crookedneedles

In the Works

2012-01-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

Poppy in her Fisherdog sweater January 19, 2012

Here we are in 2012. Seattle is just coming out of several days of snow and ice, which, for me, meant staying home from work with the dogs. I brought home work to do, since we expected the snow and this is a busy time at work, but I found myself watching the birds, playing with the dogs, reading, and being generally unproductive. It was totally relaxing and refreshing, yet I'm not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow. I had lots of time to think and make decisions.

The photos are just for fun, and are not what I'm writing about today.

A few weeks ago, talking with my counselor, I was puzzled about my style of setting and achieving goals without defining the steps, in order to take those steps to achieve the goal. She commented that my approach is that of a right-brain sort of person. I have heard the term, of course, (as well as "type A" personality) but have been confused about what that means. I am a list-maker and perfectionist from childhood, leading me to think of myself as a linear thinker. Yet, as I'm aging, lists and perfection seem tedious and not necessarily productive.

Maverick in his lumberjack fleece

So I asked what right brain actually means and she said the right brain is the creative side; that I'm a creative thinker. We observed how our society rewards linear thinking, and she commented that in my attempts at perfection, I have continued to embrace that idea and attempt to be a linear thinker.

I think that trying to operate in a linear fashion hinders my progress - we non-linear thinkers perhaps take a longer route in the attempt to do things "correctly." Like in elementary school when doing story problems, we had to show HOW we got the answer rather than just the answer. Time to move on from elementary school rules!

Our hummingbird guest during the snow days.

My 2012 goal is to try weekend entrepreneurship. Looking toward the summer, my creative energies are toward taking a booth at one of the area weekly craft markets. The commitments required are minimal to begin, and I will have the chance to see how it feels to be in that arena with flea market sorts of items as well as some of my own creations. Some of the items are paper, so choosing the drier months will be necessary, at least until or unless I obtain some sort of cover. This gives me several months to prepare through research, collecting items, planning displays, and product development.

Intrepid needles

2011-10-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

For my most recent post, knitting was my primary focus. Since then, other interests have emerged, and thoughts about my personal goals and direction are under consideration. Needles are involved at times, but I'm not limiting myself as my creative spirit is expanding into new and, for me, surprising territories.

2010 was showing some creative wanderlust as I finished the year knitting small items as gifts. The yarn for many of the gifts was purchased at Village Yarn & Tea's closing sale in October. It was my LYS, and I was very sorry to lose the people and the camaraderie we had there, even while I understood the choices the owners had to make. I still miss my store today.

Also that fall, a friend joined with me to make each of us a duct tape dress form. What an adventure! We each took hours to wrap each other on a Sunday, and the finished product, while showing us as we were at the time, was shocking. I'm the red, and she is the white form. I'd like to say that I don't really look just like that, but...

The plan was to fill them with poly-fiberfill, mount them on a stand, and use them for blocking sweaters to our exact sizes. At this very moment, mine is sitting behind me, empty and forlorn, likely because I didn't accept my girth and posture, so I wanted to change those things and make a new one. The most noticeable point is the fact of my left shoulder so much lower than my right shoulder. I knew this to be true from my flat pattern design sloper in college, yet while the 3-D example is a little scary, there isn't likely to be much I can do to change that!

Besides the knitting, my handmade gifts include creating jewelry by working with silver rings or crocheting silver wire with beads. Occasionally, I'll sew a project bag or an apron. I'm so fascinated by all of you who create items in enough mass to open stores on Etsy - it's one of the possibilities I have in the "someday" corner of my mind.

Summer is arriving!

2010-07-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's July 6th. The Pollyanna in me is loving the lush greens everywhere and is happy that all the rain could mitigate the need for water rationing this summer. The cynic in me really would like to avoid the morning chill and the soggy grass. Still, living here in the Pacific Northwest is nothing if not unpredictable! The forecasters tell us summer weather will arrive after July 4th. Today, it looks possible!

A really nice thing about grey and rain is the increased motivation to be knitting instead of getting wet! I'm closing in on my Cocoknits Marta cardigan. The instructions for the body shaping are clear and the end product is beautifully invisible. I was confounded by having to choose which M1 increases on the sleeves will do the same while knitting in the round on each side of underarm "seam" and considering the best technique for the new stitch as a knit or a purl to be in pattern. My frustrations have been a little humbling, especially when I found the answer readily available on my Elizabeth Zimmerman Knitting Workshop DVD. Naomi and Melinda had both suggested I try various techniques on my swatch, but I took some time to pout before I did so and got back on track. Both sleeves are now complete (and lovely) so now after checking DVD "knitting with jean" for the shoulder seam technique (since the first two I tried, mattress and grafting, didn't give what I was hoping for).This technique is the best yet, so I didn't mind the do-over time.

While pouting, I focused on some fun socks - the Chevron pattern from pages 70-72 in Sensational Knitted Socks is knitted with Aussie Socks Fiesta color way. They were not only fun to knit, but striped better than I had anticipated and are quite comfortable on my feet. I have already recommended them to Joelle (in my BYS club class) and my friend, Pam. Joelle began knitting a pair for her sister but grew frustrated with the yarn and started a scarf instead. For now she's recovering from a broken foot/ankle and gets around on a little scooter, which also means she's got time for some serious knitting. Pam is a self-taught knitter and not accustomed to patterns, and I haven't heard how her socks are progressing. Maybe I'd better check in with her.

A pair of purl-less Monkey socks knit from Blue Moon's lightweight yarn were a quick knit, for a change. The color way is Jubilation, and while it looks lighter in the photo, it is rich browns with the earthy purples and blues of shadows. Until today's weather, I thought I'd be able to wear them all summer! At the moment I have a pair of socks for George in progress; I completed the first this weekend in the Nutkin pattern from Blue Moon's medium weight Grawk. This is the first time I've been able to knit socks on US3 needles - George says it fits beautifully.

At the same time, I couldn't resist starting the Citron shawlette in Mirasol's lovely heathered pink (#1007) merino, silk, and bamboo Nuna yarn. I bought enough yarn to knit a full size shawl, so we'll see how long I really want it to be. My only shawls have been more like scarves or wraps from rayon or cotton that I bought in Greece and Italy, so a real shawl will be a new experience.

Only knitting this time! I have lots of thought tumbling around in my head, but not yet in any form worth sharing. So now, the yard: weeding, picking raspberries, laying flagstone... I'm inspired now that the warm weather has begun!

" Takkin' and Makkin' "

2010-05-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

I never imagined knitting would give me once in a lifetime experiences that would fill my heart... until I began having them. And last weekend, another jewel was added to my treasure chest in the form of a three day Fair Isle knitting class held at the Nordic Museum in Ballard with Elizabeth Johnston, spinner and lace & Fair Isle knitter from Shetland and Martha Owen, artist-in-residence from the John Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. I signed up for the class immediately upon learning about it, and was alternately thrilled and filled with nervous anticipation about knitting in such company. There were 13 students in the class, including very accomplished Fair Isle knitters along with those of us with less experience and a lot of interest.

The teaching style was relaxed and unassuming, beginning with a brief biography of Elizabeth's and Martha's history, a circuit around the room about student hopes and expectations, fair isle patterns discussion, and we began knitting color study swatches.

Elizabeth's swatches are gloves, hats, mittens, fingerless gloves, tea cozies... never wasting a minute or a piece of yarn on a useless item. She was all about economy of motion, of time, and of effort. I've heard all of that before, then somehow having her in front of me, living and breathing that way of living, I understood it in a whole new way. Everything about knitting, about colors and patterns is second nature to her, and isn't necessarily the same sort of joy to her that many of us feel. She is perfectionist about the things that need to be perfect, and has let go of the things that don't need to be perfect in order to create perfectly beautiful knitted items (like tying knots instead of weaving in ends: "takes too much time, and the knots and ends get felted anyway").

I was surprised to hear her say that a Shetlander will always choose natural colors (did you notice her wonderful cardigan, above?), and no more than 5 tones are necessary - 7 at the most. A new way of thinking about the patterns and the colors opened up for me since it was sort of reduced to the amount of contrast from one to the next. Martha was knitting a vest for her husband in natural colors with just a shot of a beautiful teal, and I was inspired to choose my Jamieson's Spindrift colors in the NIghthawk tones. I showed my choices to Elizabeth and watched her deft movement to judge the contrast and tones together before pronouncing them a good assortment.

My stranded technique requires my full attention and although I'm fairly slow, I manage to produce a nice fabric. I want to develop the skill of knitting with both colors on the throwing hand since my picking is labored and I get easily frustrated. Still, I love my swatch, and plan to keep going with it for color and technique practice. I also enjoyed knitting the egg cozy - it was going to be a little sweater, but such small knitting in the round was distracting me from the color and pattern studies. I do love the color family and especially that Paprika color - I want to try more of that and to practice more patterns.

Martha was a lot of fun while adding stories, clarifications, and American perspective to Elizabeth's information. Martha describes herself as willing to be random and to try nearly anything. She is interested in all things sheep and brought yarn for dying. Fun for me since I've been thinking about dying without taking any action... on Saturday, we tried for variegated by adding natural coloring in piles instead of sprinkles on top of layers of yarn. She had cochineal, red onion skins, and madder, and the yarns were quite a variety of tones. It makes dye lot a lot easier to understand. Not like mixing paint for the house!

Jan (left) used the practice pattern Elizabeth wrote on the board for if we had no pattern in mind. With the colors she chose, it was very sophisticated and current - she plans to make a hat with her swatch. Andrea (right) is a very accomplished stranded knitter and tried different swatches - her color combinations are so elegant! I can see Barbara's colors in a sweater to wear with jeans, and the wonderful brown-gold will be fingerless gloves.

It seemed everyone in the class was affected in similar ways at our different levels - the things that were produced while there were beautiful and quite different. I've included a sampling here, but my photos don't really do the colors justice - you need to buy a Jamieson's color card from distributor Karen Campbell to really see the new range.

While I can't really do justice to the experience, I wish every knitter this sort of inspiration. And I'm looking forward to taking my inspiration into real knitted Fair Isle treasures!

2010 is 1/3 behind us!

2010-05-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

We had a false spring start here in the Pacific Northwest - it was just beautiful in February and reminded me why I love living here. It looked like March or April, and even the plants thought so. And now here we are with temperatures in the 50's in May... we won't have the same berry crops as last year!

A great trip to Tacoma for Madrona filled me with joy and optimism! I was one of the lucky students in Jean Wong's Tailored Knitting class, and learned quite a lot while there. It was a perfect in-depth update to learn how to design a sweater for my specific size - my high school and college training was in tailoring and clothing design due to my sewing background, so to gain this knowledge specifically for knitting was wonderful. Melinda and Naomi talk about not needing a pattern to make any sweater they want to make, and I had a rush of that joy. There was a time when that was true for me with sewing, and I'm inspired again about both skills.

After two intense days in class, I was on a relaxation retreat. After a tough January at work, the enjoyment of fiber enthusiasts, and knitting were perfect therapy. It was a great strategy, and I enjoyed every minute, including spending more $$ than I intended on so many beautiful yarns. My friend, Pam, even came down to just to shop!

Melinda and Naomi have been nudging me toward spinning and I've been resistant because I can't imagine taking the time away from knitting; I said if I win some roving, I'll try spinning, knowing that I never win anything. So wouldn't you know I would win some beautiful Blue Faced Leister?

In March, we celebrated some 1st quarter birthdays with an intimate brunch and a lot of laughter! Melinda, Joni B and Joni O gave us a reason (as if we need one) to get together with fiber and food! Joni B and I had first tries at spinning on Naomi's e-spinner and then I tried with one of Melinda's spindles... for me, it's going to be a slow process. That didn't stop me from going and completely enjoying the spin-in at Oak Harbor on April 10 with Melinda, Naomi, and Amy - when I wasn't socializing with Andrea, Rebecca and Peggy (just to name a few) I just knit and limited myself to the purchase of one skein of Blue Faced Leister sock yarn. What fun we have!

PROJECTS

Stepson Nick's wife is due to have their third son, Joshua, in July. I decided to knit a simple baby blanket for him using Berrocco's Comfort in the denim blue color - it really does look like jeans. While I'm usually committed to natural fibers, our daughter-in-law has three boys under 6 and constantly uses the washer and dryer. The hand of the blanket's fabric is just great - it actually feels like jeans! The pattern is a customized version of a paneled blanket from a book, and this is my thought process:

The first row is a heart because from the first moment, he is there. The second row is evergreen trees because although they live in California, his parents are from the Pacific NW. The third row is his initials JJB with sailboats on either end because he will grow up with water sports. The fourth row is lightning bolts because he will be brought up with superheroes. And the fifth row is stars because he will be taught to reach for them.

The socks from yarn my friend, Pam, gave me last August are just what I was hoping for: sort of bulky and relaxed. The pattern is adapted from the Cascade Yarns B & B sock. After experimentation, I found myself using size 0 needles for the ribbed cuff, size 1 needles for the basket weave; cable stitch pattern, and size .5 needles for the sole of the sock. I'm paying more attention to the texture of the knit fabric I create. And when I was afraid of running out of yarn, Naomi gave me a wonderful coordinated yarn to use for the toes, and I think it looks planned instead of emergency fixed.

Currently, I'm in the midst of the Chevron socks from Sensational Knitted Socks using Aussie Socks Spanish Fiesta. Once again, the fabric was too dense so larger needles were in order. The result now is very comfortable and I'm ready to blaze through the 2nd sock.

My other current project is Cocoknits Marta knit from Lana Grossa's Eco. This was my lesson in finding the gauge while paying no attention to the needle size indicated. I finally am using US 9's instead of the US 5's my usual tension would call for, and the fabric is heavenly soft. Her pattern-writing is clear and simple and includes some new techniques for me. I'm going to love this cardigan! The body is done and I'm working on sleeve #1 when I'm not knitting on my socks.

Next up, I'm planning to restart the lace panel shawl because the lace edging was much too tight. I'm not an experienced lace knitter, so I had no idea I was having a problem until my lace turned out to be half as long as it should have been by the end. Yes, I should have swatched, even in lace! Painful lesson with 890 cast on stitches! I've been calling it my stupid shawl, but this is clearly not the shawl's fault.

And, speaking of swatching, I'll be doing more of that for Mitch's Irish Moss. My previously always-loose knitting seems to be getting tighter, so I can't count on having to go down two needle sizes any more. Perhaps it's just nervousness at beginning my first Alice Starmore pattern. In any case, it's worth the price of extra yarn to have enough to knit a large swatch without worrying about running out of yarn.

2010-02-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

First, thank you to Melinda for her computer savvy and investigative skills to get me back on track with photo upload. It seems that Blogger and Internet Explorer 8 aren't the best of friends, so a switch to Firefox as my browser enables me to add photos once again. It turns out that she found an answer to this computer issue by combining her own experiences with experimentation, so, knowing that, I hope to resolve my own problem next time. I did add photos to my final 2009 blog and 2010 will continue with more photos!

First, I've been on an accessories track.

It began when I was entranced by the Leaf and Vine hat on the cover of the fall Vogue Knitting, so I used some creamy Plucky Sock Club yarn combined with a subtle Kid Silk Haze and knit a sumptuous hat. I wear it whenever there's a hint of chill (due to our very mild winter here in the Northwest) and have received compliments from complete strangers who don't even realize it is handknit. The photo is before it was blocked into beret shape. A really great thing about this hat was realizing that my somewhat overwhelming sock yarn stash can be so much more than socks or scarves.

I tried the basket weave stitch design on a pair of scarves knit from Plymouth Yarn's Grande Baby Alpaca Hand-Dye; LOVE the yarn and the wonderful colors! They were elegant and appreciated gifts this year, as shown on my brother here - he's a green kind of guy.

Next, I decided to pick up a long put off project and started Zeitgeist Yarns' Selbu Modern hat using Mini Mochi for the pattern and Baby Ull for the solid color (shown here with the Leaf and Vine hat). It was immediately apparent that with my stranded gauge, the sizing was going to be too small for my head, so I stopped and began again, adding a repeat. While that and blocking to a beret shape helped, I realized in this yarn, a snug fit is inevitable. I've been thinking of using Mochi Plus and a complimentary solid color yarn to make another one, but haven't taken any action yet. And, about this pattern... I think the designer is amazing! I loved how the pattern incorporates the decreases for the crown with such elegance - it is beautiful and ingenious!

The Mochi colors and Mochi Plus interested me enough to buy several balls of various colors and I knitted George a hat for Christmas using Lisa Ellis Designs subtly cabled hat in the worsted weight (it's great that the pattern includes child and adult hats as well as for lightweight or worsted weight yarn). I managed to knit the hat without him knowing, and when I gave it to him, he loved the colors but didn't get excited about the hat. When I got him to explain, he demonstrated how he likes to wear hats - not so snug to his head, and he likes to roll them up as needed - so I bought another ball and knit a second hat, this time with an extra repeat and adding a 2 1/2" cuff. He loves it, and my friend, Cindy liked the original, so nothing is lost.

My 2009 knitting year

2010-01-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

First, thank you for your comments following my last post - the posted comments as well as those of you who spoke with me directly. Knitters are a wonderful group of people, and I'm very glad to be among you all.

Second, I've been unable to load any photos for a month and haven't been able to break through the "javascript:void(0)" message when I try. So I'll post the photos later to get this post up now.

2009 has been a fickle knitting year for me, from frustrations to new experiences. I randomly learned new things, and knitted smaller projects after the big sweater for George. Perhaps this has been a growth spurt of sorts...

The year began with focus on luxury yarns; I knit Melody's Shawl with Plucky's Silk Merino for my Mom, and with Misti Alpaca lace and Zephyr lace for my friend, Cindy.
Next, I cast on George's top-down in January, using the vintage DK Marl. This project was all about learning how to plan my own design within the framework of Karen Alfke's pattern. I also learned just how much tighter my knit stitches are than my purls, how to research something instead of only turning to my knitting friends, just how short-rows worked for the shawl collar, and how to seam the back of said collar to best effect. George was just as thrilled with the results as I was - he's not really a sweater person, but puts it on proudly and wears it until he is roasting.

At Madrona, I began a smoke-ring with my beautiful qiviut-merino yarn. Looking back, I'm amazed I tried even that little bit of lace with such amazing yarn, but the results were completely sublime (thank you, Naomi and Melinda - you know how you helped!). I would happily knit with that yarn again, and I would knit that pattern again. I'm developing an interest in dying... I'd love see qiviut-merino in rich colors and want to learn about how to do that.

The lace-T knit from Pima-Tencel was completed in the spring. I love the way it feels and surprised myself by liking how it looks on me. I'm a little disappointed with the way it wears though - the yarn droops quickly, so this pattern would benefit from a sturdier yarn, such as the one recommended on the pattern.

On a whim, I found some colorful Kid Seta on sale and knitted Veronique from French Girl Knits. It was quite fun to do something quick and easy that still gave me a lesson about construction and finding an edging. It was the perfect lightweight wrap to take on our trip to Savannah, and people who don't know about knitting thought I was a genious to have made it myself. Always love that feeling!

