Yarn Paper Scissors

Project Life

2010-12-16T09:36:00.001-08:00

Hey... here's something cool for you to check out. And, you could win one of your own. Becky Higgins is this awesome scrapbooker and all-around creative person. Her blog is fantastic. If you're a facebooker, follow her because she's all the time posting cool links and ideas for scrapbooking and other creative things. Anyway, here's a link to a blog by a photographer that describes Becky's Project Life. In a nut-shell, it is a scrapbooking kit that allows you to document EVERY day of a year. It is a fabulous wedding present idea, or great for any reason.
Check it out!

http://amberfischer.com/blog/?p=1343

http://www.beckyhiggins.com/

Peanuts!

2010-07-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

Gary and I moved into our first home about a month ago. We still have boxes everywhere, but I'm starting to attack things room by room. I started, of course, with the smallest room in the house, the guest bathroom.

It started small, with a whimsical spur of the moment purchase of a shower curtain at Target. It was a series of Peanuts cartoons, all showing the Peanuts Gang in various shower-related scenes. It was trimmed in red and just spoke to me. I've always thought Peanuts was a great comic strip and I thought it would be a fun way to perk up our guest bathroom.

Once it was installed, I couldn't help but transform the rest of the room. I got some cheap art canvases and some paint, did a quick Internet search for comic strips (OK, so I got distracted and read Peanuts strips for about 2 hours, but who is counting?) and printed out my favorites. With all apologies to Charles Schultz, I got my carbon paper and traced the images on the canvases, painted on the color and outlined it all with a permanent marker.

To top it all off, I found a Woodstock toy from a kids meal that's been floating around my office for years, clipped him to some fun-colored towels and here's the result!

These four little ones I've put on the wall above the potty. I left these black and white, more like a four-panel cartoon than a painting.

This one is the largest of the set. I was all finished, when I realized I had this big empty space by the towel rack by the mirror. I couldn't have that, so I made a bold statement with a larger canvas.

This is the three canvas paintings and a glimpse of the shower curtain that started it all, and Woodstock, who ties it all together.

What do you think?

Lady Bertram

2010-05-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

I wish I knit like Wendy of Wendyknits.net. She can crank out projects every day or two. Her project page on ravelry goes on forever.

She has started putting out a few of her shawlette patterns, and I thought the Lady Bertram looked like a good shawl for a yarn that had multiple colors in it.

Perfect, let's say, for a skein of teal/cream/orange fingering weight that was purchased with SisterLoo in mind at Stitches from Pagewood Farms.

This was an easy knit, and one I will likely do again.

Jean's Ishbel

2010-05-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

Next up in the shawl parade is Ishbel. This one was meant for Jean. I found the prettiest color of yarn at Sttiches that had Jean's name all over it - it was Miss Babs sock yarn in Waterfall, a pretty blend of blue, periwinkle, and purple. I'm not a blue person but it was lovely.

I had purchased Ysolda Teague's Ishbel pattern previously, and it turned out to be a good match. I did the largest size since I had two skeins of yarn. I used about 1.25 skeins.

I wish I had a photo of Jean wearing it (HINT HINT Jean), but here is the shawl while blocking:

Hope Jean had a happy birthday!

Amazing Alpacas

2010-04-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Our Brownie troop visited the PorterBray Pines Alpaca Ranch yesterday! This was a part of an overall lesson in fiber - last month they learned to sew by making a little felt beanbag, and on it they learned to sew on a button. Life skill.

Many of the girls, being city girls, hadn't given much thought as to where that thread or yarn comes from, so a trip to the alpacas was in order. Carey was our link to PorterBray Pines, and I had seen them twice at our local Renaissance festival. We had a lovely time!

Alpacas are rather shy, and third grade girls are rather noisy, so it took a few minutes for them to warm to each other, but once the carrots came out, fast friends were made (as long as there were carrots in the bags anyway).

The girls were enchanted with their sweet faces and gentle personalities. We even saw Marina, the 5 month old baby!

We got to see a bag of fleece from the recent shearing, and then our good friend Janice treated the girls to a spinning demonstration, to see that fiber turned to yarn.

The girls were fascinated at the spinning and had lots of questions for Janice. I think one Brownie is asking her mom for a spinning wheel soon if she hasn't already!
Thank you Janice and PorterBray Pines!

Mmmm... Donuts!

2010-04-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Wilton has these new fabulous donut shaped cake pans that I tried out for the first time tonight. Gary and I worked together to make a dozen chocolate glazed donuts and a half dozen mini donuts. The recipe was super easy and the whole project took us a little less than an hour -- including cooking time!

Check it out!

Oh, and the recipe is right on the back of the box. Hooray for Sur La Table! Here's the link.

WPBC Scrapbook

2010-04-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Happy Easter!

In honor of the holiday, I thought I'd show you what I've been working on lately. Recently, I was asked to create a scrapbook to give as a gift to our new pastor. Of course I said yes.

We prayed and prayed for a new pastor to lead our church. After two years, our prayers were answered and David Carothers accepted the call to be our leader. In late January, we celebrated our covenant with him with a special service and celebration afterward.

Volunteers took pictures -- nearly 800 of them! -- and I put together an 8 by 8 book that included the best of those and also messages from some of our membership. I've posted a few of the pages below.

The book will be given to the Carothers family so they can remember the special day and know they are an answer to prayer. It is nice, especially with Easter right around the corner, to scrapbook photos of church family worshiping, loving and celebrating God's goodness. He is so good, all the time!

Heart to Heart

2010-04-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here were are at Shawl Number 4. Not too bad for the end of March. This shawl was really putting the "ette" in shawlette since it was fairly narrow. It was Sivia Harding's Heart to Heart Shawl/Scarf pattern, constructed from end to end. It had an edging, a garter stitch section that grew progressively wider as it got towards the middle and back to narrow again, and a heart lace edging, which was repeated 29 times.

A fun knit, this one has beads too. The yarn is Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist Sky, the color, as you can see, that Janice should wear ALL THE TIME it is so perfect for her. She chose the yarn so she gets all the credit for that. I was merely the knitter.

I decided that 1) Malabrigo sock is wonderful, 2) I like beads, and 3) I am addicted to lace. Not too bad.

She's a Traveling Woman

2010-03-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Lisa is awesome. When she wants to do something, instead of talking about it, she does it.

She started a website, Catholicmom.com. Then came a podcast, speaking at conferences, writing for other blogs, etc. etc. etc.

Now she wrote a book. Cool huh? Look here. She will be off circling the country soon on a whirlwind of speaking engagements and book signings, as our newest celebrity.

Her only fault? She's allergic to wool. I know, not really her fault, but I had to find some imperfection. Anyway, she is the lucky winner of shawl #3 of my 10 shawls in 2010, aptly named "Traveling Woman".

This little shawlette is made from Berroco Comfort sock yarn, which has no wool in it for Lisa and her sensitivity, but is still soft and was lovely to work with. The pattern is from Liz Abinante, a nice gal I was fortunate to meet at Stitches last month.

Happy traveling Lisa!

Cool knitting commercial

2010-03-23T08:56:00.001-07:00

So, my sister's threatened to remove me if I don't blog. I am working on a few projects, but until they're ready to share with the world, here's this I found this morning. Coolness.

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/03/knit_stop-motion_commercial.html

Double Knitting

2010-03-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

Alex wanted a hat. A Saints hat. He announced that around the time of playoffs, when the Saints were on the verge of going to Super Bowl. My time was limited. I did what any "frugal" mom knitter would ordinarily do - I went to Joann's, bought cheapo Vanna yarn and using the free chart on Ravelry, made him a hat. It took about a day and a half.

It was UGLY. Very ugly.

I didn't want Alex (who's 6' 2") to wear evidence of my ugly knitting on his head, for all to see, towering above everyone in its ugly knitting glory. I had to do better. The floats on the backside showed through, black through yellow, it was not good.

I started looking at double knitted hat patterns on Ravelry, and started wondering if I could do it that way. I had never done double knitting, but there were excellent youtube videos on it, and after doing some research, I figured I could do it. I got much better yarn (Sublime merino, ahem a little more expensive than Vanna) and started in.

It was kind of fun. It is two sided knitting, done at the same time. Both the front and back stitches are on the needle at the same time and as the pattern switches colors you reverse them. Hard to explain, but hecka cool. Here's what the beginning looked like:

It took me around 3 days. When it was done it was too big. Way too big. Big lesson there - gauge is really different when double knitting. But, being handy with a sewing machine fixed that up really quick.

Here's Grace modeling it. She was a much more willing model at the moment I had the camera.

I was on a double knitting roll at that point. I saw in the Stitches brochure a Market class on double knitting where they made these cute little heart coasters to learn the double knitting technique. I grabbed my pink and red left over Cotton Ease and whipped up a few to give to my knitting buds.

They were really cute!

Shawl #2 or How to Give Yourself a Yarn Heart Attack

2010-03-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

I was given a lovely skein of pink silk/seacell blend laceweight. 700 yards. Good stuff. And I wanted to make Haruni. What a beautiful shawl! The perfect combination for Ravelympics, a challenge to make something during the Olympics - something that wouldn't be too easy, but doable. You have to finish before the torch is extinguished - to get your virtual medal. I would be at Stitches, but armed with an iphone and a little help from Alex to get the photo posted, it should all work out. Right?

I cast on as the opening ceremonies began, and started my project. It went well. The pattern calls for arond 450 yards of sock yarn, so I knew I had plenty (red flag! Danger!) so I made it bigger. The first section has "stems" and the pattern called for 12 and to make it bigger you had to increase in increments of two stems. I made 16. On to the edging.

"Ooooh, this is taking lots of yarn," she thinks to herself while knitting merrily along. (danger! danger!) "Oh, but I have 700 yards!" NO PROBLEM. By the time we were leaving for Stitches I had a wee little ball left and about 5 rows to go. Five LONG rows. I knit in the car, keeping the little ball hidden from Tracy so she wouldn't shriek in horror at the amount I had left. After every row I squeezed and felt how much I used, and it seemed like it could POSSIBLY work. Right? Gotta have faith, right?

I was on my last row during the opening session at Stitches. While listening to Jane Slicer Smith talk miters and design options, I started the bind off. The pattern calls for a crochet loop bind off which is really pretty, but I knew I was pushing it to have enough for a regular bind off. It took most of the session, since it was close to 500 stitches, and the wee ball was now more of a wee lump, but I did it (and resisted the urge to stand up and cheer when the last stitch was done!).

I steam ironed/blocked it in the hotel room and wore it the next day. Photo below taken on the bed in the hotel.

With several days of the Olympics to spare, I might add.

Now I want to make one with the loops.

Cindy Pressure

2010-03-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, those Cindy Knitters! They innocently mention a little knit a long and Boom! I'm off.

This time it is 10 shawls in 2010. Clever, right? Doable, right? I hope so. I enjoy lace, am sick of socks, so seems good. And the new crop of shawlette patterns use up around a skein of sock yarn, and BOY do I have some to choose from.

I started January 1 in the spirit of the thing, and cast on the Valentine Shawl. I figured it would get done by Valentine's Day. I had some lovely red Hana Silk that had been waiting for me to use it, so it was a match.

I finished on January 21. It was an easy knit, starting at the tip and increasing at the sides until a triangle was formed, at the same time knitting in little hearts. A snap.

I gave it to Mom, since she's my Valentine and all. She likes red, and is my number 1 fan, so why not start at the top? Here she is at Whole Foods (where we meet and knit on Fridays) modeling the shawl while other people buy carrots.

Note: all links are to Ravelry. You have to sign up to see them, but it is free and instant, so go look!!

