to give me a signed copy anyways. I was so pleased!!

And Congratulations to Julie for having such a big turnout! I was so touched by all of the people that came to the signing and hung out for a bit. Now if we could get more knit authors to come that would rock!

Oh how I love it when you find a pattern that sucks you right in. You print the pattern, you hunt for the yarn in your stash, you are surprised when you find a yarn you completely forgot you had, you get out your needles, you swatch, you then cast on. And you can’t put it down, no housework gets done, everyone knows that they are on hold till the next row is done. The knitting just flows from your needles.

That my friends is the knitting of the Eunny Jang pattern Anemoi Mittens.

I know, you are thinking I am crazy for paying for a pattern when I am so cheap. I could not pass this one up! I love her construction of the thumb gusset so I knew it would be a pattern that I most likely would not have to change. When I pay for a pattern I don’t want to have to make changes to be satisfied, I will write the pattern myself if it comes to that & then my $mullah$ is wasted.

Using Patons Kroy in colors #435 Olive and #434 Honeysuckle Rose on size 2.5s to match gauge for the size small mittens here is what I have after a few hours last night

Oh how they make me happy! I really want to fly through them so I can have them to wear on the Idaho trip, we leave on the 21st, that should give me more than enough time. Honestly, I am hoping to have them done in the next couple of days. I have no other knitting projects that are time pressed. Well there is a crocheted beanie for a student teacher that needs to get done but that is mindless & just an hour or so of work time.

Out with the Nov socks of the month.

By the time they got to a length that I could try them on I found out that the slip stitch rib had eaten up all elasticity in the leg and I couldn’t even get it over my heel/ankle even though it measured out to the right size. Oh well, I wanted to knit them 2 at once magic loop method anyways so now I can! Blessing in disguise.

In with Claudia Handpainted sock yarn fingering weight in color Walk in the Woods on size 2 circular needles. Using the slip stitch rib only this time, they are moving along quite nicely. Now that makes me feel accomplished.

I have been considering casting on for something else. It’s a large project, a bit of a repeat for me but I think well worth the repetition. Worsted weight Feather & Fan ‘shawl’ which would really end up being a huge blanket. But who can pass that up?? I love circular blankets and I don’t need a replica of a shawl I already have so why not do it in worsted weight? I loved the pattern, I loved working on it even though it took hours per row at the end. If I have yarn on hand I might just cast on. hmmmm….we’ll just have to see what I can come up with. I do have 13 hanks of aqua/green/white crack yarn that I could use.

That is too good to pass up. It shall be done.