I knit a couple of baby hoodies and a stack of cotton wash mitts before picking up my Louisa Harding vest of ivory Silky Wool. The pattern was marvelous and I love the resulting garment. The only disappointment was the color from the dark blue blouse the second time I wore it that rubbed onto the underarm of the vest. I washed the vest with Eucalan, but there is still a shadow, and I will have to take more drastic action. I love the color, but may have to dye it. And knit it again another day. Sigh.
Otherwise, I've knit several pairs of socks, a couple of scarves, and several hats. I'm loving accessories right now, and will talk next time about plans for 2010.

Happy New Year!

Heartache

2009-12-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

For 12 years, I was a civilian member of the Seattle Police Department, first, as a Crime Prevention Coordinator organizing Business Watches in the City, then as a Community Service Officer for 10 years. Those years gave me the rare opportunity to be on the inside of the closed world of blue in the City of Seattle. The human beings who volunteer to put themselves in the sometimes reviled profession are varied in their backgrounds and goals, yet they are mostly unified in their quest for justice, their desire to protect the public.

While we were in Savannah, the terrible murder of SPD's Officer Timothy Brenton rocked the City and the region. As we landed back in Seattle, the memorial was just ending and the shooter was identified and hospitalized after his failed attempt to murder yet another officer as he was being taken into custody. There is no doubt in my mind that the detective who heard the gun click at his head will hear that click for the rest of his life, and will feel thankful with each memory. I saw that detective recently, and just felt grateful he is alive.

On Sunday, November 29th, Naomi and Melinda and I met for breakfast, and when I arrived, they gave me the news about the Lakewood police officers killed at the coffee shop. During the next days, George and I spent tense time awaiting the capture of the shooter. I hoped the shooter's wound from the dying officer would be fatal, and that the shooter would not have another opportunity to kill. Thankfully, the next officer the shooter encountered was vigilant and able to protect himself, and the terror of not knowing where the shooter was came to an end.

The preparations and finally the memorial for the officers on Tuesday was so moving that many I've spoken with chose to not watch because it was so painful. The overwhelming response from law enforcement throughout the continent was inspiring and humbling. Every single member of law enforcement has a new reminder - a new awareness - of the randomness of the criminal mind, and of mental illness. While it was clear that the shooter had mental health issues, the family and friends of the shooter who assisted him with the plan, his wound, and his escape have no such excuse, and I'm looking forward to their prosecutions to the full extent of the law.

My George is a 20 year veteran Seattle police officer. During this time, I've been thinking about him and his safety, and have been comforting myself with the fact that he is a good patrol officer with excellent skills. I've watched his shock and emotional turmoil over all five of these senseless deaths, and his incomprehension that anyone could plan and carry out such acts. He goes to work each day intending to uphold the law and believing that it is the right thing to do, so random murder because of the uniform he wears puts him beyond understanding. I asked him if it helps to see the outpouring of support from the public - the expression of appreciation for police officers and the work they do, and he gave an emphatic yes.

We are both touched by the blue lights on homes this season, and he's had and heard of heartwarming Starbucks experiences involving gift cards left at the counter for any police officer's beverage. He (and I too) truly appreciated his captain's choice to have no officer patroling alone while the Lakewood shooter was at large; he said that some departments, such as Los Angeles, have that rule at all times. I was horrified to learn that the shooter was ultimately confronted by a lone officer in the middle of the night.

George has worked other units at SPD and considered leaving patrol. He likes being a patrol officer, and is doing this work by choice. I am now hopeful that Seattle Police commanders will take this opportunity to learn from these tragedies to adjust some of their procedures permanently. The ones that give me chills are the afore mentioned one-officer patrol cars, and the policy of assigning laptop computers to each officer so they can be "on the streets" and "available to the community" while writing their long reports required by the latest reporting system. I know budgets are tight, especially this year. But our officers need to get as good as what they give every day.

Southern connection

2009-11-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

George and I don't often travel far from home together. The dogs and George's dislike of flying can be impediments to scheduling, even when the trip is one we really want to take.

My cousin, Cindy, sent an e-mail asking when we were planning to visit my brother in Georgia, saying that her husband was scheduling his vacation, and they would like to meet us in the South. That was the seed of our October 30th trip to Savannah. It took some weeks to get George's commitment, then he was a full contributor to a wonderful vacation!

First step after the reservations was to secure good lodging for the dogs, and rather than asking friends or hiring a house-sitter, George toured Roscoe's Ranch and loved how they care for their "guests". We realized that the cost would be the same as PetsHotel, but at the Ranch, they would get more individual care and attention. Although the accommodations were full on Halloween weekend, they figured out a way to keep Poppy and Maverick during our 9-day absence. (The Ranch even sent us e-mail photos of the dogs playing.) George arranged everything from parking at the airport to the car rental while I arranged our hotel and touring plans.

The short review of our vacation is that the time with my brother's family and with my cousin and her husband was full and more fun than I dared imagine. My brother, Stan, and his wife, Susan, are wonderful hosts and tour guides with much knowledge and information to share about their adopted region. Cindy and her husband have a fresh and interested approach to life and were a joy as companions for spending time and seeing new things. I hope I get to see all of them more frequently as a result of this trip. A detailed version with photos follows, with only one knitting reference, so feel free to skim or just stop here, and I'll see you next time. My brother, Stan, moved about 8 years ago from Renton, WA to Richmond Hill, GA, about 20 minutes from Savannah. He and his wife, Susan, have a beautiful home there, and they have put in a lot of work to create charming interiors and gardens - staying with them for several nights was something like a bed & breakfast, including the food. Stan loves to cook, and since he works from his home, he was able to provide delicious meals.

We arrived late on Friday evening; Cindy & Danny at midday on Halloween Saturday. For dinner, Stan planned to roast the leg of a wild boar he had hunted, and needed to go to the local flea market for fresh produce. After introductions, we piled into cars and headed for the flea market in spite of the 85 degree heat - big change for us Seattleites. What an assortment of things! I bought homegrown, cracked pecans to bring home and Stan bought a 10lb squash that he and George traded off carrying back to the car. We found treasures in the antiques section, Cindy stopped at each handbag booth, and we all got hung up for awhile in the puppy wing - however opposed I am to backyard breeding, puppies are puppies once they are in the world!

The roasted wild pig and the huge squash were delicious - we headed to our hotel completely full. We awoke quite hungry on Sunday morning and, with Danny & Cindy, decided to try Waffle House - they were everywhere, so we thought Why not? I'm pretty sure that Waffle House was the original definition of "greasy spoon" eating establishments; at least the one we chose. Anyway, we now know "why not!"

Stan & Susan first took us to see Civil War's Fort Pulaski - it was where the lessons about massive structures vs. modern naval weaponry were learned. We toured the perimeter, saw the quarters, learned about the Confederate uniforms (the hat was also a food collection bag) and saw a musket demonstration - the only downside was the no-see-ems that anonymously bite any exposed body parts not thoroughly doused with bug spray.

We went next to Tybee Island and saw Cindy's first lighthouse ever - then all climbed the 179 steps to the top. We were told that Sandra Bullock has a house on the island (lucky her!), but we couldn't spot which one. We hoped we would run into her during our visit since we are all fans, but no luck.
We ate at the nearby Crab Shack - another Southern institution, apparently. Famous for the grotto of alligators that can be fed by customers as well as the "boil" dumped onto the tables for consumption with hands, I was conscious of the great waste in the form of styrofoam serving dishes and plastic utensils. Cindy noted the huge bags of garbage just outside the entrance, resulting in fairly small appetites.

Monday turned out to be the chilliest day - in the low 60's - for our trolley tour of Savannah. We saw the museum, walked some, toured a couple of grand houses while listening to interesting stories, and got a sense of the city. Susan recommended this way of touring, and we thought it was great. I'd do it again on a future visit. Yes, we saw Paula Deen's restaurant, and no, we didn't go there. Our dinner was at Corleone's Trattoria after meeting up with my nephew at the new Bohemian Hotel above River Street. Back at Stan's Cindy shared her amazing scrapbooks of family history on our mom's side, and Stan was completely overwhelmed by the time we left for our hotel. I joined Cindy and Danny in their hotel room to watch Dancing with the Stars while Cindy and I wrote postcards to our cousins and moms.

Tuesday we piled into one car, picked up Stan, and drove to St. Simon's Island. Temperatures were back up to the mid 70's and the tourist season was over so it was lovely and uncrowded. We each had a wonderful lunch - all different menu items! Mine was a fresh wild Atlantic salmon club sandwich... YUM! Here I am on the beach wearing my Louisa Harding cabled aran sweater vest for the first time (it was blocking when we packed for our trip, so I packed it flat in a plastic bag and dried it after we arrived).

We put our hands in the Atlantic Ocean...

and climbed the St. Simon's light house (128 steps), then found many shopping treasures. It's a charming island community.

When we returned to Richmond Hill, Susan had made a delicious stew of the leftover boar leg, squash, and other savory ingredients - it was perfect after our day. George & I and Cindy & Danny left after dinner for our getaway night staying at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah.

After seeing our rooms, we were like curious children tumbling over one another as we roamed all over the luxury hotel to see what there was to see. The antique hat display and the outdoor pool were both memorable - I love how Savanna folks seem to embrace their history and keep it as part of their identity.

We had a decadent breakfast at the hotel the following morning, then Stan & Susan met us for some shopping before saying goodbye to Cindy & Danny as they left for their six-hour drive home to Birmingham AL.

I was determined to see Wild Fibres, the only yarn store listed in Savannah. The store was in a lovely old building with a marble facade, had a great name, and didn't live up to the vision both suggested. (I'm a little puzzled about how a city with such size and cultural history has only one yarn store besides Michael's and JoAnn.)There were two people outside the door and a handwritten sign saying closed from 2:15 - 3:15pm. It was 3:25. Both young people waiting were SCAD students waiting to buy materials for their art projects - Wilma for a felted project and Josh for a fiber sculpture. We all chatted until the proprietor returned at 3:50, apologizing that she had to pick up her child after school. I did not find the Addi lace needles I was looking for, and no fiber products tempted me. Josh did not find his batting, but Wilma, at least, was thrilled to find what she needed.

Stan & Susan dropped us at the parking lot to get our car and as we pulled up to the exit kiosk to pay, there was another handwritten note saying the cashier would be right back, and indeed, she returned after 10 minutes or so. George is still amazed at this way of doing business - he wondered if it is a southern thing. We're convinced that leaving a business unattended would result in some truly bad customer behaviors here in Seattle.

Thursday, Stan & Susan wanted us to see Fort McAllister since it was nearby and held out for four years before it fell and Union soldiers took Savannah. It is an underground fort which is, again, largely intact. The self-tour visitors can take by reading the handout as they walk from point to point is quite informative, and we had a real sense of what it might have been like to live there. Although my interest in the Civil War is limited, I had a real sense of history through the tours and the museums... it was a terrible time.We drove back to Jacksonville, Florida, to fly home (we liked the graphics on the window above at our gate), and agreed that it was a wonderful vacation. George has been describing Savannah to anyone who will listen as a great place where the houses have character and it was warm in November.

I loved visiting with my brother and his family, and finally getting to spend time with my cousin and meet her husband after all these years. I was crazy about her when we met at 16, then life and distance kept us from maintaining our friendship. Danny and George are also well matched; Cindy and I laughed when we noticed them naturally speaking boy-code, and liking many of the same things. George is interested in another visit to the Southeast, and Cindy & Danny are considering a trip to Seattle in spring of 2010. We'll be happy to see them any time.

Notes from the past couple of months...

2009-10-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

August 9, 2009 My dear friend Naomi (in photo with me at Ray's boathouse last March, before she got her new, short hair), likes to keep up with her many friends on Facebook. Although I was fearful of having one more thing to neglect, I decided to try it out several months ago. Within minutes, my niece, daughter-in-law, and step-son friended me, and over several days, friends found me too. I still don't know how to use all the nuances, so I might read something and I might message. I used a "wall" once, but don't really like to be so... public, I guess.

Sometime in July, a message from junior high appeared in my inbox. Well, it might have been from junior high since that was when I was in a close-knit group of girls with Laurie. Although we knew each other through high school, we had evolved past the intimacy of our early teens, and later, were so caught up in our adult lives, we were sort of at a loss for words when we met at class reunions. Laurie now lives in Boston after living all around the world, and asked about meeting when she was to be in Seattle in early August. I thought seeing her would be nice, and called Stephanie, another friend from that time, to see if she wanted to meet too. She said sure, and mentioned she had just returned from the wedding of the daughter of another friend from junior high / high school days. Laurie ended up arranging a large gathering, and we couldn't work out the logistics to meet (it was Sock Summit weekend, after all!). The entire week of conversations back and forth reminded me of junior high angst: discussion of old rivalries and loyalties, remembering what life was like when we didn't know who we would become, before we knew what our futures would hold. I hope I get to see Laurie on one of her future visits in a one on one or small group rather than large gathering women from our pasts.

August 30, 2009 I've been tussling with a summer cold that will not let go! It began 13 days ago today, and I'm still trying to stop coughing and to get my energy back. My voice sounds so much worse than I'm feeling by now - I'm so happy to have my sense of smell and taste returning. There's not much point in eating good food when I can't smell or taste anything.

Knitwise, Ellen kindly gave me two hours of her time and I relearned her short-row heel! It really goes so much faster than the heel flap, and I wrote it down this time, so am convinced I can do it on my own. I'm also planning to try the short-row heel from Melinda's tutorial just so I can begin to be fully informed on types of heels. In any case, the Gryffindor socks will be done this week. I was planning to do the heel flap on the Baby Cable Rib socks, but went ahead with the heel flap.

September 1, 2009 My Veronique turned out to be lovely! I chose to knit the sleeves in the round and used a purl stitch for a faux seam. I went with a bracelet length on the sleeves - a couple of inches above my wrist bone. My biggest challenge was pulling out the provisional cast-on since I foolishly used a sock wool and it took over an hour to get the edges on the circular needle.. USE SOMETHING SLIPPERY so it doesn't catch the mohair cloud! I looked at all the Veronique projects on ravelry and decided on the eyelet edging without beads - with this variegated yarn, I wanted to give it some style while keeping it simple. I find that while wearing it, the edges still somewhat do the stockinette roll, but it hasn't been a major bother. I'm glad someone else mentioned finding a dropped stitch a few inches back - it happened to me several times so that I got a little crazed and checked for dropped stitches all the time. I was excited to show this one off, and wore it to work and class right away. The first person at work to see me in it came rushing over and began to pull it down on me to smooth it out to see the detail... she stretched the mohair down a couple of inches! I appreciated the admiration even while I worried that I'd have to re-block it back to my size.

September-October - We have enjoyed garden bounty during all of the fall season, including our first-ever grape harvest. Fruit was prolific everywhere this year, and we had bountiful amounts of raspberries, zucchini, yellow squash, pineapple strawberries, and blueberries. We even got two large red Bartlett pears on our espaliered small pear tree (they were delicious too). But we couldn't help being excited about our small bunches of Red Flame grapes. They are delicious, and the vine will only get better with age. I'm taking cuttings in hopes of rooting them to gift to family and friends next spring. I know they take a long time to fruit, but they are absolutely worth the wait! Last, but not least, we tried growing San Marzano tomatoes - plants from seeds from Italy. Anyone who likes to cook Italian food will recognize the name. We think they are a great success, and will grow them again next year - not for slicing and eating, but for cooking in sauces and soups. They were prolific and are still ripening in October.October: I've been working on my next project: Louisa Harding's Bette cabled vest in ivory Silky Wool. I first worked a small swatch to determine the neede size and got pretty excited. The back and fronts are complete, with only the neck and armhole ribbing to add. The pattern is a pleaure, and I'm loving the results! I chose to go up a size in order to try to get a similar fit to the photo in the book. I'll photograph it for next time - and won't be so long between!

August already?

2009-08-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Summer has actually felt like summer in the Pacific Northwest this year, although July weather nearly melted us here in the Pacific Northwest. We opted to not add air conditioning when we had a new furnace installed after purchasing our house five years ago, and two weeks ago we were questioning our sanity in making that decision. Before the heat wave even started, I arrived home on Monday to let the dogs out and the temperature inside was 90 degrees. George stayed home with them on Tuesday and Wednesday as the temperatures rose, and I came home early and Thursday and Friday. Our strategy was wetting them down from time to time from a tub of water on the patio, and doing our best to keep them quiet. They came through just fine, although some of our plants were sort of incinerated. Thank heaven for neighbors with air conditioning and friends with a pool and air conditioning for inviting us to visit with our dogs. Here's my friend Cherie in her pool with Poppy on a float. That sort of kindness touches my heart! (Speaking of that, thank you for your comments and e-mails about my pups - there are lots of us dog people around!)

The cooler temperatures are a relief, and the rain has felt like a gift (since we are a little bit afraid of what our water bill will be). I admit that I like being hot during the day, but not being able to cool down at night was like smothering. The feeling of moving slow motion through thick air gave me a real understanding of stifling heat. It didn't stop me from knitting though - it's how I relaxed without moving enough to sweat.

Well, it seems there's something about making a commitment in writing - I have stayed on track with my knitting for a bit. Here are my promised Pure & Simple socks, and the idea of socks in this cooler weather is not so out of the question. I love the colors, and I enjoyed switching to 2.25mm needles from my usual US 0's so that they knit up faster.

The baby hoodie for Kansas cousin Roxie's grandson is finished - he'll be a year old in October, so I'm hoping he'll still be able to wear it by the time the weather there is cold. I only have to choose a pair of toggle buttons from my button stash!

My next pair of socks are on the needles; my first Tofutsies, from Naomi, in pink granite. The yarn sent me back to my US 0's, and tinkering (starting over three times - so far) with the number of stitches was required to get the right fit for the baby cable rib pattern from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Socks. This is my "touchstone" sock book for the basics and for different stitch designs for socks. Although the cabling doesn't really pop out in this yarn, I love this sort of understated detail, like you have to be an insider to know to look for it.

In the sweater category, I read the Veronique pattern in French Girl Knits before casting on the variegated Kid Seta. It's an interesting construction technique, and since thinking about it takes me back to my sewing and flat pattern design classes, it will be fun to see it develop. I'm not a fast knitter in any case, and seem to be even slower with this delicate yarn. It knits up beautifully texturewise, and I'm watching for pooling. Does anyone else think that variegated yarn often looks better in the ball or skein than it does knitted up? The sort of fluorescent coral color wasn't apparent to me in the ball, but it sure shows up in the knitted fabric. Still, I love the blue/purple parts and think it will be a warm and elegant foil for jeans as well as a more formal accessory. I just completed the gathering for the back and have cast on for the next step - and so far it's going well. The directions are clear and giving the desired result, and I'm still excited to see what's next!

Dog days

2009-08-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

This was our first look at our our newest canine addition, Poppy. She is a 10lb rescue dog from the Seattle Animal Shelter, and we adopted her in April. She proved to be the best match for Maverick after introductions to several dogs. She was a year old in July, and while still exhibiting puppy traits, she is learning from Maverick about how to be a gentle, sweet dog. We were told she is a chihuahua mix - we think with a terrier breed of some kind. She has that sort of terrier energy and fearlessness in place of the quivering timidity and yapping found with some chihuahuas. Don't get me wrong: she barks! As a watchdog and fierce protector, which is not what we expected from this little scamp who likes to sleep in our laps and eat raspberries off the vines.