Shawl #2 next post.

Back from Blog Vacation

2010-03-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

That's right, I'm back!!

Blogging isn't what it used to be. So much competition. Facebook, Ravelry, iphone apps -- they all take up lots of time and are lots of fun.

I started blogging as a means to document my knitting and my life (somewhat) and the above things have pretty much done that for me with, lets face it, less effort. Blogger is a pain, the uploading and editing, etc. When you can take a photo with your phone and instantly send it to facebook or Ravelry, it seems like a lot of duplication of effort to do it here too.

So I decided not to stop blogging, but to take a blog break and see. After a few months of that, I think I miss it. So here I am. I decided that personal stuff will continue on facebook since folks I know keep up with me and my family there. But the knitting...even though I update Ravelry pretty faithfully, I don't really get to talk about it much there. And the crafting - I have been feeling the "itch" to do other sorts of crafting, and that isn't documented anywhere!

So Yarn Paper Scissors will continue as my adventures in knitting and crafting. My posting may be sporadic, as is my knitting and crafting life due to family and time constraints. I may only have 2 readers, but hey, that's okay.

If you are still reading at this point, look soon for new posts of what I've been up to since the new year began, and maybe a freshening up of the blog look.

It's good to be back.

Happy Knitting New Year

2009-12-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

This post is going to be knitter ramblings, so if you aren't one of my knitter friends, just go back to getting ready for the bowling party (you know who you are) and you won't notice how much of a one track mind I have.

Okay, now, I must say that knitting resolutions are great. No real fear of failure, since even if you don't do what you planned, you do something else which is usually just as good, so NO STRESS! Plus, other than a little Christmas present stress, knitting is usually relaxing. Right?

I joined the 10 shawls in 2010 group on Ravelry. And joined a few (ahem, we won't count how many) Ravelympics teams. So I have stuff planned. I am getting the feeling this will be the year of lace. I'm not supposed to start until tomorrow, but swatching is okay, so I started a little swatch (or point of the shawl shh, don't tell) of one of the starting projects, the Valentine Shawl, made from Hana silk that I got a long time ago at Artfibers in SF.

I have a lovely stash of laceweight, and it is begging me to use it, so I will try to just knit from my stash whenever possible. The only glaring exception to this will be Stitches, and I plan on being very PICKY with purchases. One thing experience brings you is the ability to not get so caught up in the moment with impulse buys. Especially when you have a few past purchases still hanging around.

I have printed most of the potential patterns for what I want to make and stuck them in one binder, so I am organized and ready to go. I need to spend a little time with my new ball winder I got for Christmas, but other than that I'm at the starting gate ready for the ball to drop.

Happy Knitter New Year!

Merry Christmas Knitting!

2009-12-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my knitting friends and other friends who happen by my little sporadic blog. It seems that ravelry and facebook occupy too much of my time already, so my little blog gets neglected.

I have finished my Christmas knitting - knitting I have been working on since around October. I have been saving up the photos, so, are ya ready?

First up, Carey. She got a set of fingerless mitts and a neck warmer in Malabrigo. This is a unique colorway (fancy term for end of the bucket) that I fell in love with at Imagiknit a few months ago. The pattern is Vancouver Fog Mitts.

The neckwarmer pattern is Celtic Cable Neckwarmer and this is the second one I have made. Great pattern.

Next up is Jean. Jean is getting(or will be soon if the USPS is late) the Laurel hat I made and entered into the fair. To go with, I made some simple mitts in the same yarn. Yarn: Vintage Wool by Berocco.

Then we have Mom - she got the Damson shawl in Cascade Heritage sock yarn. As you may recall, Tracy got the same shawl for her birthday, and I ran out of yarn at the exact same place (even though I went down a needle size). Fortunately, Janice had a skein of the same yarn and I twisted her arm, and now Mom has enough left over to make herself some little socks. She likes 'em short anyway.

My mother-in-law requested bed socks, so I made dk weight socks from Sublime Merino with Angora cuffs. They are so soft, and she has been warned not to slip. She swears she will only wear them while actually IN bed.

My sister-in-law received the Raspberry Silk scarf I made earlier this year,
and Maurice's relative Nelly (WAY too complicated to explain how they are related) is visiting from New York, so she didn't escape the yarny gifting. I started her a little keyhole neckwarmer scarf made from stash yarn that was just waiting for the right moment to be used. It took around 24 hours to make, and was done on Christmas Eve, and given to her on Christmas Day. I liked it and may make another one sometime.

Happy New Year to all!!

Tracy had a birthday!

2009-11-22T07:27:00.000-08:00

And I have been knitting her a little something without her even knowing about it. Aren't I sneaky?

It is a little shawlette/scarf called Damson, designed by Ysolda Teague, a favorite designer of mine who lives in Scotland and must have a cool life - living in Scotland and designing knitwear.
It uses one skein of sock yarn, and I chose a skein of Malabrigo sock in a lovely blue/black color that I hope goes with jeans or black or both.

I modified the original pattern by inserting a lace pattern into every other little triangle at the bottom. I had seen this on ravelry, and the originator had permission to give it out to others which she did, and there you have it! I think it made a lovely addition to the overall look. I also like the scallop edge.

Such a fun knit, and it looks good on Tracy. She modeled it for me at Whole Foods (our knitting group spot). The folks at the grocery store are getting used to a bunch of knitters being there, and now they are getting to see a bunch of knitters photographing shawls in front of the carrots. Good times!

Rosemal Hat and Mittens

2009-11-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

I got the latest issue of Knitter's Magazine, and was not very impressed. Several of the patterns were for items I had actually seen in person at last year's Stitches. It is more than a little weird to know that the items you are seeing in a brand new magazine you get in the mail you have actually TOUCHED. And some of them were much scratchier than any garment I'd wear. Just sayin'.

Anyway, just as disappointment set in, I saw Rosemal. A darling mitten and hat combo made from Mission Falls 1824 Wool. I don't own any of that yarn, and loved the particular color combo shown in the magazine, so I have managed to find most all the colors and am ready to make them.

Meanwhile, I couldn't wait for all that so I started them in dk weight, using leftover Rowan Pure Wool dk from my mom's cardigan I made for Christmas last year.

They fit Grace and were tons of fun to make. All those colors, the embroidery and the fair isle made for some quick and entertaining knitting. The weaving in of the ends was a pain though, over 30 per mitten.

She loves them!

Fair Time!

2009-10-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

I entered in this year's fair, even though I swore I retired after last time. Sometimes you just can't deny the little "fair bug" that bit me when I was a kid entering in 4-H.

This year I won two blue ribbons and a red ribbon!

My Aeolian Shawl won first place in the shawl category:

And my newest finished project, the Laurel hat from Jared Flood's Made in Brooklyn book got a first place in the hat category. I loved making this hat - it was quick and full of cables - what could be better?

My Marlene socks got second place. No photo, but you remember them, right? The socks that got first place were made by a fellow Ancient Pathways knitter, Jenn, so it's all good. There's always next year for that, right?

Swappity Swap

2009-09-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am a Cindy. Not incredibly unique among my generation, but I named my oldest Emily, so I guess I'm passing the popular name thing along quite nicely.

Anyhow, on Ravelry there is a group of us Cindy-knitters, and I am participating in the "Summer of the Cotton Cloth." This is a traveling swap of you-guessed-it, cotton cloths. We are given the name of the person we will be knitting for, and a little info about them. We knit them a cloth, include a skein or two of cotton yarn for them and some goodies to round out the love.

The swap is a traveling one, meaning it travels around the United States and Canada in a path known only to the moderator. I have been waiting since the beginning of the summer and it has been stuck on the east coast until recently when it has made its way to Texas and British Colombia. And guess what I got in the mail yesterday?

You guessed it, the little box. We have been using the same little box, and boy is it tired.

Mine came from Cindy in Canada, and she did a fabulous job of spoiling me! Two cloths, a purple one made from hemp and and white cotton one in a diamond pattern, both very lovely.

I was spoiled with three skeins of yarn, some chocolate with yummy nuts, smarties (Grace got those) two sets of stitch markers, a handmade soap, and an cold pack commemorating the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver. A lovely package worth waiting for!

Now it is my turn to send it on its way. I have enclosed some kona coffee, and my Cindy collects thimbles so I found three interesting ones at a local antique store, along with some art deco buttons. The cloth I knit from Meg from Ancient Pathways' hand dyed yarn and I am enclosing another skein of her cotton/tencel. My package is going to another state (I won't give away the secret) and I'm putting my goodies into the little box and marking the map to show where it has been and tucking in that too. Bye little box!

What I did this summer

2009-08-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting my little fingers off this summer - not doing too much blogging as you can see, but knitting and knitting and knitting (and maybe a little driving kids back and forth, that never ends).

Here is the grand finale: The Aeolian Shawl, made from Baruffa Cashwool, merino cobweb laceweight, and it took very close to the entire skein which was 1400 yards. This pattern was very well written, consisting of several (like 6 or so) charts, which I like to work from. It also had lots and lots of "nupps" which are Estonian torture devices, I mean bobbles. You work nine loops into one stitch, creating a little bobble. Sounds easy, but it isn't. It also has over 2000 beads, each one put on individually with a crochet hook. I had done beading before (the Swan Lake shawl, two years ago) so that part was okay, it just took a long time.

Blocking was a challenge, each point had to be pinned out separately and now it is in the other room drying. Our cat Cuppy tried to help me by pulling out the pins with her teeth, so it is behind closed doors at the moment. Hopefully it will be dry by tonight.

Now what do I knit?

Chugging Along

2009-06-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

It is knitting time on the blog folks!

I finished my "sand art" socks. They are Kaffe Fassett yarn, self-striping socks knit as a plain tube with an afterthought heel. I did that to preserve the sand art look to the stripes, and it worked well. They are photographed here on my new socks blockers from KnitPicks, which are great and not expensive which makes them even better. That makes pair number 2 done for this year. SLOW progress.

The nice folks at Ancient Pathways are doing a knit-a-long to make the Aeolian Shawl (ravelry link) and though I initially resisted I gave in. I am usuing stash yarn (Baruffa Cashwool 100% merino) but I did buy some beads. They didn't have size 8 black beads so I got triangle shaped beads in black but they have a irridescent blue/green cast to them. I am knitting a long more with Janice than the AP gang, because I'm behind due to the resistance thing. Anyway, I am on the first set of charts and here is progress so far--

Such as it is.

I also started a new sock with yarn I overdyed at Janice's. This yarn used to be yellow/red and with some chestnut over it, it turned a lovely brown/russetty red. I am making the Leyburn socks. This pattern goes FAST. I started yesterday. It is toe-up, and I used Judy's Magic Cast-on for the toe. Happy toe! The rest is going great too. It really helps when you are in love with the yarn.

I'm also set to cast on another Clapotis. More on that next time.

Raspberry Silk

2009-06-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

I think I love lace. It is a mental challenge, at times irritating when you mess up, but for the most part it is like mental exercise. Then when you are done, the payoff is huge. After you block it, it turns into a beautiful piece of knitting. The only drawback is it is not good social knitting. You have to pay attention.

Behold, the Raspberry Silk Scarf:

I made this to give at the Good Things gift exchange, but couldn't part with it. At least, not yet. It could become a Christmas present. Shhh, don't tell.

Yarn: Redfish Dyeworks, 20/2 Silk
Pattern: Asphodel Lace Scarf by Misti International

I started this on May 25 and finished June 15. Not too bad for less than a month!

When is a pair not a pair?

2009-06-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

I finished my Marlene socks. I actually finished them awhile ago, but just now am getting photos of them on the blog. They are the longest socks I have made, and took FOREVER. But I love them. They will be so nice this winter when it is cold and I'm wearing brown shoes. You can't wear wacky color socks all the time (well, you actually can, but sometimes I like to be a little more discreet).

Pattern: Marlene by Cookie A. (ravelry link)
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy, Color: Cocoa Kiss

My goal this year is to knit 12 pair of socks. This is actually the first pair I have completed. Pretty sad, huh?

I actually finished another "pair" but I don't think you could count it as a pair. On the left is some Lorna's Laces yarn knit into a plain ole' sock, a la Yarn Harlot Sock Recipe. On the right is a plain sock, knit from Kaffe Fasset's sock yarn. I made this one with an afterthought heel to better preserve the sand art look of the stripes. I had never done that before and really liked the effect. With any luck, I'll knit another two socks and then have three pair done.

I also wanted to blog about a swap I did with my Cindy Knitter group on Ravelry (yes, there are enough of us Cindys who knit to form an entire group). The rules were you were given the name of a Cindy and were supposed to spend around $30 and get them some yarn and some other goodies. We were given a deadline, and I mailed mine off to Elizabethtown, PA in time. And then I waited. And waited. And nothing. So I contacted the Cindy in charge and she called upon two "angels" who had signed up to rescue someone in the event someone flaked. So I got the above pictured lot of goodies from two different people! It ended up being way more than I would have gotten originally, so I went from feeling left out to guilty for getting too much. Then about a month later the original Cindy who had flaked sent me some stuff too. It was good stuff, but over a month late. So I ended up with 3 packages. So much for my first swap experience.

I'm starting a new lace project - this one is a little lace scarf I'm going to use in a gift exchange. This pattern has the two end pieces knit first and then they are grafted on to the center section. The ends went fine, but the center section is driving me crazy. I'm looking forward to blocking it to see how it is going to look. The yarn is Redfish Dyeworks 20/2 silk. Such a pretty color!

Graduation

2009-05-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

Alex graduated from 8th grade yesterday!

The school is a Kindergarted through 8th grade school, so reaching the end of 9 years is a big deal. Look at those big feet! And did they all buy the same suit?

Alex is off to high school sooner than you'd think, he's on the freshman football team and daily practices begin June 8.

We started the day with a brunch hosted by the seventh grade and then after the ceremony we had lunch at Gigi's.

We are proud of you Alex! Go Panthers!

Small Town Joys

2009-05-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

.

Not too long ago, we got the urge to take a drive. Gram, Pop, Grace, and I hit the road and made our way up the hill to Three Rivers. It is close to the Sierras, and a nice little hour or so drive from home.

And, ahem, coincidentally there is a nice little yarn shop there, Creekside Yarns. The shop has a very nice selection of yarns, including some very posh cashmere sock yarn at 35 dollars a sock! (I didn't get any of that - this time) I did come away with some alpaca that could become a Christmas present.

We also got treated to some very special scenery, metal farm animal sculptures. Why? Who knows. But it was fun to see.
We then made our way to the little town of Exeter, which is known for the murals they have painted all over their little downtown. I must say I have been in a lot of little valley towns, and this was a very nice example. Here are a couple of the murals:
We had lunch at a little "hole in the wall" place which was very yummy, and then we shopped a little, and then went to Kingsburg, which always must include a visit to Our Stuga, a great little shop.

It was a nice spring Saturday in the valley.

First Communion

2009-05-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

May is the month of milestones around here. On May 2, my little Gracie celebrated her First Holy Communion. She had a wonderful mass and was very excited to receive the sacrament.

The Mass was followed by a nice luncheon at a local restaurant, and the cake and presents were popular!

One of the highlights of the day was that her godparents Mark and Jean were able to travel from Wisconsin to be with her on her special day. This was the first time we had seen them since they moved almost 5 years ago.

As my gift to her, I knitted Grace a lace veil to wear with her dress. I used a pattern for an altar cloth from First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. I used the center panel which was knitted first, and then added the border. The border pattern and instructions were found in Victorian Lace Today. It went together very smoothly, considering I was sort of winging it.

Grace looked beautiful. She wore Emily's dress. It was very special to see both my girls wear the same dress. There haven't been many hand-me-downs in our family, so this was a bonus. Interestingly, Grace's friend Brianna is the sister of Emily's best friend Karley. Brianna also wore the same dress her sister did. Here are the two girls together -

One of the traditions is to make a banner that is displayed up in the front of the church. Here is the banner Grace and I made - it coordinates with the banners her sister and brother made. They are now all three hanging in our hallway, Grace is very proud of that! And we are very proud of her.

My little boy

2009-05-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Is all grown up and ready to graduate 8th grade!

At our school, it is tradition for the first graders to be welcomed at the beginning of the year by the eighth graders, and in turn at the end of the year the first graders say farewell to the big kids at the Farewell Mass.

This morning's mass was just as ordered, warm weather, kids in wacky outfits ready for the annual play day to follow, and first grade moms blowing up balloons for the end of mass.

Here is Alex with the little boy who presented him with his balloon, as they walk out to the blacktop for the big "liftoff." I can remember when he was the first grader and that eighth grader seemed so tall.

Here are his real buddies - the first graders he has been paired with as "buddies" all year.

And there they go!

Here he is with a bunch of friends -

So grown up. So rolling his eyes as his mother gets all teary! So proud of our Alex!

Vancouver

2009-05-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

May is crazy time around these parts, so I'm behind in blogging even more than usual. Here is a catch-up post...

Just before Easter Maurice needed to go do some business in Vancouver. He usually asks me to go along, but I never get the chance due to the kids, work, etc.. but this time I was able to rearrange some things and call in reinforcements and actually go along!

I LOVE Vancouver. The gardens, the water, the mountains in the background, the whole package. We had gone their many times before, but not since the kids were little. This was the first time I have gone in early Spring and it was prime blossom/tulip season. Beautiful!! It was a little rainy, but not enough to need to take advantage of the umbrella vending machine!

Knowing Maurice would be occupied with work, I did some advance research on the yarn store scene (thanks Ravelry!) and had one particular store in mind, Three Bags Full. It was charming, and had a great selection of natural fibers. They had an entire wall of Cascade 220 in probably every color, so you can imagine the amount of felting that goes on there.

I had heard that Sivia Harding worked there (she of lace knitting designer notoriety) but of course she wasn't there when I was. However, I did pick up a souvenir scarf pattern.

We also had a little time for regular sightseeing, such as Granville Island, shopping on Robson Street, and the like. My personal favorite was just soaking up the Canadian elegance at the Sutton Place Hotel, where we have stayed many times before. I think that is my favorite hotel of any we have stayed anywhere. Except for the Royal Hawaiian. Maybe they are tied.

Oh, did I mention that they are filming New Moon in Vancouver? And that is was rumored that the actors were staying at our hotel while we were there? We heard that from several sources (including fans camped outside writing Robert Pattinson love letters) but we never actually saw anything. But maybe I breathed air that touched him. Swoon. (Enough to make Emily jealous anyway).

Two nice dinners, one Chocoholic Buffet, and crepes with maple butter and back bacon for breakfast were almost as good as breathing Edward air.

They are having the Olympics in Vancouver this winter and evidence of that was everywhere - from merchandise already being sold on every corner, to a massive makeover of the airport and areas around the city. The airport was very nice - probably the nicest airport I have been to.

Overall, I wish we could have stayed much longer. We will have to not let 10 years go by before the next time.

sock heaven

2009-04-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

When a sock knitter goes to heaven, this is what she sees:

Toe up and cuff down -- Total bliss!

Why haven't I started one of these beauties yet?

Still plugging away on Marlene.

The good news is that one sock is done. This is the longest sock I have ever made! It looks like I'm wishing Santa were filling it up.

In my wish to work on something where I didn't have to count, I have been doing a plain (if you can call these babies plain) sock with the Kaffe Fassett yarn Janice gave me for my birthday. I think they look like sand art. Remember sand art?

Now the big question is which sock to make. These two books could keep me busy a LONG time.

Now that is sock heaven.

Caution! Slow Knitter Ahead

2009-04-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

Top five excuses for not blogging:

1. Maurice took the camera on two long overseas trips.
2. Working on long term project with no finished objects to show.
3. Busy with driving across town 42,000 times a day (see #1)
4. Facebook (and Carey beating me 19 times at Pathwords)
5. Kindle software on the iPod, making reading a new mega-portable hobby

Those are my excuses - and a good summary of what I've been up to.

My main excuse is that after Stitches I started on a lace veil for Grace's First Communion. I am using the Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting's Altar Lace pattern for the center panel and then doing a knitted on border from Victorian Lace Today. Sounds complicated, and it is. The center panel is done,

and wasn't really hard, lots of repetition on the lace by the cross, and easy to see if you've gone astray. I've never knitted a border on after the fact, and there is where I am now. Thankfully, VLT has a very nice back section on how to do this, and that is what I'm doing. Or at least trying to do, as I am on row 7 after starting and ripping a few times.

That leaves precious little time to finish Marlene, my sock by Cookie A., sock knitting hero. I really like this sock, but I have set it aside a lot, first to do the Feb Lady Sweater for Stitches wearing, and then to work on the veil. Every time I pick it up again I have to refresh my memory on what I'm doing and that usually involves messing up a few times before I get going again, and about that time I put it down for awhile. Not good in progress department.

I have, however, turned the heel, so I'm hoping progress will start to pick up soon.

Next on the agenda is knitting a sock out of the new Cookie A. book. LOVELY. And in general, cranking out a few projects to boost the knitting self-esteem. I really wanted to knit 12 pair of socks this year, but so far I don't even have one sock, much less one pair to show for myself.

Living with traveling husband means I'm the single mom at home a lot. And the kids aren't slowing down any, so I am running around in high stress mode frequently. And next on our family agenda includes First Communion, graduation from 8th grade, and two birthdays. Not to mention Easter, Alex and Maurice's trip to Washington DC etc.......Yikes. June is looking pretty inviting.

I'm finally getting to tag along on one of those business trips, so the end of this week I'll get to go with Maurice on a quicky trip to Vancouver. Brrrr, I realize, but this year seems to be the year of being cold. And Canada promises some yarn stores, right? I really love Vancouver, and haven't been there since Emily was little and chasing pigeons in the park, so this should be a fun trip. We are staying at the same hotel we stayed in a lot back then, so it should be nice.

Now, should I take the sock along, or download a new book on my iPod?

Stitches!!!

2009-03-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

I just love Stitches. For 5 days I get to just be Cindy the Knitter. Not Mom, Wife, Librarian, Brownie Leader, etc...but Knitter. I walk into the hotel and instantly I'm amongst my peeps. I'm sure my kids are rolling their eyes at that, but it is true. People knitting everywhere you look, people complimenting what everyone is wearing, people openly gawking at cables or lace walking by, people touching other people's clothes in elevators without hesitation and it all makes SENSE.

Tracy and I had our lovely day Wednesday shopping at Santana Row, this time joined by Janice. We had a nice lunch and made our way to the hotel, and then ate sushi for dinner while we sat and knitted in the hotel bar. (Okay, there were also mojitos involved. That was fun too). Tracy spent the night then departed just as the action began at Stitches. We somehow have to get that girl to stay. I'll work on that.

Then came the knitting fun. The opening session was intarsia, with such heavy hitters as Lucy Neatby (two different color shoes), Nicky Epstein and Jane Slicer Smith. Very cool. Then came the classes - this year I took intermediate cables with Melissa Leapman, Edgings and Flowers with Nicky Epstein, Fiendishly Difficult Stitches, and Harnessing Hand-dyed Yarns. So much fun. Made a lot of swatches. Learned a lot of building blocks to make my own designs on sweaters, etc. Should maybe try that sometime.