Maverick wasn't quite sure whether he should be miffed by her arrival in April, but she didn't give up on him, moving onto his bed within the first couple of weeks (he then slept on the small bed we got for her - it was a riot), and trying to cuddle with him. The first time he rested his head on her while waiting for something, we knew she had him.

Pound for pound, Poppy may be faster than 70lb Maverick, and he's FAST. He gets down on the ground to play with her, and she chases him for all she is worth in the back yard, with some success. She hasn't yet learned to be gentle, so he cries out frequently because she's bitten him too hard. Their white markings are similar, then where he is dark and handsome, she is strawberry blonde, light eyed, and pink nosed. She squints in the bright sun and starts to doze when her head and ears are being massaged. He loves to chase the ball, rolls on us if we get down on the floor, leans on us and puts his head in our laps for affection. He still likes to get in my lap when allowed - especially since Poppy gets lap time.

She is learning a little about cuddling, but mostly likes to jump to whatever high summit she can reach to defy her diminuitive size. This includes tabletops and finishing off what's left on plates, so we still have much training to do. I caught her on the table the other night and startled her - she nearly jumped out of her skin and was off the table in a flash, so we know she knows better and just can't yet resist temptation.

Recently, we celebrated "sit" and "stay" - she's not perfect yet, but she's Maverick's little mimic so I have high hopes. I'm talking about my dogs today because of our unusual Northwest heat wave. I'm happy that they are both short-haired since our house is not air-conditioned. They do fairly well, but we still coordinated our schedules to get them some air and wet them down to keep them from overheating. Maverick still wants to go chase the ball and run around - and doesn't understand why it doesn't work very well.

Both dogs get chilled in cold weather - they are fortunate to be mixes, or they would be even less insulated. Maverick has a red & black fleece jacket (he inherited it from Cherie's beloved boxer, Beano) that is perfect for the snow - I expect to sew him another one or two. Poppy, however, is small enough that knitting for her won't be a major project, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was looking at books about knitting for dogs, and ordered three of them.

OK, three books may not have been absolutely necessary, but if I like knitting dog sweaters, I'll be prepared, right? And how often have I been known to pass up a good book? I'm thinking both dogs would look good in an aran knit. I'll let you know how it goes.

What's next...

2009-07-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

... is something we all face, in life, and of course, in knitting!

For me, small projects keep me from feeling overwhelmed by the challenges posed with the sweaters requiring a major time commitment. This summer, smaller projects have been my entire knitting output. Fortunately, there are things to be learned from small projects as well as the major ones!

I'm not a real romantic about babies, and am not often moved to create a handmade gift for a baby shower. I'm more likely to wait until the little one will be able to wear a garment more than once before they grow out of it. One of our bunco gals, Sarah, is pregnant for the first time. The members of our bunco group are an over-the-top sort, so when I received the invitation to the shower, I decided to go ahead and knit a baby-something. I chose the Knitting Pure & Simple Easy Baby Cardigan / Hoodie in the 6 month size. Instead of the usual baby pastels in the gauge called for, I found an Encore in Northwesty tones (Color #7118), and reduced the # of stitches by 20% due to the difference in stitch gauge. I didn't have to worry about row gauge since the instructions only called for measurement. My biggest challenge was knowing so little about baby sizing that the hood seemed like a balloon and the sleeves seemed shockingly long, but my BYS class assured me it was right on. I sent it to the shower with a friend and was later told it was a hit. I was also assured that even the knitter-sister-in-law closely examined the construction and was impressed. Little Daniel is not scheduled to arrive until August, so I won't have a photo of him in the hoodie for some time to come. This is a project that is easy, quick, adorable, and I am already knitting another one in a larger size for cousin Roxie's, grandson and the cold, Kansas winter.The hoodie was cast on while I was in Missouri with my cousins. My cousin, Debbie, had made quilts for each of us with our Doggette name right on it. I was amazed at her generosity, with her time and her skill. I wrote to her to tell her that and she said that her mom did quilts in the same way, and that Debbie and her sister were allowed to tie the pieces of yarn to help with the quilts, so sewing these for us gave her a way to be with and remember her mom. Well, my mom is not a knitter, but I was moved to do something handmade for each cousin too. Back to my bath mitts!
I wanted to use the black&red colors (the green is for Aunt Louise and her love of frog designs), but found it limiting so didn't mind the variagation in the Peaches & Cream cotton yarns. I've added a ribbed cuff to the pattern from the paper label, and I increase the sizes according to the size of the hand. The result is 9 bath mitts, bath salts or handmade soap for each Doggette, and a Scottie dog luggage tag from local Linnea Designs for each cousin's future travels.

At the same time, I've picked up my long-neglected Forest Canopy shawl. I started it in summer of 2007, and took it out so many times, I finally just put it down for awhile... which stretched into nearly two years. When I stretched it out to see it after so long, a funny thing happened: I actually could see the stitches and read them. To be sure, I took it to class and asked Rebecca to refresh me, and I was correct. I plan to make it larger than a shoulder shawl, but we'll see how it goes!

So what's next for me is another pair of basic Pure & Simple socks from an old On-Line sock yarn in a beautiful colorway (I have the heel flap technique down, thank you!), completing the 2nd baby hoodie and Forest Canopy shawl, and swatching some fabulous variegated Kid Seta for the Veronique shrug from French Girl Knits. I'm also following Rebecca's suggestion to actually write a list of the patterns I have on my wish list, and the yarns I already have for them. Going through them mentally leaves me in a quandary, so looking at the patterns matched with the yarns I have brings things clear more quickly. I fully expect to be shocked with myself for buying so much yarn in a sort of "what was I thinking?" moment... then I'll go to my BYS class to hear that we ALL have stashes, and that stash shopping is a good thing!

Lazy days of summer?

2009-07-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little unproductive - worrying that I'm taking on small, easy projects instead of facing up to some of the challenges bouncing around in my mind. I'm actually talking about my knitting, although it may be true for other facets of my life as well. My recent family history excavations are affecting some of how I think about things, and I don't know exactly where my thoughts will lead - perhaps being preoccupied has affected my knitting output so far this year. To get back in stride with my personal expectations, how about joining me in a look at the completed projects besides George's sweater?My pink "Knit for the Cure" socks were challenging due to the very small gauge of the yarn. That the socks are built like iron is due to using Addi size 0, and that they are warm as can be is due to the lovely Twin Rib stitch from Sensational Knitted Socks. I love them - and will wear them as soon as the weather is cool enough that my feet won't sweat in them.

I also love my Gryffindor socks from Sunshine Yarn's Harry Potter collection. This yarn is also quite a fine gauge, so I increased the number of stitches and decided on a 4x2 rib. Ellen showed me a short row heel and it turned out so well, I'm thrilled! Or I was, right up until I tried to do the same heel on the second sock and forgot how. My learning style seems to be "show me," as reading instructions doesn't seem to be enough, and Ellen hasn't been available to lead me through it again. Well, Ellen will be back from Denmark before too long, and I'll be requesting her time to refresh my memory! There are other ways to do a short row heel, I know, but I thought the heels on this pair should match... I felt like a real beginner when I started the pink socks over several times, it affected my attitude and I was afraid I was not going to want to finish them. And the Gryffindor socks are like a beacon of failure at the moment - I'll be unhappy until they are finished, then I'll love them.

My second completed lace project (the first was the February Lady cardi) turned out beautifully - I used the gorgeous Merino-Qiviut from Naomi to knit a smoke-ring pattern recommended by Melinda. It was fun to knit the bottom band then pick up stitches for the neck/hood. I took it slow and loved knitting with this yarn. I'll welcome the cold weather just so I can feel the warmth of such a luxurious embrace. And it feels like quite an accomplishment to complete these details, including the blocking process.My third completed lace project was the Lace Shaped Tee (also known as Krista) from Knitting Lingerie Style by Joan McGowan-Michael. Since I chose Cascade's Pima-Tencel yarn, which gave a decidedly different gauge and drape from what the pattern indicated, I was uncertain whether I would like the finished product on me. I knitted in fits and starts instead of straight through. I even ran into a serious problem with gauge when I picked it up again and was knitting tighter than previously. I thought I had somehow switched needle sizes. I extended the length of the sleeves from the cap sleeves, and now like it very much. I'm starting to get how people have this fascination with knitted lace!This is a good way to gain perspective: already, I've been more productive than I thought, so maybe I don't actually have knitter's block. I'll catch up to now next time!

Cousines

2009-07-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever not known something was missing in your life until it wasn't missing any more? That's what has been impacting my life - with questions, confusion, the desire to know more, and joy. What a wonderful gift to add new relatives to my life! Well, they have always been out there, I just didn't know them and have access to them in the same way many families do.
Mom is the eighth of nine siblings from a small town in Kansas. There is no photograph with all of them together. When they left home, they scattered across the country, and as I grew up, I knew my Dad's parents and of his sister and her children. I remember meeting my mom's mother and a cousin named Roxie when I was 5 or 6, but little about the meeting. At 16, I went with Mom to visit her older brother in Kansas, and became close friends with my cousin, Cindy for the few days we were there... we wrote for a while, but didn't see each other again. I remember the phone call Mom got when her mom died, and I remember asking Mom if she was an orphan now. I met her younger brother, and her oldest sister, but didn't really know any of her siblings as they began to pass away. I thought that contact among them was inconsistent as they pursued careers and raised families. Mom is now the only sister (of four), and there is one brother (of five) still living.

In the last decade, Mom has connected two of my cousins who were interested in family history, and they each shared with their sisters. Together with Mom, they located a fifth (the very same Roxie) and a drew in a sixth cousin, and I learned about all of this with a jolt when Roxie came to Seattle for a visit last fall. She told of the cousins' work on the family tree and their annual research trip to accomplish the various searches. My brother and I were stunned to realize that we have 28 or so first cousins across the country, that there have been some family reunions, and that they have been getting to know each other.
Meeting Roxie again was the open door for me - an e-mail to Cindy and to Debbie (a cousin I didn't remember since we met as toddlers) to indicate my interest in family roots was all it took. I began receiving e-mail pieces of their extensive research, Cindy and I renewed our friendship, and I learned that Mom, two of her sisters, and one of her brothers had baby girls the same year: Debbie, Roxie, Cindy... and me. These three, with Cindy's sister, Jeanne, and Debbie's sister, Judi, along with a younger cousin, Lisa, make up (to varying degrees, as their lives allow) the search party looking for family roots. They have fun at it, having organized a sort of girl gang and referring to themselves as the Black Doggettes after the "Black Dog" gang that Cindy's dad was in when he was a teen. They wear red and black, named a Scottie dog as their mascot, and it turns out all of us are more dog people than cat people. In June, I met all but Lisa at Cindy & Jeanne's mother's house in Oklahoma. We drove from there to the town in Missouri where our maternal Grandmother was born and raised. We bonded with laughter and shared memories of our parents' stories - I'm the only one with a living parent from their family. I knew the least of all, so my trip was filled with revelations, new understanding, new old friends, questions, and surprises. By sharing what our parents had told about family events and memories, we were filling in gaps and giving more perspective, so the search is more than academic. We feel like we are building a glimpse of personalities, and the best part is doing it together. The trip culminated in an unplanned visit on my way to the airport to the town where our parents grew up. It is on Route 66, and has diminished over the years as the freeways changed the travel patterns. Our interest was less about the town and more about meeting our sole living uncle, who purchased a house and moved back to this town earlier this year. At 83, Uncle Harold is spry, determined in the restoration of his house, and has a million stories to tell. For me, meeting another of my Mom's older brothers for the first time, and having three of my cousins to introduce me, was a thrill, like living our history. Lucky me!

Building Skills

2009-06-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

My weekly Build Your Skills class at Village Yarn & Tea with Rebecca DeGaris (here, coaching Gina) is for me like membership in a club. The membership grows and the attendance shifts according to schedules of work, family, vacations, and so on - it's the thread of spirit that keeps me week after week. I joined the class when I returned to serious knitting after periodic long breaks from the skill (sport?), and my techniques have been improving ever since. The class, wonderful "fiber friends", and visiting stores and websites give me insights and inspiration - I'm in real awe of my good fortune when I stop to think about it.

So let me tell you about some members!

Joanne was in the class when I signed up in March of 2007, and she, like me, shows up for "un-knitting class" even on the weeks there are no classes scheduled. Joanne has never seen a pattern she doesn't have a great idea to alter, and she's courageous about just doing it. She teaches needle felting at Village and has a gift for charming whimsy, an eye for lively color, and the good-natured generosity to share her creative ideas with us every week. I think the colorful pullover she's working on is like looking at a Monet pond.

Charlie is a knitter for whom no project is daunting. She knitted afghans before joining the class, then her first project was the February lady sweater. It was beautifully done, and she promptly gave it to a family member who admired it. She next knit an Un-pattern top-down, long-sleeved, v-neck - she still has that one as far as I know. Now Charlie is working on a beaded lace shawl of tencel yarn in darker Monet tones. She has experimented with lifelines and markers, including some frogging to begin again, after identifying a mistake in the pattern she is making beautiful progress and we're waiting to see what she will take on next.

Gina found herself knitting dozens of hats for each student in her pre-school, so she decided to expand her knitting skills. Her first adult-size project is the February Lady sweater, and she has patiently learned to purl, count stitches, frog when there are errors, and she is working on the lace portion. When she was nervous about knitting lace, she decided to do a lace swatch. Then a lace scarf. Then the lace scarf over again. Turns out she loves knitting lace. It's going to be a lovely sweater.This serious expression hides Kathie's fun-loving and adventurous nature, and her laughter rings throughout the store frequently during class. She often brings out of stock items from the toy store where she works and gives them to Gina for her pre-school. Kathie is learning about matching patterns with yarn, and is knitting a classic T in a soft charcoal yarn, and has chosen some sock patterns to become adept on two circular needles next.Terry has been knitting Cat Bordhi socks from her own handspun yarn. The yarns are beautiful - she's quite a skilled spinner - and she likes the way the swirl of the sock design fits her tiny feet (she was previously a shoe model at Nordstrom). Terry's always up on the newest knitting accessories and is here with her travel pack. She's now working on a shimmering summer shawl knit from yarn she had in her stash - she's preparing for a trip with her husband.
Joelle is a quietly "monogamous knitter" - committed to one project at a time. She decided on her first stranded project and ended up with a beautiful Selbu modern hat - it made me want to knit one too! Recently, she's had fun knitting this beautiful baby cardigan for a new granddaughter - she chooses beautiful, elegant colors, even for babies! Marguerite has been doing a lot of traveling and recently had foot surgery, and she comes to class when she can. She likes to knit gift projects - this scarf is from cashmere yarn - she has lucky family and friends!

And me? I'll be sharing my recent creations and triumphs next time, along with the latest movies and books I've enjoyed. The yard has been taking large chunks of time, and I'm picking up my Adirondack chair today so I can sit outside with my knitting through the summer.

As for my class/club, there will be new folks coming in and some of our current members will need to take time away. The constant is the inspiration, the sharing, and the learning of new-to-us techniques and experiences.

We're so lucky to be in the Pacific Northwest where we have so many options to feed our knitting passion!

Warmth and joy

2009-04-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

The hints of spring are tantalizing after so much damp cold and grey this winter. The thrill I feel at hearing birds singing when I head out to work in the morning and the joy of seeing early and late light on the flower buds are sweet distractions from the continuing rain and still chilly temperatures.

Blooming forsythia shrubs and blossoming trees remind me of the announcement of spring at my childhood home each year. A tour around my yard shows our magnificent Magnolia tree, some volunteer flat-leaf parsley, primroses, the prolific camelia and euphorbia, pungent winter Daphne blossoms, the last of our winter crop of carrots and leeks, and the rebirth of chives from Naomi. I decided not to show any of the much-too-healthy weeds.

I feel like a spring bud right along with the flowers, shrubs and trees - full of possibilities! My mind is sparking in several catagories, from gardening, cooking and reading, to music and movies, to sewing and knitting. I'll choose a sampling:

Several of my favorite authors are releasing books this season (and hopefully will come on a book tour!). I recently met a new author: Orangette's Molly Wizenberg (A Homemade Life). I love her book, her blog and her approach to food! I baked her French Yogurt cake for Easter dessert, and we all loved its humble appeal. She is charming and thoughtful and open and has much more to share with the world, I'm guessing. Her stories inspire me to think and write about things in a new way - such a joyful perspective! And George is looking forward to pizza at her husband's new restaurant, opening next month!

Joyful is how I felt watching Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent. My co-worker, Terry, sent it to me on e-mail and it was the first thing I saw when I sat down at work one day this week. I was and continue to be completely moved by what I saw and heard from her and from the judges. While I don't know the facts of this woman's life, I've been told that she cared for her mother until her recent death, and is now in a position to reach for whatever the rest of her life holds. I hope her guardian angel will help to avoid victimization by the sort of people who would take everything from someone who trusts. I love that the world is so delighted with her talent - I know I enjoyed seeing my expectations from her behavior and physical appearance dashed. I somehow feel hopeful that people who don't wear their abilities in the world standard of beauty can still have such beauty inside, such as a voice like that.

Joyful also describes watching the scene to Julie Andrews' singing surprise in the Antwerp train station - I'd love to be present for something so unexpected and uplifting. What a gift for those lucky folks! Terry sent me this one too!

Back to authors, Alexander McCall Smith is due back in Seattle at the end of April and I'm listening to The Good Husband of Zebra Drive in anticipation of the release of the next book in that series. I'm loving The No. 1 Ladies Detectivie Agency series on HBO - it's astonishing how near it is to my imagined characterizations from reading and listening to the audiobooks. This series will certainly be added to my list of knitting movies when it is released on DVD.

And Laurie R. King's next installment in her Mary Russell series is due out on April 28: The Language of Bees. I haven't seen her scheduled in Seattle yet, but am counting on it. My friend, Claudia, called me while she was reading her first Laurie King book (The Beekeeper's Apprentice). She said that she felt terribly guilty because she was so into the book that she didn't want to sleep, eat, or talk with anyone because she didn't want to stop reading. She went on to say, "This woman is a genious!" I think so too, and every new book re-confirms that belief.

Oh, I mentioned knitting movies, didn't I? I began with a list of a dozen last November - to clarify, they are not movies ABOUT knitting, they are movies one can watch WHILE knitting. And here are my next few titles, in no particular order:

Green Card
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Bottle Shock
Girl in the Cafe
Truly, Madly, Deeply
Saint Ralph
Waitress
The Illusionist*
The Prestige*
Benny & Joon
Chocolat
The Wedding Singer

*I admit that I have not seen these two, so am trusting the guidance of my friends. I tried Penelope Cruz's Volver last weekend - with the subtitles, no knitting was going on, but it was completely worth seeing! This weekend, I have Slumdog Millionaire, The Namesake, and La Vie en Rose, so I'll let you know whether I knit successfully through them.

Adding to my sunny frame of mind is the completion of three projects in March: my Comfort&Joy socks, then George's sweater, AND Cindy's Melody's Shawl. Here, Cindy is trying it out during our outing at Molbak's. Cindy is my movie aficionado friend, so she's a good fit for today's post. She spends part of her time in Phoenix, Arizona, so she says the shawl will be the perfect accessory for evenings there and recovery from hot flashes here.