The evening events were fun too, punctuated by bad food as usual, and lots of knitting everywhere. What was different this year was how many people I knew! I was no longer by myself the entire time, it seemed like everywhere I went I recognized people from previous years and they remembered me too. I hung out with Janice for the most part, and we met up frequently with Wendy (now from Portland) and Diane came up for a day or two. One big knitting party!
Of course I visited the market too. I came back with yarn for a sweater for me, two for Alex, and a few (ahem) pair of socks. So many pretty yarns!

I did finish my February Lady Sweater and wore it to Stitches. I picked out my buttons on Thursday Night Market Preview (cost all of $1.50) and sewed them on in the hotel room.
Mom and Carey came up on Saturday night and met me then we shopped together until midday Sunday and then drove home. Sad to leave the knitting bliss behind. See you next year knitters!

A Day to Dye

2009-02-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

My fabulous friend Janice is a very talented yarn dyer! I used her yarn even before I ever met her and loved it. She calls her wares French 75. I have made monkey socks, waving lace socks, and pumpkin socks from her yarn, plus I confess to having a few stashed for sock knitting emergencies.

Well, once we met and I convinced her I wasn't a stalker, just a yarn admirer, we became friends and she (and Diane) joined our little Knotty (Naughty) Knitter group. This past Friday she invited me to dye with her!! Like being asked to craft along with Martha, cook along with Emeril, you get the picture.

Now I realize I need another craft like the "hole in head" cliche', but how could I resist? I was interested in watching her in action, seeing how she makes decisions about color, and just maybe getting my hands wet.

It was fun! She has lots of colors of dye mixed up, and since it was raining, we got to work at the kitchen table. It wasn't nearly as messy as I thought it would be. I spent most of the morning and early afternoon with her, and ended up dyeing 7 or 8 skeins of sock yarn. Since I had to go turn into a Brownie Leader, I left my work to dry and a day later took home 5 prized skeins of yarn!! (Although I do think I need that one pink one I accidently left behind...Oh, and I forgot about the turquoise one....)

Needless to say, someone has created a monster! I was in seventh heaven, and although I know I could stand some practice, it really wasn't that hard to do. Could become addictive. I'm resisting the urge to get in over my head, but I would really not turn down another dye day adventure.

Thanks Janice!

Yes, I did!!

2009-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

We made it. Forty-four of us made it home safe and sound from our inauguration adventure.

We left before dawn on Saturday and made our way by bus to SFO, where our flight via Virgin America went off without a hitch (nice airline, by the way). When we arrived in Washington, all of our luggage arrived too (yay!) and another bus wisked us off to immediately see some sights.

Brrrr! That evening tour took place is 8 degree weather, I might add! We saw the Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, Washington Monument, White House (behind lots of scaffolds) and bleachers set up for the parade to come. Did I mention we were walking around them? And that it was cold? Brrrrr, especially since some of us didn't pack all our weather gear in our carry-ons.

The next morning dawned bright and early and once again we were off seeing the sights. We started at the World War II memorial, and off to the Vietnam Memorial and Lincoln Memorial, and in the process got caught up in the crowds that were there to see the pre-inauguration concert. Some of the monuments were blocked off, but we got to see more port-a-potties than ever before assembled in the United States (not kidding about that stat).

We then had a whirlwind visit to the Smithsonian where my personal highlights included Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, Seinfeld's Puffy Shirt and Kermit the Frog. We saw First Ladies' dresses and other such goodies, and then off to the National Archives to see the Constitution, Declaration of Independence,
and Magna Carta, and then had a sobering experience at the Holocaust Museum.

Monday included visits to the Iwo Jima memorial, , the National Cathedral, and Arlington Cemetery, where our group got to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The real adventure came Tuesday Morning. We were up at 4, bus at 5:30 and into the city at 6. The city was closed off to regular traffic, but our bus and tour company had secured parking at the Washington Nationals Baseball Stadium. We were supposed to have a short 1.2 mile walk to our spot on the Mall which had been staked out by the World Strides people the day before. Of course there were incredible crowds (we walked arm in arm, 4 deep, to avoid losing any of the kids) and unexpected streets closed off, so it ended up being a 2 hour walk instead of a 20 minute one, but by 8 am we had our spot on the Mall, about half way between the Washington Monument and the Capitol, with a Jumbotron in full view. Then we got to wait for two hours until the action started. It was COLD!! The high that day was 27 degrees, so that early it was around 18 - 20. We had hand warmers galore, and I was SO thankful for knitwear, and sheep in general.

Around 10 the action began, and we watched, along with our 2 million friends. It was incredible, and every bit of it made you very proud to be an American. People were so happy around us, cheering, laughing, wearing all sorts of Obama-wear. It was a memorable experience that I'm sure the kids will never forget.

Afterward the crowds were intense, but our never-tiring tour guide pushed us toward the Lincoln Memorial, where our bus was supposed to meet us. Unfortunately, he got diverted out of town and was unable to get back in, so we had to walk some more (!) to the Metro station, where we rode to Virginia to meet back up. After a lovely dinner, we went back to the hotel to collapse. What a day!!

Wednesday was our trip to Mt. Vernon and the Capitol. We stood on the spot where the outgoing President traditionally hands his "resignation" papers to the incoming President (as Bush did the day before), and saw where the luncheon was held where Sen. Kennedy had a seizure. We walked down the same stairs seen on tv where Obama walked on the way out to the Capitol steps where he took his oath. We also met with our Congressman, where the kids got to talk and ask him questions.

Then it was off to the airport, where despite crowds, our flights went perfectly, and back to SFO and bus home. So tired! But all worth it.

As not to embarrass myself....

2009-01-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Washington D.C. Can you guess why? One hint, I'll be there on January 20.

I'm going to accompany my daughter and around 30 or so other high school students as we see our new president be sworn in.

I'm excited, and nervous. I never dreamed when we signed up that I was going to join up to 4 million other people doing the same thing. I'm having big time second thoughts, but am taking a deep breath and hoping for the best.

Many, many things will be out of my control. The one thing I do have control over is how prepared I am for the weather. I realize it will be cold, much colder than I've been in for a long time (I did live a year in northern Sweden, folks, so I can recall cold). As I've told a few people, I've also seen March of the Penguins, and don't plan on being the outside penguin, but still, I've got some preparing to do.

Boots? Check (new REI store in town, clearance prices, North Face down lined, I'm good). Knitwear? Got to have lots of that lying around, right? I'm a hard core knitter. Wait. I have never knitted myself a hat. I have lots of scarves, but they are the "pretty" kind, not really the warm kind. Mittens? Yes, but sort of same thing. Plus, being the knitter of very short attention span, nothing is knit to work together, they are all sort of independently wonderful, but not by any stretch a set.

What kind of self-respecting kitter am I? I can't even scrounge up cold weather gear? Yikes.

Okay, I'm cheating on the gloves, and I bought some leather, furry lined ones. But a hat I can do. I've been admiring Ysolda Teague's hat designs on Ravelry, so quickly downloaded one of her new ones, the Icing Swirl Hat and went in search of yarn. I found some Takhi Bunny Print that I've had for AGES, and set off. Now I have this:

I think it is lovely. Such a fun little pattern. My only problem at this point is that I don't have a scarf to match. Not enough yarn to make a scarf too, and although I do have some solids that would match, they are in a thinner yarn that would take too long. I'll have to work on that this week.

In other news, I am making the Marlene Sock, by Cookie A. It is going nicely too, her patterns are always wonderful. This one is in chocolate brown (or officially cocoa kiss), by Dream in Color.

Janice and I are also starting a knit a long of the February Lady Sweater. I ordered my Dream in Color Classy, in the Chinatown Apple colorway, not quite knowing what I was going to get. When it came, I was delighted. Such a pretty orangey russetty color, with a little mossy jade green thrown in. I started the sweater and then did the buttonhole, and after consultation with my partner and the internet, ripped the whole thing out and will start again. But I can show you a picture of my pretty yarn.

So January is off to a knitting start. One finished object, on sock in progress, and one sweater to be. Not bad.

Look for me in the crowds, okay? I'm the one with the pretty hat.

Hooked up

2009-01-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

OK, so this is a knitting blog. I know that. But I could not help but show you all what my mother in law crocheted for Gary and I for Christmas. First, my obvious hints didn't fall on deaf ears. We got some new coasters. This time in red and green. Here, look!

And, as if that isn't enough creativity, she created a yummy lap blanket.

Lookie... those are cookies!

If you're interested in trying to make some cookies, check this out.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/downloads/CrochetOreoCookies.pdf

What fun!

Knitting New Year

2008-12-31T19:14:00.000-08:00

In 2008, I knit:

1 sweater (Ravelry link)
8 pair of socks
8 scarves
1 major lace piece
1 pair of mittens
1 hat

Production really took a dive this year. I blame it on the major sweater, employment, and general laziness. Time spent on Ravelry had nothing to do with it. (uh huh)

My 2009 knitting resolutions (goals):
2 sweaters
12 pair of socks
1 major lace piece
assorted other stuff as the whim strikes

The one things I really achieved in 2008 was widening my circle of knitting friends to include more local friends. I'm really happy I've gotten to know Janice, Diane, Sandra, and many others.

I enjoy knitting things for others and I've got a few things up my sleeve for that, but I want to make sure this year I do some selfish knitting, meaning keep a few things. (Don't worry Tracy, there'll be plenty for you to claim). I've got a major knit brewing for Grace, and I'm due to start a sweater for myself soon (hurry Priority Mail!!).

Here's hoping the new year will be a productive one, full of projects, yarn, and lots of friends. Happy New Year!

Filling in the Blanks

2008-12-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

I got the idea for the sweater I knit Mom for Christmas way back when I saw the Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knitting. A Kaffe Fassett floral cardigan, fitted with 3/4 length sleeves. It was made from Rowan Pure Wool DK.

I started to look around for the yarn. Not available in Fresno at the time, so I looked around on the internet, and found some of the 8 colors at one place, some at another. I ordered what I could, but I couldn't find the background color, shamrock, and two of the others. Article Pract in Oakland would order it for me, but then I'd have to ship it here. I didn't want to switch yarns, because part of the appeal was the interplay of the colors, and I didn't want to mess that up.

Then Swatches opened, and Fran carried Rowan! I quickly made my way there and she had black in stock that I could use as the blackground (better than Shamrock's goofy green anyway) and she could order the other colors. She initially forgot to place the order, but after two weeks it was placed, and took another week or so to arrive.

That took me to October. Still plenty of time, right? Meanwhile, I was looking at the pattern, and decided that a wool cardigan that clearly was outerwear should not have 3/4 length sleeves. Oh, I can do that, no sweat. And didn't really want it fitted, looser fit better. Okay, no problem. The rest would be easy. Just follow the pattern.

Then the yarn came and I started to swatch. I've done color work before, mittens, socks, no problem. Flat colorwork, with color changes every row, sometimes with more than two colors a row? Purling with two colors was complicated, and you couldn't see if you were going according to the pattern. Hmm, what if I knit it in the round, and steeked the front? Never done that before, but it might be easier....

So I did all the math and wrapped my brain around connecting the pieces and knit it as a single tube. I looked up and read all the steek info I could find on ravelry and the internet, and plunged ahead. It went fine, until the armholes, when I had to once again think it through, and the same with the neckline. Meg from Ancient Pathways gave her advice, and I was cheered on by Janice, Tracy, Diane, and several in-progress comments from Ravelry people, some I knew, and some I didn't.