Instead of immediately going back to works in progress, I picked up my pink Knit for the Cure sock yarn and started the Nutkin sock. And frogged when the gauge resulted in a very small sock. Increased the number of stitches and tried again... still too small. So the sock is now on US0 needles, and 78 stitches around in the Twin Rib stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. This delicate Trekking Sport yarn is actually creating a hearty, hardy sock. I'm now thinking that if I'd stayed on US1 needles, it would actually look sort of lacey. But warm is good too, and I have a couple of sock yarns left to try lacey. Like over 50. But we won't talk about that right now.

George's Sweater

2009-03-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

I've talked a bit about George's sweater. I've been working on it for some time, although, in fairness, I have not concentrated all my efforts on it while also knitting a couple of wraps, my smokering and a pair of socks, and attending Madrona. Last year I was on a frantic search for the vintage Rowan DK Marl yarn in the Buttercream colorway to knit Rebecca's Sock Monkey Sweater for myself. When I found my yarn, the same seller had 15 skeins of the Fudge colorway, so I bought it to knit a sweater for George. I didn't realize his would come before mine...

Knowing I would be using Karen Alfke's Unpattern with raglan sleeves, I measured George's favorite Pendleton sweater as the example, and measured some parts of him because of the sweater's extra long arms and body length (he buys XL in order to fit body builder shoulders and arms). My swatch provided the gauge for back and forth knitting on US5 down to the front center until I switched to knitting in the round, then the sweater became a swatch (in other words, a period of knitting and re-knitting) until I identified that I had to go up two needle sizes to US7 in order to have the same gauge.

The neckline was the big unknown because he doesn't like his neck to feel confined in any way. I had always planned a shawl collar of some sort, and wasn't clear in my mind about the look I wanted. I was absolutely clear that I didn't want the standard pick up around the neck and knit out with a rib stitch. I didn't want that horizontal look for this sweater. (George said he didn't care, he just wanted it finished.)

I considered a shawl collar squared like a wide henley in the center front, or in a V, then ultimately decided on a combination with a 16 stitch bridge across the bottom of the V. That enabled me to finish the body of the sweater and think about the collar later. I looked at books, patterns, photos, and finally saw what I wanted in my own wardrobe - a sweatshirt from Target had the collar idea I was after! I also saw the look I wanted in several of Elsebeth Lavold's designs at the Nordic Heritage Museum, and as luck would have it, in a book I have of her designs. Next was how to do it. I enlisted guidance from skilled friends; showing them my dilemma and hearing something about short rows.

I was focused on wanting to pick up the neckline as I knit the collar, and hadn't really taken the issue of fullness around the neck into account. I finally picked up the first 16 stitches and began to knit. I tried a couple of different stitches and settled quickly on the 2x2 rib to echo the purl darts at the bottom edge. Picking up the neckline 1 for 1 gave the look I wanted but was v-e-r-y s-l-o-w and tedious, so I decided to pick up the 16 stitches then knit the entire collar separately to sew in afterwards. Experiments (I knit and tore out the collar beginning at least a dozen times) with how often to increase led me to settle on 1 stitch every other row, a make-one two stitches in from the neckline. After having an "aha" moment of realization about how shortrows could be used (I, and everyone who talked with me about them, didn't realize how vague my understanding of shortrows was), then getting a look at a diagram of how to plan shortrow fullness in Principles of Knitting, I finally used some graph paper and inserted a long and short shortrow every 8 rows. I like the finished collar even better than I had planned, and George is thrilled.

Although I still have the finishing to do: the final 12 inches of collar to knit, sewing it in, the grafting to do in the center back, and the blocking, I'm already mentally reviewing the entire project. My afterthoughts on this sweater are that I clearly have some design impulses, and my inclination is not to draw things out. I balk at documenting the steps I've taken with this sweater, yet this is a collar design I believe I will want to use again. Since my memory can be limited about some things, it's worth changing my habits. The good news is that I have not settled for less, and have stubbornly waited (trying George's patience terribly) until the look and construction are what I envisioned. Especially good is that I have the resources, not only in print, but in talented, creative and exacting friends who are patient enough to nudge me through new-to-me steps of the design process.

Afterglow...

2009-03-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last month was the second time I attended the Madrona Fiber fest - on the 10th anniversary of the event - and I'm still enjoying the aftereffects of new confidence and inspiration. Hearing Suzanne and Cornie reminisce and get misty about the early days was a treat and I felt somehow included by hearing the stories, even though I missed the first eight years when I wasn't knitting much. I can imagine the struggle to keep the size of the retreat manageable even while they strive to include as many knitters as want to be there, and am thankful that it is such an accessible feast of talent, fiber, meeting places, and old and new friends. I know I'm lucky to have been there!

There are several keys to the maximum enjoyment for me, the first, being able to spend as much time as possible with my knitting circle of friends, second, taking the entire weekend, from Wednesday evening to Sunday to bask in every aspect of knitting, and third to just be with so many intrepid souls who take the time and put in the effort to learn and try new things in the fiber world.

Naomi thought to ask for the two rooms with seven people (Naomi, Ellen, Jen and Amy with Melinda, Joni O and me next door) to adjoin, so the knitting energy filled the air even after classes, shopping and the evening events. We ate some wonderful food and the restaurants welcomed the knitters. It was fun to see spinning wheels, knitting bags and market purchases going up and down the elevators. Here are Naomi and Amy, sort of letting me photograph them knitting, and Jen in her own cardigan design knit with Kauni yarn.

My favorite elevator moment was when I was in an elevator with Vivian Hoxbro and another woman entered and said to Vivian "Oh, is that a Vivian Hoxbro sweater?" Vivian graciously answered that it was and the woman suddenly looked at her face and said "Of course it is - I didn't even see who you were because I was looking at the wonderful sweater!" And we all had a laugh because that's how it is! Many of us were looking at the sweaters before seeing the wearer. And what sweaters there were! I don't know every design (yet!), but admired many February Lady sweaters in all variations of detail and yarns, Kaunis, several of the Solveig Wild Apples and all manner of socks, shawls, scarves, bags... well, you get the idea.

Once again, sitting outside the Marketplace to knit brought opportunities to talk with folks. Rebecca came down on Saturday with her spinning wheel, and two Village Build Your Skills class members (Charlie and Randi) stopped in to shop. I went to Janine's Fair Isle reunion and was inspired by ideas and swatches from more of her color analysis students to start another stranded project. Naomi helped me get started on the lace border of a smokering knit from the beautiful qiviut-merino yarn she gifted me - I didn't really talk much while I concentrated on the lace pattern.

I was fortunate to take Borders and Buttonholes from Sally Melville, Express Knitting from Stephanie McPhee, and Mittens from Ruth Sorenson. As with last year, while I didn't apply the knowledge immediately, I have now had occasion to apply ideas and techniques to what I'm working on. Rebecca took me to talk with Karen Alfke and ultimately show her the progress on the Un-pattern top-down sweater I'm knitting for George, and to discuss my challenge with the type of shawl collar I want to design. She graciously offered to assist, and I felt the delicious generosity of being around knitters.

And, speaking of Ruth, I was thrilled to host her last night in the US on this trip when she had an overnight layover from New Mexico before returning to Denmark. We watched Mama Mia! while knitting, then saw the Elsebeth Lavold exhibit at the Nordic Heritage Museum and stopped at Uwajimaya before heading out to the airport. She's a joy to spend time with - I loved hearing her speak Danish to Maverick, and he understood every word!

Although I really don't want to rush winter on this first day of spring, next year's Madrona Fiber Fest can't arrive soon enough!

January and Knitting

2009-02-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

January is already over. I spent some time reflecting on 2008 while working through some things and suddenly it's February. The economy and national politics invite hopes and fears for the year and farther into the future. I have been answering the tax infolines at my workplace, so have had some first-hand contact with the pain the economy is bringing. I've also listened to much hopefulness due to the changes in the White House. I believe that the changes needed are much bigger than people of this nation are willing to make - most believe others need to change what THEY are doing. Many issues are so emotionally charged that they don't seem able to look at a larger scope; things like the environment take a back seat to human "quality of life", the definition of which varies by individual. And I'm fascinated by the media manipulation of our collective emotions.

While I'm doing my best to pay attention to our nation and world, I know the things I can impact are on a much smaller scale. Which means I can support my friend, Kellie, who has learned to knit while recovering from her breast cancer surgery. Which means I can be inspired that we are one month closer to spring, Valentine's Day, George's upcoming races, and our MADRONA FIBER RETREAT!

I have been facing my knitting challenges. I decided to frog my Comfort & Joy socks back to the beginning of the gusset and use the other end of my ball to introduce a different distribution of color. It was better, but still not what I was looking for, then was compounded by the "seam" which I foolishly placed right in the middle of the heel. I didn't realize it would be so dense, and is bound to be uncomfortable. So, I decided to do what Melinda, Naomi, and Ellen had suggested in the first place, and learn the short row heel. I am now armed with Simple Socks - Plain and Fancy and Melinda's tutorial, so I hope to report success in learning and execution soon.

My second Melody's Shawl was completed this month, from Plucky Knitter's silk-merino in her lovely soft red. I was just over half complete on size 9 needles when I decided I wanted a tighter fabric, so I frogged the entire thing and began again with size 7 needles since I am such a loose knitter. It was immediately so much better that I bought a second skein of the same yarn in blue, and will make yet another one. The tense moments were unraveling and cutting the fringe - it's just amazing to me that it doesn't unravel completely.

I delivered it to Mom last week when she came in from Bainbridge Island to have lunch with me. She isn't certain how to wear a wrap or a shawl and felt a little silly modeling for me in a downtown building, but she's willing to try. She noticed the warmth right away while I was taking the photos - I think she'll find what many of us have found - a lightweight, luxurious way to keep warm.

Here's the swatch for George's Rowan DK Marl sweater using Karen Alfke's topdown Un-Pattern. I was thrilled last year at this time to have found the vintage yarn on e-bay for my own Sock Monkey sweater by Rebecca, and purchased from the same seller enough of that yarn in the Fudge colorway for me to knit something for George. He wants a pullover with a high shawl collar neck - while he can't stand to have anything close around his neck, he also doesn't want a low neck. My challenges have been planning that neckline and anticipating the change in my gauge when I switched from back and forth to in-the-round knitting. I didn't swatch for that, so I have another little learning experience under my belt. I'm now on track after about four frogging sessions, and have gone down two needle sizes to match the gauge. This yarn makes a beautiful fabric - and George is very appreciative of the effort since he's witnessed so much re-knitting.

All Aboard!

2009-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize those words could bring such a thrill of anticipation until we were on Amtrak's Coast Starlight for our Christmas adventure. The conductor calling with the age-old cadence brought back memories of traveling from Iowa to Seattle with my grandmother when I was 5 and my family first moved here... Our destination on December 22 was Oceanside, California, and we expected to be about 38 hours en route, including a train change in Los Angeles. However, snow affects many things, and the delays on our route south gave us an extra 22+ hours to experience our first long train trip. We stayed fairly philosophical, remembering that many flights at the airport were outright canceled, and at least we were progressing south. We had a "roomette" with cozy privacy of two wide seats facing each other, our own heat and lighting controls, meals included, and the seats became one bed at night with a second lowering into place bunk-bed style. The food and the relaxation were quite preferable to air travel - sitting at a dining table chatting with other riders while we ate was interesting and varied, and the scenery is incomparable. We napped, talked, read, George watched a movie on his portable DVD player, and I knitted.

The train staff began to refer to our trip as Murphy's train since nearly everything that could delay progress seemed to do so. Initially, there was a power outage on the train, so we got out of Seattle about 4 hours late. Then there were, of course, frozen switches; a tree on the track that caused the need for an engine change in Portland, then the power was out again (3 hour delay); the engineer and conductor twice ran out on their 12 hour federal work hours limit, so the train was literally stopped where it was (3+ hour delay the first time, right in the Cascades) while new staff were brought in. We stopped further in the Cascades to pick up two stranded crews (photo at left is one set) from freight trains frozen in the snow, and later waited while another set of engineer and conductor were in traffic behind a major freeway traffic crash. On the third day, the train staff members who were not being relieved (the car attendants and the food servers) were showing their fatigue, having only slept minimally since leaving Los Angeles 5 days before. They still managed to do their jobs with courtesy and a sense of humor; we heard that our long trip was covered on CNN and joked about by Jay Leno. Still, we only saw one example of a passenger taking out frustration on the train staff. I think the people who choose to travel by train are ready to relax and enjoy themselves and maybe since they've already chosen the unhurried method, are not quite so stressed as those who pursue the quick way then are upset when it is slower than expected, or fails completely. Our return trip was delayed by only 15 minutes, and picking up the luggage was nearly no time at all. Anyway, we had a great time, a good visit with George's family, and we expect to travel by train whenever we can. As George said, when you travel by train, you're on vacation the minute you step on board - a refreshing change from air travel!

Snowbound for the Holidays!

2008-12-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a slanted image of George and Maverick across the street from our house and a rather blurry view of our front yard. While I love to think we are snowbound in the snug, warm and cozy sense, we have been able to get where we need to go. George got a terrible cold last week, and mine followed this week (although mine is less intense and shorter lived than his) so we really aren't going out sledding and truly enjoying the snow. I love that it is not Seattle's usual wet, heavy snow, but lovely powdery snow and frozen dry air.

I was feeling stressed and not interested in putting up a Christmas tree until George took a day off last week to help. We got a smaller tree than usual and I got the lights on it - no pressure to see if we feel like decorating further. We switched to using LED lights outside, and we're very pleased with how festive they look - the snow just adds to the holiday feeling.

Gift knitting has gone fairly well this year, although I chose to knit a couple of larger projects that meant I knitted fewer gift items. I have some 3rd and 4th quarter knitting to share!

Our Build Your Skills class KAL of the February Lady cardigan was so much fun - Village is beginning one on January 1, 2009! I am especially pleased with mine after finally finding the right buttons (I finished the sweater at least six weeks before I was happy with buttons for it). I have been justly described as something of a button nut after trying over a dozen different buttons for this cardigan, but I really believe the right ones were finally found! Okay, there is other evidence of button nuttiness in the shopping bag of buttons from the Beppa Button Sale... but I'm sure to be ready next time I'm looking for just the right button for a yarn or fabric!

I hope to include photos of other February Ladies from class; we have had an inspiring variety of colors and style points. Mine has bracelet length sleeves and I delayed the decrease to the final row before the garter cuff, and the length of the body is just below my hip bone. It's a surprisingly warm sweater!

Next, I was inspired by Melinda to knit the Shaped Lace Tee from Kn i tting Lingerie Style. Although getting gauge was a challenge since I chose Cascade's Pima-Tencel instead of the specified 100% cotton yarn, the texture of this knitted product is sort of dreamy. It was my first project with my new Harmony interchangeable circular needle set from Knitpicks, and I love how the wood needles complement the yarn color. I stopped 3/4 of the way up the back to begin Christmas gift knitting, and am excited to get back to it in January.

During one of our BYS classes, each member brought stash yarns we don't know what to do with. The recommendations were inspired by Rebecca and by each other - one of mine became the Twilight Lace Wrap for my friend, Cheryl. It's not really lace, but it did give me a sort of lace lesson in reading the pattern and the stitches as it progressed, as well as beginning with the provisional cast-on and picking it up to finish the other direction. AND it was my first time blocking with wires having to catch each lace point for the border - Emily helped me lay it out. Next time I would go up in needle size, as I don't think the "stars" really show up enough. This is another example of fabric with holes being warmer than one might expect.

I was inspired by Amy's Melody's Shawl from Moorehouse Farms, so George came to Village with me and bought JoJoLand cashmere to knit one for his mother. It was a dream to knit with, and the gauzy results are everything I was hoping for. I used 3 oz since his mom is petite; the final measurement after blocking is 18" x 78" exclusive of the fringe. I want to knit one for myself. The best part is when people reach out to touch it and "oooh!" of surprise at the luxurious softness. My own mother is allergic to many fibers, so I'm using Plucky Knitter's Silk-Merino in red to knit the same wrap for her. Since Amy used the same Plucky yarn, I'm hoping my mom's will be as beautiful as hers!

I surprised myself by deciding to knit a scarf for my brother. He recently bought a bright yellow sports car and I've noticed his style of dress has stepped up a notch. I chose Karen Alfke's Linen stitch scarf, which was supposed to be from three different scrap yarns... but of course I had to get him just the right colors. The linen stitch takes time to knit, but the results are so elegant, and I hope he'll enjoy it. At least we're having the right weather for him to wear it.

Last week I completed a new Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my friend, Jennifer. The book was a gift from her last year, and as we looked through it together, the scarf was something she liked a lot. I struggled to find a good pairing for the Koigu yarn in my stash, and wasn't at all certain about what I'd found at Weaving Works until I began knitting. I think the finished product is very pleasing, and will be perfect for Jennifer.

Finally, I decided to try the Purl-less Monkey socks from the Dragon Fibers Comfort & Joy yarn I bought last year. I LOVE how the hand-painted yarn makes them look like a candy cane... then I turned the heel found that I have a pooling situation. There are those who say that it looks cool - it shows that the socks are handmade, and it does look like a candy cane after part of the stripes were licked off... I want to like it this way because I don't really want to frog all the way back to before the heel, but I haven't felt like knitting another row since trying them on. I've never done a short row heel and am thinking this is what this project may be meant to teach me. So, I'm thinking that the new Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn book may be a future purchase, and I'm likely to be frogging first thing in 2009...

Six weeks or more...

2008-11-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? I drafted this post some time ago, and when I got back to it, at least six weeks have gone by! I do have knitting progress to report, and other thoughts as well... I'll start with these items and catch up in the next (soon!) post.

At my Build Your Skills class with Rebecca at Village Yarn & Tea, and in other knitting conversations, we have had several discussions about movies to watch while knitting. We have discussed criteria such as:

no crying on the knitting in progress
doesn't require complete attention (knitting, after all, is the first priority)
maybe not too intense (could change yarn tension)
see the movie ahead of time to be sure it fits criteria
and so on.

As far as movies themselves, I've been keeping a list as people have suggested them. Here's the first dozen:

Pride and Prejudice
Persuasion
Sense and Sensibility
Emma
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abbey (my least favorite, but I liked PBS' latest production)
Jane Eyre
Miss Potter
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
The Jane Austen Book Club
Becoming Jane
Ever After

My DVD library has at least two productions of each Jane Austen, and I admit to having my favorites. These never get old for me. Sometimes you can even spot a detail, color, or style to inspire your knitting.

In October, I was thrilled to be able to help my sister-in-law, Gail, give my 15 year old niece, Emily, a knitting birthday party. Gail provided each girl with a pair of knitting needles and a skein of Cascade 220 - and had a beautiful array of colors for them to choose from. I provided a choice of a hat or a scarf pattern and knitted a sample of each for trying on at the party. Naomi and Melinda agreed to assist with knitting knowledge and inspiration and the five young guests arrived full of chat and fun that was a joy to see. Nearly all had some level of knitting experience, as well as interest, and they all gamely cast on (with some help and three different techniques) and began to knit. At least two hadn't yet learned to purl, so we showed them how. And most did not have much confidence in their skill, even when they were not making any errors. Once all were knitting, Emily asked her mom to put in the Ever After DVD, Gail served the popcorn, and the knitting experience echoed what we've been talking about at my class. Here I am with Emily - we're modeling the hat and scarf samples. When the parents began to arrive to pick up the girls, they each departed reluctantly with final instructions about how to finish. I hope they will find the community in knitting that I enjoy so much!