I sewed and cut the steeks on December 15. That part was fun, kind of like daredevil knitting. I trust my sewing machine, so I really wasn't scared, and it was fun to see it start to resemble a sweater. I knit the bands on the fronts and neck, sewed up the hems, and meanwhile, had to figure out the sleeves.

Time was running out, and Janice suggested doing the sleeves solid black. Splendid idea, except I knew I didn't have enough black yarn for that. Quickly ordered more, priority mail (love priority mail-- 4 days from New Hampshire!) and decided to do a band of pattern at the cuffs, which I had to do more math to lengthen. A little marathon knitting, and on December 23, the sleeves were sewn in and it was done!!

A date with the steam iron, and we have a sweater folks!

Here's what I learned--
*steeks-front, armhole, neckline
*converting from flat to round (both body of sweater and sleeves)
*how to lengthen sleeves based on arm measurements (mine), row gauge, and a bunch of math
*pick up stitches and knit front bands
*Jingle Bell stitch markers are festive, but noisy in some emergency knitting places
*A pattern is only a suggestion
*Kaffe Fassett probably did not knit this sweater or he would have done it my way
*Start Christmas knitting earlier

Would I do it again? Maybe. It turned out nicely when all was said and done. It was dicey at times, but isn't all Christmas deadline knitting?

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

Quick note before the craziness of Christmas Morning starts (9 minutes from now):

Mom loved her gift-
Carey loved hers - a scarf but no photo yet

Hopefully Jean got hers too - I'll keep that quiet for a little longer.

I'll do a major post about the cardigan, I've been silent and it's been driving me crazy. It was my most wild "adventure in yarn" up to this point, so stay tuned.

Until then, Merry Christmas! May the peace of Christ be with you all!

Computer Safety

2008-12-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

Hello, it's me...the kinda-sorta tech girl of the blog. Emily's the name, in case you forgot.

Now normally I don't post on my mother's blog, except on occasion, like when I'm alerting you all of a new overhead banner. Which, by the way, looks rather festive, don't you think? I admit it's not my best work; it was a...rushed project. Yeah, that's it. Anyway, I stumbled across something interesting and I feel like I should share it with you. So I will.

Earlier this fine Tuesday, a major bug was found in Internet Explorer.
It affects all versions, even the shiny new IE8 (Internet Explorer 8). To generalize, this little hole in the system allows criminals to steal your passwords and take over your computer. Which is not peoples' idea of a fun time. Microsoft is working on fixing it, but basically, you're at risk. Internet Explorer is one of the biggest browsers used today. Even Microsoft admitted it!

If you do use Internet Explorer, switch to another browser. Even before this bug, IE has been a pretty sorry excuse for a browser. If you've ever had to sit through a dozen "Not Responding" windows, you know what I mean. Personally, I find IE to be a drag, but yet I've been using it for ages. I think everyone's just so accustomed to it that they're frightened of trying out another program. I can imagine you right now, sitting there, fretting. All your passwords! All your bookmarks! Your homepages! Yes, it is a tedious thing, changing browsers. BUT IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Right now I'm on Firefox. Firefox is great. End of story. Nah, not the end of story. I still have to rant on why it's so great! :)

This bug is not found on Firefox.
Firefox is compatible with just about anything and everything Internet Explorer is. This means you can still download your toolbars! Yay toolbars!
Automatic spell checking. This is right up there with sliced bread.
Built-in pop-up blocker
Most importantly, Firefox is SO. MUCH. FASTER.

Seriously, I think you could spend days waiting for Internet Explorer to boot up. And have you ever noticed that when you open several tabs in a window, it gets even slower? I certainly have. So please, for your computer's health and your own mental health, download Mozilla Firefox.

Download it here. It's free! (And no, I'm not secretly working for Mozilla. I'm just a supporter.) Thank you for reading my small but informational piece of writing.

Turkey Cookies

2008-11-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

Gram and Grace got together the day before Thanksgiving and made some cookies to bring to the family feast. Grace was really looking forward to this "Gram time" and she loves making cookies, so she had a blast. The cookies were cute too.

Note the perfect aprons - Cookie Maker and Cookie Taster, which defines their talents nicely. Fun!

The Invisible Knitter

2008-11-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Hello blogland,

Yes, I have been absent from the blog. And not because I don't WANT to tell you what I'm doing, I just can't. Yet. As you may have noticed, it is high season for Christmas knitting, and I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises.

So here are a few teasers-

That's it. Sorry. More will be revealed in good time. (Note to self - knit faster).

In other news, I am mourning the loss of a nice yarn store (LYS to us yarn types). Knitter's Haven was not my personal Local Yarn Store, but was a store I liked to visit when I made it to Visalia, which was every few months or so. Ellen had a nice selection, and she was friendly to us Northerners.

She had been thinking of closing for awhile now, and I think the dismal economy just made her decision easier. She will close next week, and she has been having her final sale for a month now. Janice, Tracy, Diane, and I went a few weeks ago and I got some Baby Ull to make some mini-mittens for an Advent calendar idea I have. While the mittens are cute, I don't think I have time to finish the Advent idea, at least not this year. Stay tuned.

I like the yarn so much, however, that Carey, Mom, and I made our way there yesterday to get some more before it was gone forever. Thanks Ellen!

I'm so published...

2008-11-12T15:13:00.001-08:00

OK, so like, in the real world, I'm published all the time. Having a day job at a newspaper sorta takes the glam out of the experience of seeing your name in print. But, this week, it is something altogether different. I'm published. Yep. Little 'ol me.

It is Tracy's fault.

Go back in time about a year and sweet Tracy made me a stack of personal business cards. She also made some for Cindy and NolaMom. She went to this great Web site, designergals.com, and created a little miniature version of me. The site -- which you've simply got to check out -- is a great excuse to play paper dolls, all electroinc like, as a grown up. You can send e-cards, make stuff to print out or buy notepads and other cool stuff. The best part about it is that money raised on the site helps fund the Gal Foundation, a nonprofit org. that grants wishes to Stage IV breast cancer patients and their families. So, Tracy gave me these cards and I checked out the site and became hooked. A few months ago I entered a contest to make your "gal" and send in a quote you live by. And I was named a winner!

The quotes and gals are being used in a 2009 planner by Franklin Covey, who will give a portion of the sales of the calendar to the Gal Foundation. My gal and my quote are in there alongside such celebrities as Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Up Daisies), Marg Helgenberger (CSI) and the most impresssive, Maxine Clark, the founder of Build-A-Bear. How cool is that?

Thanks Tracy!

By the way... my quote: Things fall apart so things can fall together.

Two socks are better than one

2008-11-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin socks are in the books.

They turned out really nice. Love the pattern, so easy, and love the yarn, so pretty.

Grace was a witch this year. Emily reprised the pirate look and Alex apparently went as a teenager. Trick-or-treating was at Lori's house this year, a change of pace for us that was a fun twist to the evening. Note: Bella does not make a good trick or treat companion.

Now on to November's first major event: Emily turns 15 today! Happy birthday my eldest child. We are proud of you and we love you.

Hedgehogs and Pumpkins

2008-10-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had to get a little more fiber in our diets, Tracy, and I, so we persuaded fiber goddess Janice to come over with the giant bag o'fluff, and her scary-looking felting needles, and we got down and dirty with the poking and created the cutest little things.

Aren't they adorable? I made the pumpkin (at least I'm moving away from the candy corn theme I had going the last few weeks) and Tracy was obsessed with making a little hedgehog creature. They both turned out great I think.

I'm now wondering what else I can do. I'm thinking a little bowl of 3D hearts for Valentine's Day?

It really wasn't hard, and is rather addictive.

We enjoyed welcoming Janice into the Naughty Knitters Wednesday morning group. We may even be persuading Tracy to do something other than a scarf again. And Lisa and Nolamom are booking on their second socks. Lots of progress even though there were pastries involved.

Words on Mittens, Pumpkins on Socks

2008-10-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

I finished my Prayer Mittens! Yay me! (too much Disney Channel) Now I can move on to the next in my mental list of things I gotta knit. Xmas knitting is on agenda, as is the felted purse I saw in Interweave Felt. First I have to wind the 6 skeins of yarn....

I'm also working on my little pumpkin socks. This pattern is so easy that I can knit it without the pattern, so it is the perfect take along project. It has gone everywhere too. Lots of waiting opportunitites. I am very close to the heel flap, this photo is a few days old. I LOVE this yarn. This is Janice's French 75 yarn in "pumpkinhead" and the colors are so deliciously fall I am enjoying knitting this sock tremendously!!

In other news, yesterday was a day off of school that we ALL had off. Except Maurice, who was busy breaking his finger at the gym (ow). Since the fair ended Monday, and Disneyland wasn't in the picture, we ended up going up to the pumpkin patch and the movies.

The scarecrows were more realistic than the talking chihuahuas.

Felting Frenzy

2008-10-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Good Things this month was my turn. I had been requested to do a felting project, so I came up with three things to keep us busy.

I had played with felting soap with Mom, Carey, and Tracy, and I knew Janice was a pro at it so I wanted to do that with the group. I think we all enjoyed it, but none so much as Grace, who barely let Janice come up for air while trying to use every color of fiber we had (and we had lots).

Carolyn liked taking her agressions out on a bar of soap! Chrissy made a fall color soap, I made a candy corn-inspired soap, and Carolyn did a funky pink and purple soap. Carey of course, got complicated and made a cute one like a pumpkin. She'll have to show you the photo (hint hint).

We also had a regular felt gift card holder for fall that was shaped like a candy corn, but could be adapted to a Christmas tree, heart, wedding cake, just using simple shapes and blanket stitching and embroidery. I liked that one, but some of us are more needle-friendly than others. Speaking of which, Janice brought her needle felting needles and I didn't even have to visit the ER. Yay!

The last project we did was a cute little felt peony that I saw on whipup.net. It was so simple since the template was available for download, and it took literally 2 stitches to hold the entire thing together. Tracy did hers out of purple felt and put some yellow french knots on it, and it was a beautiful violet. I really liked this. Cute and simple. Perfect.

I was excited to get the Good Things gals together with Janice, she is so talented I had to show her off to the group. I think we all had fun. We each came away with something different, but we got a chance to play around with lots of different things. A good thing!

Mittens and Socks

2008-10-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

My Jared mittens haven't been going well. I find the Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light to be VERY splitty and the alpaca fuzziness really obscures the pattern. I've decided they need a trip to the 'ole frog pond, and I will start again with some nice smooth Dream In Color Smooshy in a nice shaded solid brown.

But that is on hold while I work on other mittens. I have actually been planning these for some time - I had my friend Angela dye the yarn and I had to do the chart for them on the computer and get it all set up. They are the Poetry Mittens from Piecework Magazine. Instead of the poem the article used I put the Hail Mary prayer on them. They are for my daughter's teacher for Christmas. This year my daughter has her First Communion and she has a very special teacher, so I wanted to do something nice.

The first one is done - and it is going pretty well. They seem very long, but they do fit my hand quite nicely. Hopefully she doesn't have tiny hands.

I've got another First Communion project brewing in my mind. I'm thinking of knitting a lace veil for Grace to wear. I have been looking on Ravelry and found two different examples, one which uses a pattern from the Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting by Marianne Kinzel. I think I'm going to combine the cross panel of that one with some other lace patterns and create something new.

I did finish my Navajo socks too. They went off to be sold at the silent auction at Emily's school. I did get two new skeins of sock yarn from Janice of French 75 fame and I will turn one of them into the little pumpkins socks I saw on Ravelry. Those will be my halloween socks.