Since then, Emily has finished her green hat and two more. She reports that at least one friend has finished after Emily answered her question about casting off. Emily has now excitedly knit her gauge swatches and begun socks of lovely soft yarn gifted to her by Naomi. Emily came to my house on Veteran's Day since she had the day off and her parents were both working; she brought her knitting and the newest version of Persuasion. Emily wound balls of yarn (she loves the swift and ball winder - she would have wound my entire stash if I had let her), we blocked a lace wrap I had completed, and watched Persuasion. Neither of us were ready to stop by the time her Dad arrived to pick her up.

Indian Summer

2008-10-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

There's no place like Seattle when the weather is beautiful, and this last week we had several unseasonably warm and dry days. We spent most of our weekend outdoors - between the yard and the local farmer's market. We're getting our last gasp harvests of red and golden raspberries, beans, tomatoes and zuccini (the basket shows some of the veggies), and just beginning to get our carrots and leeks. So we supplimented our supply at the market before coming home to finish the trimming and get to some of the weeding. The only problem with weekends is having to decide which projects to tackle and which will wait.

I've been working on my Weasley Wizard Wheezes socks (the Harry Potter collection yarn from Sunshine Yarns). The socks are just simple 4x2 ribbed socks on size 0 needles, and I'm already loving them. They look exactly Weasley to me, and they are so vibrant and bright - more exciting than what I usually choose. I'll probably wear them all the time and wear them out!

My niece, Emily is 15 years tomorrow. For her birthday, I knit the charming short sleeved cardigan (Design 26) from Noro's Designer Mini-Knits book. Ellen had knit it in August and I just loved it - then realized that I had some vintage stash yarn that would get the right gauge. I was afraid the design was too youthful for me, so Emily is the recipient. The pattern is great for uncertain knitters; the instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the result is as lovely as the photo in the book. The yarn is Paton's Townsend - the color reminds me of Greece, so I loved using the symbolic buttons - the blue-green combination is more beautiful than the photo indicates. Emily loved it and it looks adorable on her. Since I still have a couple of balls, I'll be able to use the yarn for a scarf or hat too. My offer of a Knitting Birthday Party for Emily and her friends was accepted, so on October 11, Naomi, Melinda and I will be coaching them through their choice of a scarf or a hat using yarn provided by Emily's mom, Gail. One of Emily's friends had a birthday party where the girls were provided with first knitting needles and learned to knit, so we are hoping to continue them on the path. I'll be knitting the samples this week so they can see the finished garment.

Into Fall

2008-09-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

I took a week of vacation in August, and the cool, damp weather meant that although I had planned to paint the trim of our house, it did not get done. Instead, I gardened and spent time laying flagstones around our pond. Flagstones are HEAVY! And they're even heavier when using the thicker stones preferred when one is not cementing them in place. It's very hard work, even without having to puzzle them together, and I'm getting great satisfaction from each finished section. This photo from one area near the pond that shows Maverick checking my work - I still have the adjacent path to complete.

All summer I looked forward to our wonderful knitting retreat weekend at Naomi's Bangrila. George had a motocross race that weekend, so we took the dogs to PetsHotel in Woodinville and were all able to completely relax. Naomi is famous among her friends for being a wonderful hostess, and the weekend was no exception. The guests (Melinda, Joni, Ellen, Amy and Sarah), were also inspiring to be with, it was beautiful weather, the setting was idyllic, everyone pitched in on everything, and I relaxed to a whole new level. I can only add that I loved meeting Plucky Knitter Sarah - she is so positive and sweet! Being around her - well around any and all of these fiber women - was uplifting. I can't say enough about Naomi's generosity in sharing the time and place with us. I am so lucky to have been a part!
While there, I finished my first Monkey sock, complete with my first ever picot cuff! I completed the second one in short order since they were to be a birthday gift for my longtime friend, Pam. I gave them to her without getting a photo, but here's the yarn; Jitterbug in the Tapis color. I was panicked about running out of yarn, but had 3/8 of an ounce left over. Phew. Pam has knit many socks, including a pair for me, but she doesn't like to follow patterns, so she was impressed, and that's all it takes for gift knitting to be worthwhile.

September 2nd brought George's younger son, Jon, to Bremerton on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. Jon is an Engineman in the Navy, and his ship arrived to be decommissioned so he was in Bremerton for just over two weeks, although he was not on leave. We saw him three times, and he managed to see most of his friends. The Navy has been good for him, and he's doing well. His hard work is recognized and he has been promoted quickly so far. He is stationed in Japan and is now back in Tokyo before joining his new ship, the George Washington Carver.

If you remember my Cotton Jeans Lynton cardigan, I was prepared to settle for the large mother-of-pearl button shown in a previous post. Then I found a button at Pacific Fabrics... then two more from As Cute As a Button. They are each perfect in their own way - see what you think! The button loop is round elastic covered with splits of the Cotton Jeans yarn using the tailor tack technique from my sewing background. It works great and I love wearing the sweater.

Summer's End

2008-09-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

A lot of living has happened since my last post. Including knitting, of course, yet I feel like summer activities (whether or not summer weather is actually occurring) sort of crowd out my year 'round passions. So today is the first day of fall and one of my goals is to update more frequently rather than long, infrequent posts.

In July my 23 year old niece, Meagan, visited from Georgia and spent a week in the Seattle area. She brought Mariah, the six year old girl she has been raising (long, complicated story) and we picked them up at the ferry at the end of their week to take them to their final tourist choices: the Space Needle and the Fremont Troll. Then we returned to our house and the rest of my family arrived to visit with her. We barbequed, devilled eggs, ate fresh corn on the cob, and got to know her a little bit again. After dinner, the girls gathered to watch Ever After on DVD, a little like a slumber party. The visit was all too short before she was gone again. Her family moved to Georgia when she was in her early teens, and we've been missing them all ever since.

On August 16 and 17th, we hired a painter to spray the exterior of our house and we followed behind him with brushes. It was one of the few hot weekends, so we actually couldn't paint after noon or so. And on that Saturday, Kathy from Paws & Claws brought a 3 year old boxer mix to meet Maverick and us. George and I had been talking about a companion dog for Maverick, and I saw this girl dog on Petfinders, e-mailed them, and George arranged the meet. The dog is a sort of pushy girl, with no known history prior to turning up stray in Puyallup in June. She came in the gate ready to dominate Maverick. If I had known what I now know (that the dominant behavior is so prevalent for her), I don't think we would have even decided to try her out. She is the pup on the right - this was her first day here. We have now had her for five weeks, through running away (which turns out to be running after cats and squirrels), through getting on our bed, sofa, and recliner, through eating butter off the dining room table, through shrill barking when we give Maverick attention, through chewing through multiple Tupperware containers to eat ALL of the chocolate chips and nuts, and of course, the $500 emergency vet visit for the chocolate toxicity.

We have been hopeful of training her out of the behaviors we don't like. She does well at Obedience I training at Positive Dog in Woodinville. She still wants to dominate Maverick, although we are working hard to be alphas who correct some of the behaviors. We just don't know if Maverick is miserable or if this is a good thing for him, and although Paws & Claws has offered a consult with an animal behaviorist from the beginning, we didn't accept until last week when George reached his limit. Our first appointment with the behaviorist from Bark Busters is on Saturday, so I'll update the situation as it changes!

Healthy again!

2008-07-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Whoever said "if you have your health, you have everything" was very wise. Having my occasional small injury helps me to remember that there are many among us living with serious health issues that impact much more than being able to knit. I'm so thankful to have lived this long with such good health that small things can throw me completely off my game for awhile. I am, however, back in action. I spent hours sewing up and sewing in ends on my Lynton sweater and was able to block it on Sunday - I wet blocked it and it was still damp yesterday when I wore it to class. Sewing in the ends presented more of a challenge than usual with the tight gauge of the sweater so I split the yarn and doubled the number of ends to be sewn in. Sigh. The perfect large blue button has not yet presented itself, so I'm planning to use the large, white, mother of pearl button until a better choice appears.

At the same time, I have completed my first Regia sock and have completed most of the ribbed cuff on the second; this is the smallest yarn I have knit with yet. I love the colors and self striping just keeps me motivated to see the next color. Over and over again, like it's new each time. Simple pleasures are something knitters know about. If you look carefully, you can see a ripe raspberry in the photo - we've had a bumper crop this year!

In this session of Rebecca's Build Your Skills class at Village Yarn & Tea we suddenly blossomed to a larger number and many of us decided to knit the February Lady sweater. Besides enjoying knitting another top-down so I don't have to sew on the sleeves, I'm loving knitting the same pattern with several people. It's fun to see how the different yarns make the same sweater, how different buttonhole techniques make for a different finish, different buttons, different number of buttons, or none at all, and how different people approach their projects. For example, we used all different cast-ons. I decided to do the German twisted or German long-tail cast on for extra give. I like the way it's looking and feeling so far. On the 5th row is the first buttonhole, and some people went with the online choice recommended in the pattern while others went with the buttonhole in Meg Swanson's Sweaters from Camp. I am behind since I've been concentrating on finishing my Lynton, so I used my swatch to try the technique recommended for garter stitch in Margaret Radcliffe's Knitting Answer Book. I like the results (I don't know how well the buttonhole shows up in the photo), and found that I want to insert the buttonhole while knitting RS (right side), which means I needed to deviate from the instructions in order for the buttonhole to be on my right (as opposed to left) side. All of this is elemental for most of my knitting friends, but requires planning for me! My yarn is Debbie Bliss' Rialto Aran, and I love the knitted texture and the loft as I knit. An added benefit is that I'm knitting with size 7 needles and getting gauge when I usually have to go down at least two needle sizes.

Elaine is at left with her striped top-down cardigan - not the February Lady, but her own very classy design and colors. Joanne is using navy blue Lamb's Pride for February Lady, although she decided to set it aside to complete her Peace Fleece cardigan which is shown to the right. She always adds her own touch to her knitted creations, so she has changed the sleeves from drop to set-in and added a green accent design. Gail and Danita are using Cascade 220 in a periwinkle marl and dark teal respectively; Gail is shown to the right, frogging back to improve her last buttonhole. Peggy, on the left, has completed the yoke and is using a light olive green (it might also be Cascade 220) and Rebecca is already into the lace, using a reclaimed yarn she dyed a lovely soft rose.

Besides class, Village Yarn & Tea held a farewell party for Ellen (here on the right with Naomi and Amy), who is leaving at the end of the month. I will miss her willing spirit, amazing knitting ability and speed, as well as her smiling assistance with yarn and all knitterly things. At the same time, I know she will never be sorry she is choosing to dedicate herself to her family and working on her home and garden. I know I'll be seeing her at Stitch'n'Pitch where she gets to be a "civilian" for the first time, and I hope to see her at Ferals and other knitting events! Congratulations, Ellen!

We're heading into our busy season at home. George scraped and pressure washed the entire exterior of the house in preparation for painting. He found a painter who will work with us at an hourly rate so we can have his expertise and equipment, but we can help. I like to do the detail work like trim, and I'm looking forward to taking vacation time to putter. George expects to finally return to work healthy next week if he gets the doctor's release at his next appointment. And we're expecting my niece from Georgia overnight on Saturday in addition to a family BBQ and on Sunday, a surprise 50th birthday party. That leaves today, Friday, for a dash to the big Bellevue Arts & Crafts show, since it's an annual tradition. However, after walking around the yard with the dog in the sunshine this morning, the tension of a busy schedule just kind of began to diffuse, and I wonder why I can't just wait until next year.

And besides, the Anacortes Arts Show is only a week away...

Two steps forward, one step back

2008-07-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

July 4th was different for us this year - George was at home for the first time in many years (more about that later), and we were invited to a BBQ at Cindy and Alex's house; they are fun, good friends, and Maverick was welcome to come with us. Here's a photo of Maverick's Corgi friend, Darby, showing her patriotism by wearing the Statue of Liberty hat after dinner and before the fireworks. We also decided, for the first time, to sedate Maverick. Our poor hound gets so frantic during fireworks that he paces, whines, and can't settle down at all - if he weren't with us, he would certainly be a candidate to become a wild-eyed runaway dog. There's no telling what he was thinking after we gave him the meds, but he was able to just sleep through most of the pops and booms this year. So we all slept better than in years past.

The following day, Maverick was in the back yard when he got a visit from a dog which looked very much like him. She was the same coloring and slightly smaller, but very thin and due to the shape of her face, she was likely a boxer-pitbull mix. She jumped the fence and ran with Maverick for awhile - she appeared to be well cared for, so we're guessing she may have escaped during the fireworks. We fed her, watered her and called for Animal Control to see if she was micro-chipped, but they weren't going to be open again until Tuesday!!! We couldn't keep her, and she didn't stick around... we truly hope she has reunited with her owners.

All the pieces for my Lynton sweater are complete. The shoulders are seamed, the front pieces are bordered, and the collar has been picked up and knitted about 3cm into the ribbing. I panicked and bought more yarn, and now it doesn't appear that I will need the extra, although with the size of this collar and the fact that it is ribbed, I'll withold judgement until completion. I'm loving this sweater and can't wait to finish it. Cotton Jeans is beautiful yarn and I love the Blue Wash color I chose as well as the lovely texture it has with this gauge (sorry the photo contrast isn't great - I'll do better with the finished piece). I'm dreading all the sewing in of ends - it's never fun, and even worse with cotton yarn, but a small price to pay (I'm telling myself). I can barely stand to wait to wear it.

So why am I on the computer instead of knitting, you might ask? My left shoulder has a hot thread of pain running through it, and it increases immensely when I pick up my needles. I'm not sure whether I did something else, or whether I'm just stressed when I knit because I'm working hard to keep a tight gauge on the Lynton. I went to sleep in pain last night and have been popping ibuprofen all day. I have a massage scheduled for Saturday, and may need to move it up. So I'm giving it a rest and not knitting tonight. And I don't really need to say how hard that is, do I?

George always works the 4th of July at Gasworks Park. It's one of those days that every officer works, either on duty at regular pay, or overtime at holiday pay, and George looks forward to it each year. On July 2nd, the day after my previous post, George was injured while attempting to stop a suspect running from another police officer through a retail store. The suspect was running all out and George was off to one side and could not get a grip on the man; the force instead tumbled George into a clothing rack where his knee landed sideways on the foot of the rack. Thanks to a citizen, the man was stopped and George and the first officer were able to take the suspect into custody. George was taken to emergency where doctors told him some deep bruising had taken place, but they are hoping there are no tears to the ligaments. George also has some bruising at his ribcage and a large bluish toe from the incident. And he is back at home, trying to heal up to get back to work and back to his motocross racing. He's been told that he will be at home for at least a week, but he is not healing as quickly as he had hoped and will now miss the motocross race this weekend so will wait a month before he can race again. The good news is that the suspect did not attempt to use a weapon, so the injury is not life-threatening. And the other good news is that his recovery from surgery is complete, as no pain is coming from those areas.

So, we're making progress, a little bit at a time! And we are enjoying this warmer weather!

Must we mix dirt and yarn?

2008-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

See this smile? This is what recovery from a "big deal" surgery looks like at my house! George raced motocross when he was a teenager, and he has never forgotten the fun he had. So he now has a number of vintage motorcycles to race in the dirt with other enthusiasts and while they have a wonderful time in all kinds of weather, George says he has the most fun when I come along.

So I did this past weekend, to Washougal, WA. The track there is great for the riders, and has a number of places where I can enjoy another of my hobbies and get some nice shots of jumps and landings.

This is one of George's favorite images of himself, landing on a tabletop jump. He did not race as many "motos" as he usually would since he is still building his endurance, but he says he made a pass that was worth the entire trip.

I expected to be able to watch most of the races from a chair or bleachers with Maverick next to me and knitting in my hands. Except for the excessive heat and dust, and on Saturday, the wind... The sun-block served as a semi-permanent base for the dirt, and I just tried not to think about all the places the dust was infiltrating. NOT my knitting though - I only got it out when I was safely cleaned up in the evenings.

We spent a nice weekend among many kind people who are more interested in fun and having a good race than winning. I always witness much sharing of parts and expertise (like knitting, don't you think?) just to get that old bike out on the track, and it's fun to see the nostalgia and respect for the origins of the sport (also like knitting). I improved my technique for action photos and am now lusting after a longer telephoto lens to get those closer up shots without risking my life. While it's not a sport I would have chosen due to the petroleum and environmental perspective, the fact that it's George's joy has given me reason to find the good things in that community. And I have!

A variety of distractions

2008-06-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

We're finally going to have a HOT weekend in the 80's, maybe approaching 90 degrees! OK, hot for Seattle. We've been working in the yard, planting vegetables, weeding, and hoping the weather will be better soon. The peonies take full advantage of the sun and defy the chilly air - I love the powder-puff appearance and wonderful fragrance. I've been hearing we won't get many vegetables because of the delay of warmth and sunshine - we have been picking and eating our pineapple strawberries, and our climbing rose is blooming like crazy, but the produce is still small - the growth looks more like early May than the end of June.

I've been wanting to have a outdoor work space for a couple of years, and finally found room on the side of our house. We took a trip out to Marenako's last Saturday and shoveled 600 lbs of 3/8" and 3/4" crushed granite into the back of the truck. The larger went on the path around the vegetable garden, and the smaller went to create a "floor" for my potting area and hutch. While George worked on his motorcycles, I weeded, sorted rocks, raked, put down landscapers' cloth, shoveled the gravel into the wheelbarrow, then spread it. I was stiff for a couple of days afterward, and it was completely worth it. And you can see that Maverick was enjoying it with me.

The past few weeks have challenged me in a several areas, most important was that back in May, George had an injury involving pain and numbness in his right arm. He thought it was a pulled muscle, then a pinched nerve, then, after staying home on pain pills for a couple of weeks, he and his neurosurgeon decided he needed to have surgery at the C7 vertebra in his neck to enlarge the hole (framen?) through which the nerves travel (I, of course, may not remember the actual medical terms). The decision was made on the Friday of the LYS tour, and the surgery was on Monday.

So it was an interesting weekend... George talked about the surgery in a sort of blithe manner, and it wasn't until I actually said to him "This is a BIG DEAL." and he answered, "No Shit!" that the gravity was acknowledged between us. Fortunately, he has a very skilled neurosurgeon, and the doctor's first words to me after the surgery were: "He has a really big neck! And he came through very well." George was in the hospital for only about 26 hours. He began to feel better almost immediately, although he stayed on the pain pills for around two weeks. He finally stopped taking them due to his inability to sleep while under their effects. I got some first-hand experience in how taking pain meds long term can affect a person's behavior, and was very glad when he stopped. He went back to work on light duty for nearly two weeks doing data entry, then was so bored that he felt strong enough to return to regular duty this week. He's been much happier and very fortunate to be whole again, and having his first motocross race since the injury coming up this weekend is icing on the cake.

The above mentioned LYS tour was fun this year - I made it to only a few stores, but enjoyed them all. I began on Thursday with So Much Yarn and Hilltop Yarn Queen Anne, then went to Village Yarn and Tea in the evening for my class. On Friday, George and I stopped at Weaving Works on our way downtown for an errand, then went to Mill Creek for dinner so I could go to Main Street Yarn, then on Saturday, I visited my parents on Bainbridge Island since I was determined to go to Churchmouse Yarns & Tea. Upon my return from the ferry, George took me on his motorcycle to Acorn Street and Tricoter. OK, it was more than a few stores. I will post photos of my treasures as I knit the charming patterns from each store. I didn't go to any more shops on Sunday, because I was unable to walk out of any previous store without making a purchase, and because I wanted to spend that time with George. It was finally a nice day, so we worked in the yard and were able to relax a bit.

My attention was also on Naomi's retirement from the City. Her office was one floor above mine, and although our schedules meant that we saw little of each other at work, I liked knowing that she was nearby. My dear friend is responsible for drawing me back to knitting, and I have such amazing companionship and joy in the time I have spent with her as well as my newfound fiber friends. I didn't listen to her request for no retirement gifts since I had already ordered and received the custom Seattle Mariner Socks that Rock yarn from Tricoter, and decided to knit her the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts she mentioned in her blog (I knitted a 36 stitch width instead of the 48 stitch for a longer, narrower scarf). Amy set up the photo for me - Blue Moon's lightweight yarns are just a dream to knit with. So I'm thrilled for Naomi to be doing whatever she wants every single day, and even though we won't be seeing each other at work, we'll still be meeting with our yarns, and that's the best part anyway! Congratulations, Naomi!

A Lot of Small Things

2008-06-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Can it really be June already? And I haven't posted for over a month? I have many events whirling me around in my daily life, so I have only posted in my head.

Since last time, I completed my red Silky Wool topdown sweater and have worn it several times. I love the design and the fit - I found that the yarn holds shape very well and was surprised that I was itching on my back. I've never been allergic to wool, and would have never expected itching from a silk and wool blend... so I wear a high-back camisole underneath and have been enjoying the sweater very much.

I've also completed and blocked my Kauni wristlets from Ruth Sorenson's class, and I love her design. I gave them to my color-loving friend, Cheryl, for her birthday and she was thrilled to receive a handknit gift. I'll knit more of these in a cooler season.

My enjoyment of cotton bath mitts continues (three of my latest are to the left) and now I'm mixing as many colors as I can. I gave one to my friend, Claudia, for her birthday. She worried that her husband would want to use it too, so I knitted him a larger, jewel-toned mitt. Then she admitted that their 8 year old son, Drew, took possession of both mitts because he loves them. Well, with that kind of admiration, he will, of course get one of his very own in his size for his July birthday.

I made my first visit to Renaissance Yarns in Kent (I didn't find a website, but this blog shows classy photos and says nice things that I agree with) with my long-time friend, Pam. After carrying around numerous skeins I wanted to buy, I limited myself to two Jitterbug colors. I will definitely stop in whenever I'm in the area!

And I finally gave in to the urge and managed to actually be quick enough to get project bags from Amy. Her mother sews them and they have such charming details... I've been carrying at least one project bag with me at all times, and I admittedly try to match the colors of my project with the bag - helps my short memory, you see.

Pam's daughter, Rachel, has known me as Auntie for all her life, and when Rachel's son, Connor, had his first birthday, I decided to knit him a sweater I thought he (OK, his Mommy and Grammy) would like. I got to reinforce some skills and learn others when I needed to increase the pattern to his actual size, and when the designs were done with intarsia and double stitch embroidery. I managed to get it done in a week, and even included my label since it's important to Rachel. She and Pam loved the sweater - Connor was more interested in the blocks I gave him. The star sweater is knit with Cascade's Superwash, and was a lot of fun! I took the photos in their garden.

I've had the FiberTrends Felted Clog pattern for months now, and finally knit a pair for Mitch's (my Seattle architect brother) birthday this month. I admit to some silly challenges since I seem to have a mental block about reading a pattern through before starting. Sigh. I did complete them in time for his Sunday morning visit and had him try on the oversized pre-felted versions. He was a little suspicious about why they were so large, but cautiously suspended doubt as I dropped them in the washer for the agitation stage. Maverick became agitated himself since I dropped in half a dozen tennis balls - he guarded the washer all day to keep track of those balls. Mitch and I had a rare chance to hang out and talk while the magic happened, and he was thrilled with the results. He is so talented himself that I'm truly happy to give him something made with my own hands.

My Blue Moon order of Karen Alfke's Linen-Cuff sock pattern arrived with a lovely skein of Lunasea colorway in Silkie Socks That Rock. I didn't think the linen stitch would show up with that yarn, so I knitted them in the Bright Leaf color in Jitterbug (right). Athough the yarn is not medium-weight, I blithely followed the instructions for the cuff and like the resulting texture and weight very well. When picking up for the foot of the sock, I decided to have an emphasis on the cuff and picked up with a purl row before beginning the foot. I wore them yesterday (unfortunately, Seattle weather isn't warm enough yet to make wool socks uncomfortable) - I love them! And I started right up on my Regia self-striping socks! Must always have sock project for travel purposes!

Some progress has been made on my Rowan Lynton cardigan knit from Rowan's Cotton Jeans yarn - I'm just to the decrease point for the neck on the front pieces and still have the sleeves and collar to go. I love the sweater and the yarn so was puzzling in my Skills Building class with Rebecca about why I'm taking so long to finish this garment. Having to frog the fronts at least four times to get the correct increase slant for the angled opening and knitting this beautiful yarn so tightly to get a jacket texture on needles I truly dislike have each contributed a negative point or two. I'm working hard to stick with it so I can wear this sweater by July. I'm just hoping I won't NEED to wear it in July.

Memed?

2008-06-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

When I logged on to complete the post I've been working on in snatches, I found that I've been memed by Naomi! Answering the questions is pretty fun - I just don't know 6 people who have blogs and haven't yet been memed.

The rules: Are posted at the beginning. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer. Play nice, children!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? I was living in my town home in Kirkland, working as a Community Service Officer with the Seattle Police Department, and had been seeing George for two years by that time. In my job, I was completely involved in the Neighborhood Action Team Seattle, which was a sort of "one-stop-shop" for coordinating responses from a variety of City departments to neighborhood issues. We did some very good work at coming up with fresh strategies, and made some long-term contacts. I stopped rowing crew in spring of that year to correct my deviated septum with a septoplasty, then I never rejoined the team. Four of us rowing women periodically organized a gourmet dinner for ourselves and our partners. We met at a coffee shop to plan the menu and decide who was responsible for which dishes one week, then the following weekend spent a day shopping, cooking, then sitting down to eat a four course gourmet menu. It was a lot of fun to learn new cooking skills with others.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today - not in any particular order? Get my yogurt parfait breakfast, meet with my manager, vacuum and fold clothes when I get home, sew in ends on a pair of socks that I added new toes to, and complete my new Karen Alfke linen cuff socks so I can wear them tomorrow.

3. Snacks I enjoy: Mrs. May's Almond Crunch, cinnamon-sugar pita chips from Trader Joe's, sliced cucumbers with light ranch dressing, Kashi 7 grain crackers with Trader Joe's hummous, Luna bars, Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bar, and nearly anything with cinnamon or chocolate.

4. Places I've lived: Kansas and Missouri before we moved to Washington. We lived in a rental in Bellevue while our house was being built in the area now called SeaTac, then in Riverton Heights, Kirkland, and Kenmore. While going to school, I lived in Pullman, then later in Staufen and Prien, Germany.

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off my house, and get the landscaping completed, buy George a motorcycle garage with a dirt track and lots of insurance, gift my friends & family according to their dreams, donate to Humane Society and Planned Parenthood, buy a vacation home or two, and take my friends traveling with me - if they want to go! I'd also be knitting, but that's no different than now. I might also buy matching recreational single shells for George and I so I would get back on the water.

6. What are some jobs I've had? Babysitting; sewing (tailoring new garments & alterations); fast food in high school; retail sales at fabric store; a summer with Fotomat in one of those tiny parking lot booths; wiring diagram draftsperson at Boeing; sales; management; buyer at Frederick & Nelson; commission sales of new technology: Fax machines! Since reaching adulthood, I've actually had at least four careers! I currently work as a tax collector, and in my spare time, I occasionally help people sort through their clothes by organizing closets and drawers with them and making recommendations for their wardrobe shopping.

7. People I want to know more about: Janine, Karen, Kristin - I know this isn't six, but they are who I want to know more about!

And I actually have another post nearly ready, finally!

Ferals Top to Toe Challenge

2008-04-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Naomi invited me to Ferals last year shortly after I picked up my knitting needles again. The first time, I looked through the window at all of them and went to work out instead. The next time, I went in and very self-consciously sat as close as possible to Naomi while I knitted on something conspicuously NOT Fair Isle. I continued to attend, with or without Naomi, and have gradually met and been talking with many of the members. One meeting Karen Campbell delivered the Cotton Jeans yarn I had ordered from Two Swans, another meeting Sandra got my address and sent me a copy of the Fair Isle Tam and Vest pattern from Vogue magazine. At another meeting, Wendy showed me her third beautiful Martha sweater from the Rowan Studio Two book, and I was hooked (unfortunately, the book is now out of print, but I did manage to track down a copy to buy. Phew!). I can't name them all - I'm just trying to say how amazed and grateful I feel to find such a graceful group of interesting, talented and kind women to spend a couple of hours with every two weeks or so, and how lucky I feel to be among them.

I don't remember who actually set the top to toe challenge to have a Fair Isle knit hat or a pair of Fair Isle socks completed between January 1 and April 1, but I was determined to try something new. I heard about Sandy Blue's Midnight Sun tam then saw it at Churchmouse when I was attending Janine's Color in Fair Isle class and decided it was so beautiful, I wanted to try it. Once I decided, Karen delivered the yarn and pattern so swiftly, I didn't have a chance to feel panicky. I have shared my experience with it along the way, from the German cast-on to finally deciding with which colors to replace Bracken and Yellow ochre. Sandy talked with me not only in person at a Ferals meeting to tell me how she went about choosing new colors when shades get discontinued, but later by phone when I had novice-tam-knitter questions about the wheel chart. I'm not a fast knitter, and am even slower when doing the stranded knitting since I'm still learning technique, but even I thought I could finish the tam by April 1. And I did finish the knitting at the Ferals on March 31, with help from Rebecca and Naomi reminding me to read my color chart AND my knitted item, and with Melinda showing me the spit splice color change to avoid the hundreds (as it seemed) of ends to knit in. So finally, here it is!

The show and tell was this past Monday April 7 - I took my camera to capture images of some of the completed tams. Still to come are Wendy's re-colored Midnight Sun tam and Diana's hat - maybe more that I don't even know about. I'm sure there must have been more hats and some socks that didn't make it to the meeting. The folks who brought completed items were very generously given prizes from Karen Campbell and Linda K (two people I neglected to photograph) - I was lucky to receive the Koigu shown at the top, and am planning a pair of ribbed socks as soon as possible. Other prizes included pattern books, other colors of Koigu, needles, and I can't remember what all.

The knitting wasn't all hats and socks! Here's Lori on the left with her own intricate and beautifully colored design becoming a cardigan. She began this design in Janine's class when and that's when we met her and invited her to Ferals - she's been a devotee ever since! She also got in the spirit of the challenge and designed and knitted her tam in one day. And here's Janine on the right with her Armenian technique Leo sweater - this is another classic in the making to join Janine's collection of heirloom sweaters.

Left are four of the tams from the back: left is Lori, my Midnight Sun, Norma's snowy design, and Karen Hust's beautiful tam of Sandy Blue's other color way. Right is same lovely ladies in their tams. Below left is Wendy wearing Karen's tam and below right is Karen wearing my tam.

I loved being involved with the challenge, and it was a thrill to knit something so lovely and complex. I plan to knit another one and try more colors or maybe design my own.

It was a Tam Good Time!

Madrona Novice Part Two and beyond

2008-04-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

My experienced friends coached me to be sure to allow some free time, so Friday morning I got in a workout at the nearby Y (since the hotel's workout room was "under construction" like so much else at Hotel Murano) and a walk to the bank and post office. Then I met Naomi, Melinda, Ellen and Ruth for lunch at the Japanese restaurant across from the hotel - there was a wait, but it was delicious and filling.

My afternoon class was Phoenix from the Ashes with Lucy Neatby - I had tried for her finishing class and while I didn't know what to expect from this one, I hoped for (and got!) a treat. We began with grafting and went on from there - it was great fun. We actually did things I had only read about, and I hadn't known anything about her intense, inventive style. When I think of her now, the words "never say die" are what I remember. While I'd like to have all of her DVD's, I settled for purchasing one at the marketplace this time.

Lucy also was the speaker that evening and I hadn't had enough of her yet, so hearing more was energizing. I wish I had photographed her - I haven't seen a single image of her that captured that personality. After the talk, the instructor's gallery was also inspiring: Ruth was like a rock star with all the people gathered around her and her tables of lovely items knit from Kauni yarn. She had her knitted basket pins for sale and they sold in a flash - I barely managed to get one myself!

Saturday was my morning with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee; another real treat! Besides all the students being able to sit and knit while she talked, the information she delivered was specific, useful, AND entertaining. I was able to use one of her sock tips in combination with a pick-up technique from Margaret Radcliffe's Sunday morning class - I can't remember when I've taken classes that so immediately applied to what I'm doing in real life.

I went to Janine's Color Reunion at noon and it was fun to see everyone's progress. I only had my Midnight Sun tam with me since I planned to change out two of the colors, but some folks just had great things. I might have liked Sheila's wristlets best; see what I mean?! Janine talked about how yarn manufacturers are continually reducing the number of colors they offer, and how every color cut from the line impacts the stranded knitter's ability to choose the colors to acheive the amazing subtleties characterized by Fair Isle knitting. We all talked about the value of supporting the yarn industry by continuing to knit traditional Fair Isle designs, and Janine went so far as saying that today's knitters from outside Fair Isle may be the ones to save the tradition, which doesn't appear to be valued as much on Fair Isle as we think it should be! All the more reason for me to chip away at my attempts at this skill with Sandy Blue's Midnight Sun tam for the Ferals challenge.

Saturday afternoon was spent visiting with people in the rotunda outside the Marketplace. Sat with Ryan and Kathy, then with Sam. Went through the marketplace with Melinda, back with Rebecca, a couple of trips on my own... it's hard to not spend money when I can't stay out! There were so many lovely yarns and useful tools, dvd's, books... I bought every color of pin Jamesen's and a couple of colors of J&S for good measure at Two Swans Yarns... Karen's rainbow display of yarns was just irresistable!

The much anticipated banquet had wonderful food, I'm sure, since my choice was salmon. Amazingly, foodie that I am, memory of what I ate was completely knocked out of my mind by what I heard from Judith McKenzie. I knew only a bit about her, but when she began to speak about bison, I felt like I was at a National Geographic lecture. Her authenticity was apparent from her specific information, much of which was first-hand, once she completed the history portion. I was so entralled that I uncharacteristically asked a couple of questions. And I loved the yarns which were serving as the centerpieces on the tables... at my table, we thought we were going to get an opportunity to win some!

My final class was again with Margaret Radcliffe, then I was off home. George did a fine job of taking care of the house and dog in my absence - in fact Maverick didn't really seem to need me back at all for the first 30 minutes or so. The only part of Madrona I thought George would be interested in was the talk on bison, and I did my best to recount much of what I learned to him. Even with my minimal capsule of information, he was interested enough to get right on the computer to look up bison vs grizzly on you-tube (unfortunately finding only a video where the grizzly was successful in getting the calf - heartbreaking to watch the mother bison unable to save her baby).

It was hard to break the habit of knitting at every opportunity, so I was glad Monday was a holiday for us City workers. Ferals on Monday evening was quite fun with a very large group including Ruth. Sandy Blue was even there and gave me some insight into color replacement ideas; I had already replaced Bracken with J&S #FC10, and I tried Crimson in place of Yellow Ochre that evening, but took it out as soon as I got home (it was right next to Leaf and ended up looking like a Christmas hat). George chose the color I ended up using: J&S #9143. I was considering Sorbet, and it would have been nice too... another hat, another day?

I did go in to work on Tuesday, then attended Ruth's Design class at Village Yarn & Tea on Wednesday. It was a lovely day and comforting reminder that returning home from Madrona doesn't have to mean an end to my knitting retreat. Some of my favorite people were in class with me, and the light in the room was a teaser for the spring weather to come. Ruth is a charming, natural teacher who shared with us, encouraged us, and enjoyed everyone there - possibly as much as we enjoyed her! We listened, tried on her designs (photo at left is of Victoria in Ruth's skirt, with Rebecca), then began designing and knitting for ourselves. Besides starting my very own wristlets, I loved getting this wonderful photo of Rebecca and Ruth together, as well as the one Rebecca took of me (wearing one of Ruth's sweaters) with Ruth.

Madrona proved to be completely inspirational to me, if I could only find the time to knit everything I want to knit in addition to having my regular life. Maybe that's a future Madrona class: "How to find time to knit as much as you want." Still, I'm persevering, and will update with photos of "Life After Madrona 2008" next time!

Novice Madrona Attendee

2008-03-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Except for hearing about saving up for the once a year buying opportunities at Madrona and for seeing the light of anticipation in my friends' eyes, I really didn't know what to expect. It was wonderful that Naomi is so organized and planned ahead for the room at Hotel Murano with four of us (saving $ means more to spend in the marketplace, and we had our own knitting circle right in the room!).

My biggest time preparation was to prepare food for George to eat while I was away for four nights. Among my advance preparations, I made Crab Risotto with goat cheese and fresh basil, White Bean Chicken Chili, and Steak Stroganoff with brown rice, and I stocked the refrigerator with vegetables. Of course, I didn't have to do it. George is perfectly capable of grilling steaks, frying up different kinds of sausages and bacon, and ordering Pagliacci's pizza. Enough said?

Wednesday, February 13th at work was a longer, more stressful day than I planned. The bright point was when I stopped for a lunch bite and George met me with the package he picked up at the post office. I've been coveting Rebecca's sock monkey sweater, and she e-mailed me when the Rowan DK marl came up on ebay in two colors. Without going into the angst I suffered while awaiting the end of the bidding (I'm not yet good at auctions), we won both colors. George gave me the buttermint for Valentine's Day, and I bought the fudge to knit a topdown for him (no, we will not be matchy-matchy). The red accent for the sock monkey sweater is Judith MacKenzie's Elemental Effects from Two Swans Yarns at the marketplace.

I packed the car with too many small bags of yarn and knitting accoutrements (three trips to get them all to the hotel room where my roomies had just as much stuff per person) while playing with Maverick before I left. Arrival in Tacoma was a joyful relief, and a knitting circle was already going on in our room with roommates Naomi, Ellen, and one-night roomie Jen Black from Connecticut, as well as Danish designer Ruth Sorenson. So I listened to the banter and started my homework for Knitting Shapes with Margaret Radcliffe the next day. Ruth was knitting lace without light or a pattern, Jen was working on a lace shawl while wearing another, and Ellen and Naomi worked on one project for awhile, then switched to work on something else. Ruth looked at my homework since she would be in that class too, but she finished hers at breakfast the next morning.