This is the time of year where I start my stealth knitting so I will give peeks here but not many details. My gift receivers aren't on Ravelry, so details will probably go there. I spend a lot of time favoriting and queuing over there, and I am starting to lose track of what my real "queue" of items I have to make is. There is the "want to make it queue" and the "someday I'll make this" queue. Wonder if everyone has that problem?

Bits and Pieces

2008-09-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

I started a new Jared Flood pattern - Druid (Green Autumn) mittens from Vogue Knitting. Lots of cables, bobbles, interesting stitch patterns. Just love his patterns, as you may have noticed. I'm using Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in a nice chocolate brown that matches my Celtic Cable Neckwarmer of not long ago. The only problem thus far is the alpaca is fuzzy and obscuring the pattern goodness. I don't want to stop and change yarn, but I may want to make this pattern again out of something that will show off the pattern more.

I am also making a pair of plain socks, just 'cus. These are out of True Love Fiber, in the Navajo colorway. It is striping nicely, and I like the red/turquoise combination. These I'm planning to donate to Emily's school's silent auction. I donated a pair of socks last year and they asked me again, so here I go.

I got the new Debbie Bliss magazine, and it is NICE. Then the new Knitty for fall was up, and there were lots of nice patterns there. Then I got the Interweave FELT issue, and there is this stripey purse....I'm suffering from too many patterns, not enough time syndrome. This week has been crazy busy and the knitting time is taking a huge hit. Sigh.

The Stitches West 09 brochure is up at their website, and I'm all decided on what I want to sign up for. Last year I took the "heavy hitters" meaning Cat Bordhi and Lucy Neatby, and this year I seem to be more interested in the techniques classes, like short rows, and cables, and finishing, and stitch patterns. Nicky Epstein is going to be there, and maybe I can get into one of her classes. The one on knitted edges and flowers looked fun. Registration is Wednesday morning. Wish me luck!

Felted Soap and Juno Regina Revealed

2008-09-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

I finished my Juno Regina for the Ravelympics WIP Wrestling, and it was like a wrestling match getting me to buckle down and do it. I was wishing I could move onto something more exciting even though I did enjoy working with the silk yarn and the color was lovely. I did hang in there and finish, but crazy schedules of this past week didn't permit me to properly block and photograph it once it was done.

Anyway, here it is! Blocking sure makes beautiful lace even more beautiful. Make sure to notice Vladimar in the background playing piano.

On another note, no pun intended, a few weeks ago Tracy, Carey, Mom, and I got together to try out another craft project for a potential project for our Good Things group. We covered soap with wool and felted it, making a little "sweater" for a bar of soap. It turns the soap into a combination soap/scrubbie, and when the soap is gone, it is a fragrant little sachet for your drawer.

I used a sampler pack of colorful fibers dyed by Angela of True Love Fiber, and we wrapped the bars, added a little hot water, and put the covered bar into a kneehigh nylon stocking, and then rubbed, rubbed, rubbed. Not long after, the wool had felted and voila! it was done.

Here are two of the bars, my first attempts. I did others, and Carey took photos, but they never seemed to make it on the blog (HINT HINT SISTER). It was a fun and easy project. Some of the felted soaps on Etsy are quite complicated looking, but ours were just our trial runs.

The Internet is a fun place to be

2008-08-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

I've been exploring lately. Here are a few Internet gems you've just got to try.

If you want to create a word search you can print out, check out www.teacherly.com/. Now that you've made yours, just what do you do with it? Check this out: http://www.curbly.com/DIY-Maven/posts/5074-How-to-make-a-Word-Search-greeting-card-

If you want a giggle... trust me, I laughed until I cried. Check out http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/. I really liked the section to the right called fan favorites.

And, in honor of Emily taking biology this year, I bring to you this. For just $4, you can get the pattern to create a knitted dissected lab rat. You must see this to believe it. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14627496

I Peaked Early

2008-08-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

I was a 4-Her as a kid. I learned to sew, cake decorate, do all sorts of crafty things (except knitting, which now that I think of it, was a major hole in my crafty education at the time).

I entered lots of those things in the various fairs held all around the valley and even the State Fair. I won lots of ribbons (you always got either a first, second, or third unless your project was dreadful) and I saved them in a shoe box that I covered with a pretty paper and kept them in the closet of my room.

When I got married and moved away from home, they disappeared. I didn't have them, and Mom swore she didn't have them. We looked for them lots of times over the years, but I had pretty much given up hope.

Well, you can see where this is going. Found! Not at my house either! Ha! But all gloating aside, I was glad they were found. And what I discovered as I went through them is that for once, I may have actually impressed my very hard to impress children! Wow. Who knew their mother actually did all that?

And, look what else I found- you're seeing that correctly, SECOND place in TRACK - long jump no less. Who knew of my athletic potential. Not me, I'd forgotten that entirely. Of course, seeing that make Alex snicker. But I had proof. Ha.

This week marked the first day of school. My baby is in 2nd grade. My giant boy is in 8th. The last year of them ever going to the same school, unless Alex gets held back several times in a row. Emily has refused first day of school photos for years.

On the knitting news, I finally got a decent photo of my Undulating Waves Scarf I did for Ravelympics. I still haven't blocked the Juno Regina.

My ribbon winning days are getting fewer and farther between, but I did just win a few medals!

Ravelympic Update

2008-08-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

My lack of posting has not been because I have been hanging out at the Ravelympic village, trading pins with other Ravathletes and visiting the Great Wall of China and the Water Cube. It has been due to REALITY! - that 4 letter word, WORK. School starts Monday and I've been in meetings and retreats, etc.... Not that I don't love work, ahem, [waves to readers at work] it just takes up time. Add the stress of school starting for the kids, and boom, no time.

I have however, been squeezing in some knitting at last minute appointments and during late night Michael Phelps watching. I even got to go to my new knitter friend Lisa's house and there I finished my Juno Regina Scarf. I then grafted it together last night (stressful, but doable) and it is done. That counts as the second of my three ravelympic events. Here it is in its unblocked blob-like state.

Not much to look at, but no time to block. Maybe tomorrow, my coveted day off.

My beaded scarf counts as two ravelympics events- Bead Balance, and Scarf Stroke. I am doing okay with it, but it is not done. I even ordered a 3rd ball of yarn in case it is too short after the second it done (soon) and I think I can finish before the flame is extinguished.

This whole olympic knitting thing has been corny but fun, and if nothing else, has gotten me to finish a few things before school starts and the serious drain on my time begins. And now I have medals to show for it - not as many as Michael Phelps, but can he graft lace? That's what I thought.

All that training paid off...

2008-08-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Olympics. The Ravelympics, Ravelry's knitting olympics that is. My first event is wrestling some WIP's (works in progress). That gave me a little incentive to work on the scratchy yet pretty socks.

Finished those this morning, due mostly to my hair appt. Now to wash them and pray for softening. They fit well, so I hope they get more comfy.

I cast on my main Ravelympics project, the Undulating Waves Scarf, this morning when I woke up. The official time to begin was after 5 am which corresponds to Beijing Olympic start time, but I cast on around 7. Not too bad. I have about 5 rows done. I actually starting stringing beads last night, since that isn't actually casting on. So far moving the beads down the yarn is a pain. I think I like the crochet hook method better, but for this project they need to be strung on the working yarn. Other than that, this pattern is basically like the waving lace socks I made last summer.

The yarn is Knit One Crochet Too Handpainted Ambrosia that I purchased at Lambtown. It is silk, alpaca, and cashmere. Yummm. I'm hoping for a yummy beaded scarf. This qualifies for the Scarf Stroke and the Balance Beads events. Yes, I realize this is a little silly, but it is fun.

Notice the stitch markers? They are little pink donuts. I got them on etsy.

In case of chills...

2008-07-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

wear alpaca!

Now it is around 97 degrees outside, so I won't be wearing this little number soon, but it will be soft and snuggly when the time comes.

Pattern: Celtic Cable Neckwarmer by Lindsay Henricks, found on ravelry. Yarn: chunky alpaca by Lassen Farms, purchased at Lambtown. I only had 110 yards, so a neckwarmer it was!

Upclose shot of the cables - the color is much more chocolatey. Mmmmm. I still need to block it and add the buttons.

Bonus shot: wet Bella!

What to do while avoiding lace

2008-07-27T15:42:00.001-07:00

My Juno Regina stole has stalled. I did the two end parts with all the charts, and now I'm on the "straight section" that is kind of tedious because you knit and knit and you've only done three rows which equals about 1/2 inch. I need more instant gratification than that.

So, I knit socks. Plain socks. Lots of instant gratification. The latest is out of the prettiest yarn I found at Imagiknit last time I was there. Great colors!! Unfortunately, the yarn makes Noro Sock feel like merino. It is so scratchy! I'm hoping washing with conditioner helps. The first sock was NOT fun to knit even though the colors were beautiful. It just felt icky.

Pretty though.

I also bought some lovely soft chocolate alpaca at Lambtown last weekend, and I have been searching Ravelry for something appropriate to make with it. I finally decided on the Celtic Cable Neckwarmer. I have started it, but only have this blurry photo to show for it at the moment:

Sorry about that. It is hard to see cables on dark brown anyway, but imagine how lovely they are. I only have one little skein of this alpaca so I'm trying to get all the bang for my buck possible. The next photo will be great I swear!

Our Wordle

2008-07-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Click to make it bigger and see it better.
Try one for yourself at Wordle .

Action Jackson Part 2

2008-07-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Grace enjoyed art camp so much that we decided she needed more opportunities to sling paint on canvas. This time, we (okay, Mom) decided she would do a piece of artwork for the small bathroom off the kitchen.

We went to Joanns and got a 18x24 canvas and some paint in our new color scheme (chocolate, green, orange, magenta) and got to work.

First we base coated the canvas the chocolate brown color. We worked together on this part, and Grace made sure I was doing it right.

Then, once it was dry and the yard was shaded enough to prevent all artists from sweating too much, she went to work.
Mom's job was to fill up the paint plates quickly and get out of the way!!

I must say, Grace is an excellent paint slinger!
The final product turned out perfectly!! We let it dry overnight and it is now proudly hung in the bathroom with new chocolate brown towels. We need a bright new mat and a couple of new accessories, and our mini-makeover will be complete!

A bonus is that our lawn is now very colorful!

Lambtown!

2008-07-20T11:57:00.001-07:00

I read a few months ago on Ravelry about the sheep and lamb festival called Lambtown that was going to be held in Dixon. Once I learned where Dixon is (by Davis), I thought it would be fun to make it into a family day trip.

One kid opted to stay with Gram and Carey, one kid was delighted (Grace, who loves all things lamb, but mostly the eating part), and one kid went along under protest (that kid shown below, looking very thrilled at the Starbucks in Merced).

I enjoyed seeing the fiber building the most (yarn!) although since I'm not a spinner, I was mostly wandering around taking in the fibery goodness. I did manage to take home a momento or two though. (Like there would be any doubt).

We saw alpacas and long haired sheep,

and Grace got to sample some ribs from the cook-off (notice the toothless grin)--

We saw some angora bunnies that were ultra soft -

and saw lot of people spinning lovely yarn, this one will become socks--

We saw lots of fiber--

and handspun ready to be judged--

It was a lot of fun. We had lamb for lunch (I prefer to knit lamb than eat it) and then we made our way over to Courtland and saw lots of pear trees, then to Sacramento and went to the Train Museum, then to Woodbridge for dinner. It was a busy day.

Circle time!