The single chaotic moment was Jen's when she unpacked the Refined Aran Jacket (Interweave Knits Winter 2007) she had just completed and found that her hairspray had leaked all over her bag during her flight. Some color had leached from the Silky Wool onto some other clothing, so she had do some washing before she could sleep. The sweater was beautiful, and happily, there was no noticeable evidence of the event when I saw her wearing it on Saturday.

Margaret Radcliffe was fun for me to meet since I carry her Answer Bo ok with me and use it when I get stuck. I enjoyed learning about planning how to knit shapes rather than just trying, frogging and trying again. The challenge for me was knitting with my two circular needles rather than using dp's since her calculations were based on dp's. I completed all the samples except the pentagon. We didn't knit a triangle sample, but two of my favorite items were using that shape. Margaret had a colorful triangle shawl that I didn't photograph, and this photo is of Margaret on the left talking with Ruth. Ruth brought in her triangle cardigan to illustrate Margaret's statement that "if you can knit a triangle, you can make anything."

I lunched with Melinda, and after class went with Ellen (on the right) and Victoria from Village Yarn & Tea for a quick bite before charity night. We found our way to the front row to support a very nervous Naomi, who, nevertheless, gave an enjoyable account of her knitting internet connections while the audience joined in her experiences. It was my first time seeing Stephanie McPhee, so my first glimpse was of a gleeful, riotous pit-knitter of lightning speed. Somehow, I

had pictured her writing and speaking rather than knitting, so it was a bit of a mind-altering experience. Ruth's talk was charming - her command of English is wonderful, and she is such a lovely person besides. I love that her blog includes English as well as Danish! Melinda's talk on Shetland was moving for me - it seems to be a recurring theme that traditions and cultures are lost in the crush for the appearance of greater opportunities and more money when truly, a "better life" might be had right where we are.

My first day at Madrona closed with a gathering of women who had knitted and were wearing Ruth's Kauni cardigan design. There are numerous images of the entire group, so I'm also including one of my friends: Ruth, Naomi, and Melinda (Ellen should have been in this as well.) The number of finished garments was a tribute to Ruth and the beautiful Kauni yarns - I wished I had knit my sweater in time for Madrona. Still, I have time before she is here again next year...

More Madrona next time.

A 1st (or 47th) Anniversary celebration

2008-03-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend has had glorious sun as well as the usual Seattle grey skies, and an early start for daylight savings time - this is a teaser for the ever-closer spring season. It's a fitting time for the Madrona Fiber Retreat afterglow, which I am still feeling three weeks later. I can still hardly contemplate anything that doesn't have to do with yarn and knitting needles, so I'm inside knitting, my justification for not being outside is that my yard bins are full until yardwaste pickup begins again on Wednesday.

Until last year, I thought of myself as a fairly accomplished knitter since I learned the basics at such an early age. There's nothing like experience and getting to know other knitters to shock me out of my lofty confidence. I now realize that years going by, even if I'm knitting (which I've done only sporadically), didn't give me the experience and new techniques that would contribute to the description of "accomplished."

A new friend, Jen Black (our emergency first night roommate at Madrona) put it well when she described the knitting community deprived area she comes from in Connecticut. She said there are knitters where she lives, but they don't have curiosity about how to do it better, different, or to explore the new techniques and ideas out there. I realize I had not pursued new knowledge, so I didn't know it was out there, and didn't know how much I wanted to look for it.

Then, last year at this time, I saw Naomi carrying some beautiful sock yarn (she was just back from Madrona) and asked her to help me learn to knit socks. I was never interested in knitting socks, but I had been aching to knit something besides a scarf. And sock yarns were so seductive when I allowed myself to enter yarn stores that I finally caved and decided to try them under Naomi's kind tutelage. She also recommended that I join a "Build Your Skills" class loosely structured enough to meet my needs at my skill level and fill in my gaps of knowledge. And, when buying my sock yarn from Ellen at Village, I found the class schedule and tried to sign up for the Build Your Skills class. It was full. But I signed up for the next class in March, and knit my socks while I waited for the class to start.

At class I met our instructor, Rebecca Bienn, and as she deftly troubleshot each student's challenges, my inspiration continued. I brought my stash list to the first class without the least idea of how to decide what to work on. I've continued in the weekly Thursday night class, even showing up at Village with a classmate or two when there is no scheduled class. Now, one year later, the result is that I am continuing to build my skills. And lest I get all full of myself and think I've reached some pinnacle of ability, I'm humbled every two weeks at the fair isle knitting group, Ferals, and by the amazing learning of my friends Naomi, Melinda, and Karen from Jean Wong at the Nihon Vogue course. Right now I don't aspire to the Nihon Vogue level of detail - today I'm thrilled with my custom fitting Top-Down Sweater (unpattern by Karen Alfke) and my newly conquered fear of trying new things. The difference is that I've been working with a "net." By having a knitting community, I've learned the generosity of knitters - most will take the time to share experience and knowledge so I'm trying new techniques and considering patterns I wouldn't have a year ago. A good life lesson, even beyond knitting.

Less contemplation next time, and something about my first Madrona experiences - with photos of my latest projects.

What's next...

2008-01-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning before leaving my bed, I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my day - the last of my three-day weekend. I work the 9-80 schedule which means Monday thru Thursday I work 9 hours and on alternating Fridays I have the day off or I work 8 hours.

This Friday off, I made a trip to Mill Creek to visit Main Street Yarn . George and his cold joined me, and our first stop was at Central Market for lunch. I was also looking for salt cod to try a recipe from the Saveur authentic Italian cookbook (and I found it, complete with a chef to talk to me about how to prepare it). George spent time in the University Book Store while I checked out the yarn store - in short order I found all the needles I was looking for, and a Mac&Me pattern for an alpaca ruffle scarf I think is simple and beautiful. At home, I worked in the yard until it was dark, then checked the drying progress of my pink variagated socks and my teddy bear top-down sweater - I had blocked them together before shopping. What to do next? Which takes me back to how I started today.

My mind percolates with such a variety of ideas that there are days I am nearly paralyzed into inactivity just trying to decide. I want to knit and read, I need to get to the gym for a workout, I like to talk and spend time with my friends, and the house needs cleaning. I want to cook wonderful, healthy foods, I want to take Maverick for a walk, I want to complete several sewing projects, I love reading my friends' blogs, and want to keep my posting more regular... and so on. The good news is that it's such a gift to have these choices - reading A Thousand Splendid Suns reminded me of my good fortune to just be born an American. The challenge for me is organizing my time to approach my own fulfillment and give the maximum joy to my dog, friends and family in the process. The things I most often give up are sleep and time for peaceful reflection - it can really be a vicious cycle, so I want to improve every day.

So next in knitting I have begun the alpaca ruffle scarf using the vintage yarn Laurie gave me in return for knitting cashmere wristlets for her. Also, I have cast on the Ferals Fair Isle challenge tam, and while the color chart reading is a new lesson for me, I'm cautiously optimistic about making the April 1 completion date. I'm determined to complete my Forest Canopy shawl before Madrona, and in Rebecca's class on Thursday, I'm planning to use my swatches to calculate the sizing for my Silky Wool top-down pullover sweater. And I can't imagine not having some socks in the works, so tonight I'll decide which yarn and pattern I'll begin.

In books, I just finished Laurie King's "With Child" (action taking place partly in the Seattle area) reading it while I worked out on the eliptical and while riding on the bus, and her "Touchstone" at home. Sarah Waters' "The Night Watch" is in my car on CD so I can listen while I drive, and after completing Ian Mc Ewan's "Amsterdam", I've begun ordering other previous Booker Prize winners from the library. I'll begin the first winner tomorrow: "Something to Answer For."

In photography, I've finally opened a Flickr account and have been mulling which photos to add. A basic digital photography course through North Seattle Community College Continuing Education exposed a few new things about my camera - I've already begun to use a couple of features I hadn't known how to access. A 2008 promise to myself is to take computer courses on a regular basis to keep up with the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, I'm not giving up on finding balance combining my love of reading, knitting, and photography with my love of a clean and serene home filled with good, healthy homecooked food, friends & family, and a happy, healthy self and dog. Oh yes, and applying myself at my job during those 80 hours each two weeks.

Jumping into 2008...

2008-01-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Is it already three weeks into the new year? I've been throwing myself into my unfinished projects with abandon; and not just knitting projects! I knitted the tam for Emily's friend Abby, and had to change Emily's design a bit because the colors I had available were too close in tone for the way they were laid out. Abby put the hat on immediately and her mother said she wore it for three days straight - it looked great on her.

I also finally set up the "new" sewing machine and made a fleece bedcover for Cherie's pug, Hugo. Since the machine came to me via Cherie (it had been her grandmother's) it seemed right for that to be the first project. I sewed a cover from olive fleece for Maverick's family room bed while he closely monitored my progress, following me from room to room as I cut, pinned, and stitched. He sat watching George and I add the styrofoam beans to the liner then put the cover on the bed. Then he plopped down immediately, looking up at us. He knew it was his, of course. I have his larger nighttime beanbag bed left; I'll be sewing a chocolate brown fleece cover. I'm preparing to paint that room, so he needed a new cover to fit in. I never imagined co-ordinating home dog accessories, but then, I never imagined a dog like him!

We started our top-down sweater class within a class with Rebecca, and it's so fun! We are doing a teddy-bear size first to practice the techniques - it's fun for each of us to be doing the same thing. Rebecca has all these wonderful samples knit from Karen Alfke's top down pattern, and since she refuses to sell me any of them (I think the sock monkey one is my favorite, but they all fit like a dream) since they are, after all, HER samples. And she would be wearing them herself if she wasn't keeping them for her classes. My excitement could be attributed to the feeling I have that learning this method of sizing will help me learn to better plan my sizing for any pattern I want to make based on the gauge I get from the yarn I choose. I feel a little like I'm just about to be set free! My first top-down in my size will be with the fabulous red Elspeth Lavold Silky Wool that Gail let go of at the Village New Year's Day sale when she decided on the green. (If she had stayed with the red, I would have bought the green - both colors are that beautiful.) Based on my swatches, I'll be knitting with size 3 or 4 needles instead of the recommended 6.

My first toe-up sock is finished, with an alteration to the pattern I was following. This was also my first "afterthought heel" and I like the way it turned out. It's so nice to have all these new tools in my toolbox. I've already cast-on the next toe and knit the first couple of inches on the second sock. This is the biggest yarn I have so far used to knit socks - amazing how much quicker it goes on size 1's than size 0's!

And tonight at Ferals, I used the German cast-on for my Fair Isle tam. I actually had learned this cast-on in December, but hadn't really used it yet. I got lots of practice tonight since I twice miscalculated the long tail and had to start again. I finally got my 144 stitches with a tail of less than 2". It's inspirational to see how others are progressing with their tams; Naomi and Ellen were both working on theirs and encouraging me. It was great to see Rebecca and Pegg y there - the first time I've seen them at Ferals since I began. Lori came with her finished Fair Isle swatch from Janine's class and began doing the math for her cardigan. She's an intuitive knitter who doesn't really like to follow patterns, so watching her process is fascinating for me... this is going to be an amazing sweater! And Gail is nearing completion on her beautiful blue Aran - she sure convinced me of the beauty and simplicity of Cascade 220!

2007 in Review

2007-12-31T13:07:00.000-08:00

December 31 always affects me. For years I wanted every day to be remembered and was sad if it wasn't. I think I just really wanted every event to be memorable. Now I realize that individual times and things aren't likely to be memorable, and that what I really hope for is a life lived well. I spend a lot of time in my head, and I don't even talk about much that's important to me for fear of disappointing myself as well as the people in my life. So my goal for 2008 is to reach more openly for what I love in this world, and to continue to learn generosity from many of the wonderful people in my life.

I've been taking the Build Your Skills knitting class from Rebecca at Village since March, and toward the end of our last 2007 session, she asked each of us to list our completed knitting projects. Last night I completed my 34th knitted project of 2007. Many of my projects this year have been small in size and time commitment and large in regaining skills while learning new ones. I didn't list the projects I haven't completed, which include my first lace shawl, my first toe-up socks, and Rowan's Lynton cardigan in Cotton Jeans yarn (they are first on my list for completion this new year).

In 2007 I knitted my first pair of socks using the Pure and Simple topdown pattern, and knit four more pair as the year progressed. I've now learned four more ways to cast on and observed a new cast off, although I haven't yet tried it. My two gift bags were my first attempts at beaded knitting and the Fair Isle was done while I still only knitted with the throw technique.

Rebecca gave us a class to familiarize us with continental knitting, and in October, I took a class from Karen Alfke to learn two handed knitting while making her Banded Fair Isle Tam (see photo). I knit the green one in class then designed new bands for the next three) and I realized that although I progress slowly, Starmore and other Fair Isle patterns are not out of my reach. My niece liked the tam I knitted for her, and she created a band design for me to knit the same tam for her friend, Abby. I call that a triumph!

I'm becoming reconciled with swatching from seeing the amazing swatches my Nihon student friends knit for their projects and from the success I've had due to swatching first. And, as a result, I not only allow for the swatching in my yarn purchase, I've learned that I knit so loosely that it will be rare for me to knit a pattern with the recommended needle size.

My biggest project was completing a UFO that had been weighing me down for three years. I had chosen S Charles Micio for the wonderful softness and vibrant color, then found that the pullover sweater I was knitting had no body. I frogged the entire back and front and what I had knit of the sleeves, then chose a simple Nashua cardigan pattern. To get my gauge, I combined it with Falk's Dalegarn sportweight and swatched to get my needle size. I went to my first Beppa button sale and bought the lovely silk buttons, and my last minute panic about whether I had enough yarn was unfounded. My next learning experience was learning about the woolly board. Naomi brought hers over, and it worked like magic. I would have never considered soaking the sweater for 30 minutes in warm water then spinning it for 30 seconds in my washer, but I trusted Naomi's guidance. My cardigan now fits like a dream and is a joy to wear when it's cold. The photo color doesn't do the yarn justice.

The other sweater I completed was a Sirdar chunky knit from Rowan's Ribbon Twist. I had another panic about yarn quantity when I decided to add long sleeves and learned the yarn had been discontinued. It's a wonderful yarn to knit - I have about 3 yards left. This is another one I wear only when it's cold. (Thankfully, I still had Naomi's woolly board, but it's now been finally returned to her.)

Janine Bajus is holding student Lori's swatch homework, and Naomi is holding the one she knit (Note how Naomi is wearing the colors she swatched with!). Thanks to Janine's class, I've learned that the color sense I've felt as long as I can remember is still with me, and I'm building confidence about trying color combinations with yarn. I've learned that having specific times to knit and a fiber community inspires me to do more and stick with my projects. And in 2008 I intend to keep my project list updated so I can put my energy into reviewing my progress instead of counting them up in December.

And, finally, I'm learning to blog. I haven't been consistent with my postings, due to failure to commit the time, moving slowly on my knitted projects, and some uncertainty about what will be interesting and fun for others to read. So I plan to have more fun with my blog in 2008.

It's important to knit things we like, don't you think? My December projects each began as gifts and were given with love. Happily, some were received with sweet enthusiasm, and I learned who I will knit for again as well as who I will not. One item that began as gift is now part of my own wardrobe, and I have no regrets about the effort I put into it. I've made some valuable new friends in 2007, and I get to continue learning in my class and at Madrona Retreat in February.

2008 looks to be a very good year!

One of those days...

2007-11-17T23:28:00.000-08:00

I would describe myself as an optimistic person. I work hard to understand things, and take the brightest spin on what I experience from life. And when I feel a little battered by life, I wonder what I'm supposed to learn from the lessons tripping me up.

Take the last 24 hours, for example. Last night at about this time, I was on my way to bed. I've been working on a gift for my sister-in-law, Gail, involving casting on 648 stitches that are knitted and gradually decreased, then increased back to 648 stitches on the other side. I had reached the final 4 rows nervously watching my ball of yarn, and I realized that I didn't have enough yarn for all 4 rows. It was my second time knitting this item from a different color of the same yarn, so I didn't expect a problem. I didn't really want to go buy another skein of the special Blue Moon Washington State Cougar colors, but I didn't even have that option since I bought the sole skein that arrived in the recent shipment. I left it until this evening, and it is now frogged back to the middle, is back on the needles, and the yarn wound back into a ball. As if the past hours of knitting never even happened.

Then this morning, I was up and anticipating the full day of class with Naomi at Churchmouse Yarn & Tea learning about Color Design and Customized Fair Isle from Janine Bajus. I drove to Naomi's, and in the course of attempting to turn my car around to park leaving room for the gardening to be done while she was gone, I scraped the front bumper of my red car on the white railing. It's amazing how white stands out on red. I expect it to come off without much ado, but still! Good thing she drove downtown from there! No telling what else I might have done.

We did make the ferry to Bainbridge Island by literally running down from Seattle Municipal Tower all the way to the ferry terminal, and we were on time for class. There were gorgeous Fair Isle sweaters displayed throughout the store. My favorite was a vest by Katie Swanson. I asked to buy the pattern, and was told she has never written it as a pattern. I hope she does one day - it's beautiful and I would love to knit it.

The class was intense and informative. Janine has a way of helping us to tap into internal reaches to see things differently and to use what we see in a new way. We each brought a color inspiration and a pattern, and got a bit of a shock at how much work it takes to plan Fair Isle color design. Janine pointed out that designing a sweater body and the pattern are minor compared to choosing successful colors. That was a real wake-up call for me - I've frequently found patterns for sweaters and thought I'd like to knit them in a different color combination. It was never as easy as I thought it would be, and now I know why. She had every Jameson color except Sky for us to sample, and we swatched right there to examine hue and value before winding off yarn to take home and swatch in our individual pattern. I'm swatching for Rosemarkie since I'm still a newbie at Fair Isle, so I'll share my swatches here.

My mom arrived at the shop at 6:30 to take us home for dinner. My dad cooked a great meal and my mom had made a pie - it was quite lovely of them and we all had a nice time. Naomi met my dad for the first time, and commented to me how lucky I am to still have them. She's right. And I'm lucky they live close enough to visit.

Time passed quickly and we suddenly needed to catch our ferry back to Seattle. My dad drove us to the dock, and in getting out of his car, I dropped my purse upside down. I grabbed it and we dashed as we heard the last call for walk-on passengers. We made the ferry, sat down to catch our breaths, then I thought I'd call George to tell him when I'd be home. But I couldn't find my cell phone. I called my dad, who went back to check the sidewalk where I dropped my handbag, and the taxi driver waiting for a fare asked him what he was looking for. When he told her, she said a young guy had picked something up, then she heard him telling the buddy picking him up that he had found a cell phone. Then the two guys left.

I was contemplative during the entire ferry ride, the drive back to my bruised car, and the drive home from Naomi's. I planned to call and cancel my cell phone service and wondered what my lesson was meant to be. Ultimately, I agreed with Naomi that I really need to get more sleep (so I don't make so many dumb mistakes is what I think, not what she said). I feel like there's so much I want to do that I just don't have time for, and somehow, the idea of staying up feels like I'm getting a little more of life... until I have to get up and function in my job and other parts of the real world.

When I walked in the door at home, George told me that a guy, Nate, had called and has my cell phone. He'll be coming to Seattle tomorrow for a ball game and will leave the phone at the ferry lost and found. I tried calling him to make more secure arrangements, but he didn't answer at the number he gave George. So I'll go to the Seattle ferry terminal tomorrow in hopes of getting my phone. And meanwhile, I think I'll go get some sleep.

Knitting at Karen's

2007-10-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Karen Campbell is the power behind Two Swans Yarns, and she was kind enough to host our monthly knitting group at her house so we could have access to her yarn supply as each knitter chooses the next knitting project.

On Saturday morning, October 20th, George left at 4:30am for his motocross race and a few hours later Naomi drove as Melinda and I carpooled with her to Karen's lovely country estate for our knitting day. Through the front door past the formal dining table filled with a rainbow of Jameson's colors, cozy sitting room with baskets of yarn and inviting books, plenty of natural light to knit by, and butternut squash soup on the stove... it was a heavenly day that passed quickly.

Knitters came and went throughout the day; 12 to 15 people made the trip to Kent. Some brought projects so there was knitting as well as show and tell. Many of us perused our coveted Alice Starmore books to choose a project pattern and purchase the yarns immediately from Karen to take home that day. Thank you, Karen, for all your hard work up and down those stairs and with amazing patience as we asked questions and changed our minds. If you could stand it, I think it would be great if this was an annual or bi-annual event to prepare for seasonal projects.

Naomi modeled Ryan's hats knit from just two skeins of Jameson's - you may have already seen them on Ryan's blog. Ryan says the pattern will be ready soon, so we can all choose our colors. I'm planning to knit one for our sailor, Jon, who is based in Tokyo, but currently at sea on the Kittyhawk for its final world tour before decommissioning.

I've settled on Rosemarkie for my first Starmore so that I'll be swatching it in Janine's class next month and putting the colors I choose on Two Swans wish list to make it easy for my family to access my Christmas ideas. I was considering trying Starmore's Oregon as a vest using the color way in the new Vogue Knitting, but I regained my senses before making a commitment. I'll graduate from Rosemarkie before entering knitting college in the form of twice the colors. I'm excited to see the projects progress over the next weeks.

Thanks to inspiration from the Knitting Daily newsletter, I've been thinking a lot about my UFO's and have been making a serious effort to finish the projects that have been languishing at the "nearly finished" stage. My next post I'll share my progress - it already feels great!

The Kindness of Strangers

2007-10-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

I ride the bus to work from a park & ride every day - the ride home is invariably so crowded that Cherie and I are standing for the first portion of the 25 minute commute. We have to put our things at our feet to be able to hold on to a post or railing. Wednesday last week, I was carrying my purse, book bag, and small knitting project bag containing my latest socks (one sock complete, the other just turned the heel), and they were snuggled between my feet until I picked them up to exit at Northgate park & ride. I ran some errands and arrived home an hour later without my knitting! Upset to distraction, I went back to the park & ride to check the parking lot and the stands, with no luck. I completely lost my appetite and sat down with my coat on to knit my cotton jeans sweater and generate good knitting carma. George was very understanding and patted my shoulder every now and then; I slept badly. I checked Metro's website in the morning - no information until after 10:30. A call after our staff meeting and received the message ALL LINES ARE BUSY. CALL BACK LATER. At lunch, Cherie kindly came with me to Metro's Lost & Found where my bag had been turned in, intact. I am still amazed and was so thrilled, I couldn't concentrate the rest of the day. I am thankful for the kindness of strangers, whether it was a passenger, or someone clearing the bus at the terminal.

That Thursday was also the much anticipated craveparty at Alderwood Mall with Jamie, Cherie, and Debra. I was excited to learn just what is "glam-casual" since I was out of the fashion swing while I wore a uniform. We got a large shopping bag with discount cards and samples, ate dinner at Macaroni's and watched the first of a couple of fashion shows. We also got discounts at the stores in The Village - the outdoors part of Alderwood. We were sprinkled on a little when we arrived, then the rain really began while we watched the first fashion show. We used umbrellas to go from store to store, but in the end the rain made it too cold to stay the entire time. We liked jewelry at Cintli where Jamie bought a very fun red ring and I bought a rectangular shaped hollow silver bangle. They have a shop at Pike Place Market that I'd like to visit... I would try the craveparty again when it is all indoors and the stores come to us with massages, facials, etc.

Fall came rushing in faster than expected. We still have our patio umbrella up, and I thought it would launch into the atmosphere with the wind yesterday. A tickle in my throat last Friday has gradually become a full blown cold in spite of my efforts to fight it off by taking it easy. I've been at home Tuesday and Wednesday trying to avoid sharing it with my colleagues - I'm planning to be back at work tomorrow though! I know I'm not feeling well when I don't have the energy to knit!

As you can see in the first photo, I did finish the socks from the lost&found project bag, and am working on the swatch for my first Lucky Lurker socks. My other nearly completed project is the fair isle bag for my Rebecca class. You were right, Naomi! I did a fair isle vest when I was in college, so it was just a matter of trying it again. And I've already added a couple of techniques to my previous knowledge just by talking with other knitters. I'm heading to Bainbridge this Saturday for a two stranded knitted tam class at Churchmouse. I'm looking forward to it now that I have some recent experience.

My last visit to my folks' on Bainbridge, my mom showed me three sweaters she has saved through the years. The photo on the left is a ski sweater my dad knit for her in about 1960. I don't remember the name of the stitch, but it was the first time I remember him knitting. So that would be when I learned to knit at age 7. Around 1986, I designed and knit this intarsia patterned cotton sweater (while I was at school in Germany) to match the fabric of a skirt I sewed for Mom. I also crocheted her one of those bobble sweaters that were popular for awhile - I told her it was time to get rid of that one!

In May of this year, I took a class at Acorn Street to knit a Noni felted bag. My gauge was off, so I needed nearly twice the yarn, and my purse turned into an exceedingly large bag that seemed to take forever to knit. I felted it twice to try to reduce the size - I would have preferred it more felted than the first time, and not as felted as it is now (15"w x 9"h). Still, it's pretty fun, and I love the handles. I attached the flowers with pins for now, since I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it, and if I use the flowers, I'm thinking of adding beads. I love the ruffle!

Old Fashioned Quality

2007-09-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

Time flies by at the end of summer. August is a busy family month, and this year was no exception. I took a four day weekend for Labor Day and now am readying my psyche for less time off as the cooler months roll in. Knitting again has put me in a sort of homey state of mind, so the thoughts of cold don't bother me this year.

The home arts are being infused into my consciousness from a number of sources, resulting in my desire to have my sewing machine in good running order, and in my choice of a crochet project in addition to my knitting projects. I hope the crochet project is fun - Ellen suggested I consult Deb at Village Yarn & Tea if I run into trouble, and it doesn't look like such a difficult pattern. I'll reveal it after I'm sure it's not too difficult for me at this stage.

The crochet bug confronting me came in the form of my dad's sister, Aunt Carol. Her birthday is in February, and while I rarely acknowledge it on time, I like to give gifts when I find the gift that matches the person. Several years ago, I pestered her into writing down the pattern for one of the crocheted potholders I remember from her mother/my Grandmother (that was what she liked us to call her). She sent a small package containing not only the hand-written pattern, but a collection of potholders in a variety of designs and fibers. Aunt Carol had mentioned that there was not much selection of quality threads in her area of Utah. So, when I was at JoAnn's last winter and saw a pile of crochet thread big balls in bright, vibrant colors, both solids and variagated, I bought 5 or 6 colors and sent them to her. She sent a great thank you letter with photos of my cousins and their children, and I resolved to send her thread whenever I find good colors and good quality.

What a lovely surprise when I received a small birthday package from her in mid-August containing potholders crocheted from the very threads I had sent her. Each one is a different pattern in such beautiful, vibrant colors that each is like a jewel. All used the sunny yellow of my laundry room for accent. I hate the idea of using them the way potholders are used, so they are currently functioning as trivets. Aren't I lucky?

I learned to sew in fall in my 8th grade Home Ec class (nearly 40 years ago), and sewed most of my own clothes after my parents bought me a sewing machine for Christmas that year. It's a Penncrest (yes, that's present tense) and it took me from learning how to use patterns right through tailoring and flat pattern design. It has sewn everything from alterations, complete sets of bridesmaid dresses, curtains, to stuffed animals - at one point I thought my career would be as a tailor. I've never truly needed more than what it does.

Recently, it was struggling with heavy fabrics, so I decided to buy a new machine and give mine to my niece or sell it to a friend. I took it to the shop I have used for a dozen years for a tune up and was told it probably wasn't worth working on - they offered to throw it in their dumpster for me. I wasn't able to make the emotional disconnect on such short notice: I put the machine back in my car. I mentioned my plight at Rebecca's Thursday night Village Yarn knitting class and Chris spoke up, suggesting the guy at 200th and Aurora Avenue North in Shoreline. I went there last Friday and met "Big Bad Joe". I told him about my machine and asked if there was anything he could do. He said yes, of course, and lifted the machine out of my trunk.

His view is that the current machines will never be as good as the old (and extremely heavy) machines, and that the old ones can always be tuned up to run like new. He was as good as his word - for $30 less than the other place would have charged for my hopeless case, I received my machine back the next morning sewing as well as it sewed when I first got it. And George enjoys old codgers, so we bought a vacuum cleaner as well. I'm so glad to have found Big Bad Joe! His son purchased the business from him 12 years ago and is as committed to the quality as his dad, but Joe isn't ready to retire - he says he came with the business. Quality and small business owners are still around if you know the right people! Thank you for such a gem, Chris!

And my knitting has continued happily - my next post will include more, but here are two pairs of socks. The Pure & Simple socks for my dad are Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Granite with Koigu heels and toes, and the photo just doesn't do the color justice. I blocked them, and my dad sent them right back to have me reduce them. A quick wash without any blocking had them fitting him the way socks should fit, and he wore them fishing last week. I'm just finishing another pair of same for George. The basket weave socks for my friend, Cherie, are knit with Panda Wool and were literally "Made in Egypt" while I traveled there with my dad in 100 - 135 degree weather. Amazingly, the bamboo in the yarn helped keep the yarn from sticking too badly to my hands in such heat, and a number of other travelers on our cruise down the Nile kept tabs on my progress. I liked the finished product well enough to buy two more balls to make the same socks in a different color!

More of my projects next time - and I won't wait so long between posts!

A brief look back...

2007-08-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

It's an adjustment to be writing again. I journaled daily for years and when I went back to read what I had written, I had often written different words than I remembered about the subject.

My most recent writing until now was a unit newsletter in my previous job as a Community Service Officer (CSO). I've been thinking about that time after going to a talk on personal safety at work given by a crime prevention coordinator I knew when I was on the police department - talking with her took me back to my eleven years there.

There were 19 of us in the CSO unit. We were uniformed, drove marked vehicles, and were dispatched by police communications to handle non-enforcement calls made to 911. We described our body of work as similar to the mortar between bricks - officers handled enforcement calls and we handled what was outside their scope of duties. Our work varied daily, ranging from welfare checks of ill or elderly citizens and landlord-tenant disputes to taking juvenile runaways and missing person reports. We met people who were at critically low points in their lives and worked to give them the tools to help themselves; we were very often able to resolve situations without police officers to assist us.

The newsletter I wrote was a monthly review of the kinds of calls individual CSO's had handled and the outcomes. I took great pleasure watching everyone read about themselves and each other - we didn't know then that we were an endangered group, about to become extinct due to the decision by the new police chief and mayor.

The chief announced that our work was not essential to Seattle and blithely cut our unit during the 2002 budget crunch. A group of unpaid volunteers called VSTs (Victim Support Team? I don't remember now) was ostensibly in place to work with domestic violence victims, but we watched them offer to do more than their defined scope of work. After we lost our jobs, VST's have continued, but we still hear from officers how much they miss CSO's and would like us back. A 30 year unit with hundreds of years of memories and experience was lost when we were eliminated. This photo is not our uniform, it's a t-shirt that we had made to wear under our uniforms.

Losing a job we thought was important was a crushing blow for all of us, and most of us carry that experience still. My life perspective was altered forever in that I expected to work as a CSO until I retired from that position. Now, I take nothing for granted, and am thankful to be employed. I was very fortunate to find a wonderful new career with the City after being unemployed briefly. I enjoy being once again surrounded in my work by quality people who are inspiring to work with and have added yet another dimension to my life.

In addition to finding new friends to add to the friendships from my CSO days, my creative side has reawakened. While with the police department, my work used all my creativity. In my last 18 months as a CSO, I finally pursued my love of photography, taking community college classes to learn darkroom developing and printing. My creative juices began flowing in my personal life again, and they continue to strengthen. My photography has taken a back seat while I regain other skills, but like knitting, I'm sure to go back to it before long.

Ah, my knitting! In February, I cast on the socks from my earlier post, and at the same time, I cast on a baby sweater for my friend Claudia's one year old daughter, Hannah. It's a sweater I've knitted several times, and since it is a simplified Aran design, I thought it would be a good way to bring back my skills without overwhelming myself with an adult sized sweater.

I chose Tiny Tots acrylic yarn for the washability and look; in retrospect, it takes away from the cables and moss stitches because it is so textured. Still, it was worthwhile, and I added Hannah's signature colors and delivered it to Claudia in time for Hannah's first birthday in April.

Next, I cast on a second sweater from the same pattern. This one for my niece's (Rachel's), baby boy Connor, to be born in May. I used Jean nee from Plymouth Yarn - beautiful machine washable cotton with a wonderful hand. I completed it the morning of her baby shower, sewing in the ends after blocking the night before. Rachel asked me if I would sew a "Handmade by ..." tag in it too.

The final sweater this year from that pattern was again from Tiny Tots yarn provided by a friend who wanted a 6 month size, and didn't want it to have sleeves. More good practice for me, this time in altering a pattern. Again, the yarn texture doesn't do the pattern justice, but she was very pleased with the little vest. Next time I face the return to adult sizes!

I've always liked the color red...

2007-07-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

... I just never planned to own a red car. I knew I wanted low maintenance, reliability, longevity, and at least the features I had in my Jetta. My decision was to buy a used Lexus. The color of the best maintained car with the lowest mileage in my price range was "Pearl Cinnabar." The purchase on Friday took all day, thanks to the seller not having the required originals for transfer of the title, and thanks to my distracted error in locking the key to George's car in his trunk so we had to make a round trip from Bellevue to Kenmore and back in Friday afternoon traffic. The dust has settled, the car is finally in my driveway, and I like red more than ever!

I looked forward all that week to knitting at Naomi's, and took the opportunity to go back to my Forest Canopy shawl. I need to be focused when I work on it, even with a lifeline, or I just make too many errors. I took a break from it while I was on the car mission and knit two scarves from Ellen's Mermaid design - one with Rowan's Damask linen yarn, and the other with a sort of chenille blend. They were good practice for my beginning lace knitting and good opportunities to try two different weights of yarn. Blocking was the other technique I practiced; a wet block for the Damask and a dry block for the chenille. The timing was perfect since I've been reading about blocking in the Interweave newsletter. The photo doesn't show the pattern very well - suffice it to say that I'm ready to try the Mermaid shawl with my Sea Silk. As soon as I finish the Forest Canopy shawl.

Meanwhile, I'm getting ready for a sweater project and having to decide which to tackle first between the Rowan Classic Lynton cardigan with Cotton Jeans yarn, or Ruth's Kauni cardigan. I've been swatching the Cotton Jeans, and it looks like I'll be using US 5 instead of 7 due to my "relaxed" knitting. (I don't want to refer to myself as a "loose knitter" do I?) At Rebecca's class at Village on Thursday, I'm planning to begin swatching the Kauni yarn for my first attempt at Fair Isle since college. Well, the Lynton will be fun, and the Kauni will be challenging!

The end of my Jetta era...

2007-07-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Naomi and Jamie for your enthusiastic comments - being a novice blogger, it's fun to get your response and encouragement is a good thing! Since my last posting, I've been in the throes of choosing a used car to buy, and selling my beloved VW 2000 Jetta GLX. Several days on craigslist, and the Jetta is being sold next week to Daniel, a Microsofty (softie?) from Ethiopia, who I like very much and I think he will enjoy the heck out of my fun car.

I will continue driving George's "grampa car", his gold Buick Century, until next Friday, when I get to complete the purchase of my 1998 Lexus GS300. I was mulling over whether this was the car I wanted when the seller called to tell me he was going on vacation and wouldn't be back until July 26th. I couldn't meet up with him that day because I'll be at Stitch'n'Pitch, so we'll do all the paper work on Friday. This will be a good week!

As promised, the next photo entry of my knitting is the pair of socks I knitted with Naomi's guidance. First I had to shop for yarn (and ended up buying yarn for three different pairs of socks), then needles. I hopefully bought 2's and 1's in circular and knit my swatches, then I bought the

Addi 0's I've been using for every pair of socks since. I'm now working on my 4th pair since beginning, and my gauge is standing solid. This is On-Line yarn, and it was great to knit with. I did have some gapping at the top of the gusset on the first sock, but after reading Charlene Schurch's hint in Sensational Knitted Socks, I haven't had a gusset-gap since.

Next time I'll share a couple of my aran baby sweaters. The pattern is from a German knitting book, and I've knitted several variations over the years. I knitted three of them while I was working on my socks so I could begin to get my knitting chops back to where they had been.

In closing, and by request, here's a photo of George at a motocross race in Washougal, WA. As you can see, Maverick is not intimidated by a motocross jock. And that motocross jock isn't such a tough guy!

A very good place to start

2007-07-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

My first posting, and I'm a little bit speechless.

First, I'm planning to share my knitting projects. In fact that's the whole reason I was inspired to start a blog. Although I learned to knit as a child, I have put down my needles for years at a time. Now it seems like precious time lost, and I feel the urge to catch up. Of course, I'll never catch up the way I continue to buy yarn without regard for how much yarn I already have. The good news is that what's different now is that I'm becoming part of a community of knitters so that the things that caused me to stop knitting in the past are no longer likely. The other good news is that having so much yarn is just another step to my charter membership in the knitting community.

I may also mention George (my "significant other" for the past 11 years) at times, because he's just as important to me as knitting - just like I'm just as important to him as his vintage motorcycles. I won't say how many he has, but I do wonder what the motorcycle equivalent of a yarn stash would be called.

My industrious friend, Naomi, inspired me to return to knitting with a passion, and has shown me more than a few things. Besides starting me with my first pair of socks ever, she showed me how to post a photo. My first attempt to post a photo, made on my own, is out there in cyber-space somewhere, and I don't know how to go get it.

So instead, I thought I'd post my good dog's adoption photo. This is what I saw on PetFinder when I called George and told him "You have to see this boy!" Maverick came with his name and was about a year old when he came home to us in March of 2005. He's a Boxer-lab mix and is the best dog ever! As everyone who has adopted a critter knows, he has issues, but now all he really wants to do is hang out with his people. And chase the ball. And go for walks. And eat.

I've been taking photos of my knitting and will add one each post until I catch up to what's finished so far. It shouldn't take long! I'm relearning things I've done, trying things for the first time, and doing a lot of tearing out and starting over. I guess there's nothing wrong with that!