2008-07-18T18:56:00.001-07:00

I think I'm knitting discloths to avoid doing my lace. Anyway, now I have a dishcloth and a little coaster with the extra. I now want one in every color. Knitting in a circle is fun!

Edited to add: This pattern is from another blogger, it is called Lacy Picot Swirl Cloth. I found it through Ravelry of course.

Good Thing the Circus Was in Town Last Week

2008-07-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

Finished socks!!

Got new shoes!!

Aren't they awesome?! Perfect for showing off the hand knit socks. Helps the 'ole "quirky" image thing. No, I will not wear them with capris. Only with jeans in the dead of winter when wool socks make sense. I may be quirky, but I'm not crazy.

Artist at Work

2008-07-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Grace, after Jackson Pollack week at Art Camp:
Her instructor said they were impressed with how she "got into" her artwork:

Next week at camp is Georgia O'Keefe week. I'm curious what she is going to look like on Friday.

Truly Lovely Socks and a baby giraffe

2008-07-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Angela dropped some of her yarn in my knitting bag on KIP day and I decided it needed to become a sock. I was looking for something easy since I'm working on lace too, so I first started the RPM sock. It wasn't working for me, it seemed much too stretchy, so I ripped back and made it into a good old standby Basic Sock Recipe. I had forgotten how satisfying it is to just knit. Although for some reason, I can't stand gussets. Odd.

Speaking of lace, I have finished both ends of the Juno Regina scarf and now need to do the long stretches of the middle part. I was actually looking forward to this, since I can then knit it when I'm out knitting with friends. Following charts requires me to be at home, with good lighting, when it is fairly tranquil around here. I say fairly, because it is rarely completely tranquil. We do what we can.

Speaking of children, Alex is now very close to being as tall as a giraffe is when it is born. Yikes! He is 13.

I had to do it too...

2008-07-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here's mine:
The questions:

1. What is your first name? Carey

2. What is your favorite food? Cupcakes

3. What high school did you go to? Hoover High School

4. What is your favorite color? Green

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Josh Groban

6. Favorite drink? Iced Tea

7. Dream vacation? Venice

8. Favorite dessert? Chocolate cake

9. What you wanted to be when you grow up? Photographer

10. What do you love most in life? Jesus

11. One Word to describe you? Loved

12. Your flickr name? careymw

My Photo Meme

2008-07-09T16:25:00.001-07:00

I have been seeing this meme around, and decided to jump in. Here is mine--

The rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into mosaic maker - I used the big huge labs one.

The questions:
1. What is your first name? Cindy
2. What is your favorite food? Rocky Road Ice Cream
3. What high school did you go to? Hoover High School
4. What is your favorite color? Purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Phil Collins
6. Favorite drink? Iced Tea
7. Dream vacation? Tuscany
8. Favorite dessert? Chocolate Chip Cookies
9. What you wanted to be when you grow up? Cake Decorator
10. What do you love most in life? Family
11. One Word to describe you? Quirky
12. Your flickr name? yarnpaperscissors

What to do with leftover sock yarn and lots of figs

2008-06-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Mom bought me this jar at IKEA a while back. She had seen it filled with yarn somewhere (Hmm... don't remember where) and said it was cute. I filled it with round skeins of green and purple yarn and it just looked squished. I set it aside, and for some reason it occurred to me the other day to make little balls of yarn and put in there. So I tried it with my leftover sock yarn, and I must say it is cute.

And on another domestic note, Nolamom, Emily, and I made fig jam. We have a fig tree in the back yard that is, after 10 years, giant and bursting with black mission figs.

We started by peeling the figs, and putting them on to boil with powdered pectin and some lemon juice.

Once that boiled, we added sugar and let it come back to a rolling boil. Then, after a minute, it was jam!

Here are our finished jars of jam. Tasty!

Two socks and one small crafter

2008-06-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Second sock is in the books. Yay! I had mentally moved on days ago, so I'm glad I could buckle down and finish the second Nutkin sock as to not let down my peeps at Twisted Tuesday Knit Night. Hair appointments are great for uninterrupted knitting time.

I am happy with the way they turned out. It is funny how this pattern twists. The photo doesn't show the pattern very well, but it is a larger size mock cable swirly pattern.

Love the yarn. True Love Fiber!!

Grace got a birthday present in the mail from Jean, a couple of crafty kits to keep her busy this summer. She has started with the loom kit, remember those? I remember them.

We had fun creating this together:

She is very proud of her creation and wants to make more. And she wanted me to blog her craftiness. She apparently gets how important it is to document your creativity!

The most easy craft in the world

2008-06-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

I've been crafty! OK. Here's how. Grab some cute silk flowers, some floral tape, a package of pens and set aside about 5 minutes of your time.

Cut the stem of the flowers about one inch down like is shown here.

Grab your pen, hold the flower up top and begin wrapping the flower and the ink pen with your floral tape.

Wrap the whole thing, carefully avoiding getting the floral tape stuck to the cat. If you look really closely, you will see that both of my kitties were helping me with this project. Grande is just camera shy after the last time she was pictured on this blog. Click here for the naughty details: http://yarnpaperscissors.blogspot.com/2007/12/naughty-new-year.html

Now, do the same thing with your whole package of pens and you will have a bouquet of flowers you can stick in a glass vase.

Now you won't ever wonder where you've left your pen!

Lots going, nothing finished

2008-06-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

I was cruising along in sock land, when I was reading the Ancient Pathways group on Ravelry and it was mentioned that lots of our group had the Juno Regina stole in our queue, and we should do a knit - a - long.

No one had to twist my arm. Two days later, I have this:

I'm using Redfish silk in a fabulous green color. I got it two Stitches ago. I am doing the two ends at the same time on one circular, and then I will graft it together. Since I have two skeins, it was meant to be. Plus, I like the idea of having both come out identical. I don't enjoy tangles so much, so I may put one aside on a holder (Lisa's idea) once the lacy part at the end is done, then do the other, then graft. We'll see when I get there. That's the plan anyhow.

Anyway, sock guilt overcame me last night, so I picked up the Nutkin again and did a repeat or two just to say I did.

Oh, and just in case you think I had abandoned my My So Called Scarf, not to worry. I am at the end of skein one. I think two will be more than plenty, and I have three, so I need to decide if I want to make two or if I have something else destined for the third skein of this Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend that is too lovely to waste.

All three of these projects use lovely yarn that is a pleasure to work with. It is not so much knitting as yarn fondling. Yum!

Knitters and Nutkins

2008-06-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a new charger and I'm back in laptop business, I need to update the universe on Worldwide Knit in Public Day, last Saturday. I was invited to join my new knitting pals from Ancient Pathways at Borders, where we sat and knitted for a few hours. Most of us were working on our socks from the KAL I'm doing at Ancient Pathways.

Lisa, her daughter Abby (who was reading "The Mitten" and also knitting at age 5), Angela (of TrueLove Fiber fame), and Janice (of French 75 fame) smiling for the camera.

I'm sure you noticed how I'm cozying up to the sock yarn dyers. I assure you my motives are pure, mostly, even though a skein just happened to jump into my knitting bag. The skein on the top is what I'm referring to, and the skein on the bottom is the one I had to take home with me last Tuesday. The ladies are actually very charming knitters, as are the rest of the Ancient Pathways gang. I'm having a REALLY good time joining them on Tuesday nights for this knit a long. I know I'm living on borrowed time since the schedule gets a little crazy during the school year, but for now I'm hooked.

Plus, I finished my first Nutkin sock! Tracy this morning at Knotty Knitters volunteered to be my sock model. I knit this sock per the pattern using the cuff I hadn't done before, and their short row heel, but I cheated and used my own regular toe. The sock is a quick knit, but it does twist a little. I also don't know if I like the cuff, it doesn't really hold the sock up. It does make a nice finished edge though.

Isn't the yarn pretty? Very Van Gogh. This is a True Love Fiber sock yarn, wool and tencel. Nice! Now for the second.

Stork's Nest Scarf

2008-06-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Finished the scarf - and blocked it too, using my blocking wires I bought awhile ago but had not broken in yet. They worked well, but boy, it takes a long time to thread each stitch onto them! I don't have patience for blocking apparently.

Specs - Stork's Nest Scarf by Nancy Bush, from Piecework Magazine. I need to subscribe to Piecework, I really like the historical articles and they always seem to have Nancy Bush patterns.

Next up - back to the scratchy Noro sock, and starting tomorrow I start a knit a long at Ancient Pathways. We are making the Nutkin sock. I'll post more about that later.

Giant Weekend

2008-06-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Look who popped back into the family--
Hey, we survived May!

At times, I was not so sure.

We capped off the "month o'craziness" with a trip to SF. Of course, you see the Blackberry is never more than inches away.

Recognize this?

We were here-

Although the game wasn't very good (lost big time), being there was fun and it was nice to get out of town.

Enjoyed some gelato-

and went yarn shopping. I was waiting to see if Imagiknit or Article Pract had the Rowan Pure Wool DK I was looking for. No luck. Although Article Pract said they could order it. Such a hard decision, support the LYS or save on tax and order online? Haven't decided yet.

I need to take photos of the yarn I did console myself with. I was actually good at finding yarn for Mom (Panda Silk in reds, perfectly her) and Carey (multicolored alpaca, perfectly her too). I did get a little tiny bit for me too. I have been contentedly knitting Stitches yarn for the past few months, and I didn't go crazy wild , but I did find some sock yarn....

Happy Birthday to Alexander - He's 13 !!

Grace turns 7 on Father's Day.

And Bella starts Puppy School tomorrow night. My babies are growing up!

Doughnuts!

2008-06-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

In honor of national doughnut day, I felt it was my duty to pass along this link. You simply must check this out. And, while you're there, do some exploring. I just love this site.

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/06/felt_doughnuts_tutorial.html

Two four-letter words!

2008-05-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Lace!

Can you see some yarnovers in there? Such an easy pattern, amost as relaxing as straight stockinette.

Work!

A photo of me, with a bunch of cute kindergarteners at the first annual BOOKtastic day at our school. The best school ever, I might add. (Hi Kim!) Two more weeks of school, not that I'm counting or anything.
I was also tagged to do a meme, and if you want to read about me, click here.

Decisions, decisions

2008-05-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Can't decide between socks and lace?

Do both!

What's a little "startitis" between friends? I am trying out my Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn. Now if you don't know about Noro, it is this Japanese yarn that has fabulous color changes. Their yarn in my opinion is scratchy, even Silk Garden, which I used for my entrelac scarf. It even has bits of "organic matter" for good measure, mostly bits of hay I guess. I used Noro Kureyon worsted weight for my Chevron Scarf that has gotten lots of "hearts" on Ravelry, but it is so scratchy I have never even woven in the ends and worn it.

Anyway, the sock yarn is scratchier than ever. I can't believe it is supposed to be a sock that is worn on human skin. Why did I buy it? I guess I wondered what all the hype was about. Why am I knitting it? I don't really know. I have looked at all the projects with it on Ravelry and some people think it is great, and some don't. I guess I'm seeing for myself.

Then, just to shake up the sock production line a bit, I am using sock yarn (Pagewood Farms Yukon, color Navajo) to make the Stork's Nest Scarf by Nancy Bush from Piecework Magazine, issue Jan/Feb 2008. I haven't done lace in awhile, and it is fun. This is the first time I'm using sock yarn, so it will be a little more substantial than my normal Zephyr.

Anyway, I knew you would all be dying to know what I chose, so I thought I'd let you get back to wondering who the Bachelor chooses, if Kristi Yamaguchi can win Dancing, and which David wins American Idol. Too much suspense isn't good for the soul.

Time Warp Socks and Don't Sheep Get Hot?

2008-05-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hey -- it finally happened. The entrelac socks are finished. I feel like I worked on them FOREVER. Two months. That's a long time in sock knitting land.

They are tight. Entrelac doesn't stretch well. But since I spent an eternity on them I will MAKE them fit. Of course, once they are on, I may be wearing them awhile since I can't get them off, and since it will be 102 degrees here today, I pried them on for a quick photo and then pried them back off. They can stay in the drawer for awhile.

I've gotten myself some new reading material. I finally got my copy of Irresistible Gifts to Knit from England (notice my chicken as cover girl?) and now want to make everything on every page.

Carey brought me two books (aren't sisters great!). One was a mother's day gift (although I am not her mother, so she scores extra) and the other a "here have this". Either way, I'll take it.

The Harlot book is of course, funny so far, and I like it better than her last one. The other book is knitting with fine gauge yarns, and they have some nice designs. Especially these legwarmers/leggings that have cables and are very pretty. I do not need legwarmers. It is 102 degrees. But they are nice. Anyone with cold legs out there? I need to stick to knitting chickens and such things one does not have to wear.

Next on the knitting agenda is to finish my scarf I have started and find something else to knit. Here is where the ADD kicks in. I spent some time this morning thinking "Oh, maybe I'll make a pair of socks with the Cherry Tree Hill that has been staring at me for a few weeks." Then I think I'll knit them plain, then I decide that's too boring, then I look at patterns on Ravelry awhile, then I think "Ooo, how about lace?" Then I go look at the yarn from Stitches, then I see my Socks That Rock, then the cycle repeats itself. Verdict, nothing. I have basically rotated the yarn a little.

I have learned from this so far is that Ravelry is the best thing ever. I need a Ravelry for every other thing in my life. Ravelry for Librarians, for moms, for cooks (not that I cook, but it would be handy). All the possibilities are right there in front of you, linked to everything. FABULOUS. Now if I could just make a decision.

My So Called Month of May

2008-05-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Quick update-

1. Socks are coming along at a snail's pace. I turned the heel on sock #2, and am coming up the leg. Not a lot of knitting time lately. Lots of distractions (remember the puppy?).

2. I'm all hot and bothered over the Kaffe Fassett cardigan in the new Vogue Knitting. Received part of the yarn. Haven't exactly ordered the rest. It calls for the background in Shamrock, but I'm thinking Black, so it is on hold until I'm in the shower and have a revelation. That's usually where they hit.

3. The sewing bug hit me a little. (Jean's fault) I found a cute pattern for a purse. I have now pulled out fabric and am letting that marinade in the brain.

4. While all that gets settled, I'm working on a "My So Called Scarf" in Manos Silk/Wool. The texture of this stitch pattern is amazing. If I set it down for more than a day I forget what I'm doing.

This is Stitches yarn, specifically door prize yarn. Three skeins, so it will be nice and long. Love it!

May is such a crazy month for everyone around here, if I can make it till the end I will be rewarded with a trip to SF for a Giants game and trip to my favorite LYS's. That's where I plan to look more closely at the Rowan Pure Wool DK that I need to get going on the cardigan. Big plans!

Meanwhile, entrelac awaits. These socks have been fun.

Meet Bella!

2008-04-27T22:00:00.001-07:00

Look what we did this weekend!

Our first dog! A collie/border collie mix, 4 months old, named Bella.

I'm now a dog and a cat person.

Whoa.

Isn't she cute? Can I knit her a sweater?

We interrupt this knitting blog for some sewing

2008-04-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

...not of my own free will. It was a "mommy" project, one that I used to enjoy but now that I am working and time is precious, sewing a costume is not something I look forward to. I read in the paper the other day that "sewing is the new knitting." That sounded to me like when you hear ____ is the new black, but that never really happens, black always rules. Likewise, knitting will always be better than sewing. No contest. Right?

It did turn out pretty nicely. Alex made a dashing "lord" for the medieval feast for school, complete with a jaunty hat with peacock feather, and doublet jacket that called for eleven buttons and button loops down the front. I did sew buttons on, but the time consuming loops were replaced with hidden velcro to hold it together.

He even looks good with his "lady" sitting at the feast rehearsal. The entire class had nice costumes, it was impressive. Although I don't think real medieval courts had so many jesters. Ha.
Good Things met at Tracy's the other day. She made herself a brown button tree, and had it on display. Nice.

We made two cute magnets for the frig out of the cardboard coasters that you get at bars. Carey did the dirty work of visiting all the bars to collect them. Ha again. Why doesn't my camera take good close up photos? Is it me?

Tracy did her usual fabulous job with dessert.

Now it is time to get back to business on the entrelac socks. My sock needs a sibling.

Oh, one last thing. Tracy got the socks. I think she knew that the minute she saw them. You couldn't ask for a better "knitting gift receiver." She knows just when to show them off, and she wears them proudly. Looks like this won't be the last time.

Just don't ask me to sew.

Blog Spring Cleaning!

2008-04-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

It's time for a breath of fresh air for spring! I made a floral banner to lighten up the blog. Enjoy.

- Emily

Socks galore!

2008-03-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Now, don't fall over from shock that I am posting again. Miracles happen, especially when there are sock picture to post.

As promised, here are the finished Sauvie Island Socks -

Not too shabby. They were the most fun socks to make, and I could easily make more. I would substitute my own short row toe and heel and find a different bobble, but the fair isle parts were great. I can think of a lot of color combinations that would be awesome. Black and something would be fun.

Here is the up to the minute progress on the entrelac -

The foot looks very very long, but when it is on, it fits. I guess because it is not that stretchy width-wise. Anyway, I am liking it overall.

Today is the last day of Easter break! Back to real life tomorrow.

Aloha!

2008-03-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

We just got home from a week full of knitting and not knitting.

I started the vacation in an airplane trying to remember Cat Bordhi's magic cast-on to start a pair of toe up socks. By the middle of the short flight to LA I had this -

Not exactly an entire toe, but a start. This was to blossom into an entrelac sock, pattern from Interweave Knits, Spring 2007 by Eunny Jang. I am using two colors of "Toe Jammies" one is Olive and the other a blue color that I forget the exact name. I bought them both at Stitches. Yay for knitting with Stitches yarn! Double yay for knitting backwards while doing entrelac!

I spent the week here --

looking at this from our room window (distracting me from knitting). We spent a lot of time by the beach/poolside, in which I was the only one it seems knitting a wool sock! Imagine that. Now, entrelac in the round is slow business, especially since I had never done it before, and I had the magazine close at hand pretty much all the time.

Here is the poolside shot of the sock in progress. By the flight home I was doing the short - row heel. No photo of that. Sorry. Now two days later I am only about two inches above the heel.

Our trip included a visit by the Easter Bunny to the beachside lawn, a little known perk of Easter in Hawaii is that you don't have to fill and hide your own eggs.

There are some other perks to spending Easter vacation in Hawaii, including getting to kiss a dolphin (and swim in dolphin-christened water, a fact they left out of the brochure.).

Now, in case you were wondering about the fair aisle socks I was working on, never fear. I have finished them, but they have yet to be photographed properly. More next time, including an updated photo of entrelac.

I haven't forgotten you blog

2008-03-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

I have been turning this "door prize" yarn - won at Stitches at the student banquet- into the sock I first saw on a knitter named Peg two years ago when we went to see the Yarn Harlot in Los Altos. It is the Sauvie Island Sock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. This is my first attempt at fair isle socks.

Verdict, love the sock. Hate the bobbles. The corrugated ribbing isn't stretchy enough and I can barely get it over my foot. But once it is on, it is a very cool-looking sock. Don't know how it fits into my wardrobe, but it is cool.

Of course, I have encountered little issues along the way. The biggest being that I am about to run out of the orange yarn. I then quickly consulted the internet and ordered a skein which is on its way to me. That turns the free socks into not-exactly free sock. Meanwhile, I am knitting along on the little ball I have left. I did the short row heel as the pattern said, but think I like Lucy Neatby's heel better. I'll try that one next time.

I also forgot to blog the pair of socks I started at Stitches as my "easy sock on the go" socks. These are made from Panda Wool, a bamboo/ wool blend in the Basil Curry colorway. I liked the yarn and the drape of it, excepting for that one knot! Argh. This pair was spoken for by my lovely sister, and since I really just knit them for the heck of it, sure, take them sister! Wear them in good health!

Now I know of a person or two which would like to put their name on the other pair, but I'm saving those for me I think. I'm a process knitter, but I do have my limits.

Stitches Report

2008-02-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

I'm back!

Whew! What a whirlwind of sock knitting! Here is the blow by blow-

Wednesday

Tracy and I head north. We stop at Santana Row in San Jose and shopped at Anthropologie, H & M, the Container Store and Paper Source. We have a nice little thin crust pizza, and soon we were headed to Santa Clara, just one exit farther on the 101. We pass giant Yahoo! corporate headquarters and see the rollercoasters of Great America. We get rained on slightly. That was the last time I felt fresh air until Sunday afternoon.

At the hotel, we check in to our lovely little contemporary hotel room, and then go check out the pre-knitting scene. We see lots of Silicon Valley businesspeople in suits hanging out in the lobby, and as time passed, they were replaced with women carrying lots of tote bags, one with a "got gauge?" t-shirt on. We see where registration will take place the next day, but it is quiet. We eat sushi, bring out the knitting in the bar area, and talk with the few knitters we start to see. We are in bed around 9. Party on!

Thursday

We have a coffee bar breakfast, and notice we are surrounded by a lot more knitters than yesterday. No businessmen, every chair being occupied by knitters. We go to registration, and are 3rd in line. So excited!!

Tracy walks me to the theater, site of the opening day event, and then says good-bye, having to get back home to her kiddos. I miss her, but then the day begins.

The opening session is Cat Bordhi, Lucy Neatby, and Sandi Rozner talking socks. So excellent. Sorry for the fuzzy photo, it was kind of far away. I am instantly in sock heaven. Lunch was okay, and then after a short break, classes start. I LOVED learning to knit backwards. No turning when doing entrelac, etc. I am so ready to make entrelac socks! I loved Candace Eisner-Strick. She has such a hysterical sense of humor. I would love to take more classes from her.

After class it was time for the Ravelry meet - up. I got my "Hello my name is" button, and meet up with a few local folks that I knew from Ravelry but had never met in person. I also got to meet Jess and Casey, the brains behind Ravelry. They were so young! And seemed quite overwhelmed by the tremendous response they are getting. Here is Casey--

Then it was time to get in line for the Market Opening! Yarn overload! I dashed to the Ravelry booth and got a totebag and then went straight to Blue Moon Fiber Arts to replenish the Socks That Rock stash. Me and lots of others, the line was crazy.

Here is my score from the first night --

Friday

Six hours of Cat Bordhi. What else can I say. I took a photo of her teaching me Judy's Magic Cast-on, but for some reason it didn't copy onto the computer. I will try again. I met up with my friend I met last year, Kathryn, who I sat with at the fashion show and dinner. She made this awesome Swallowtail Shawl, and is getting me the instructions to make mine bigger, since I'm using teeny yarn and mine will end up being up the size of a bandana if I don't.

I also had a lunchtime session with Vickie Howell. The session was boring, but it was fun spotting her all over Stitches each day. I like her hair color.

Saturday

Six hours of Lucy Neatby, the other sock genius. Here is the table of her socks, and the photo of her vest she wore. She also wore a hand-sewn jumper of rainbow cats and vertical stripes, a green t-shirt underneath, and two different birkenstocks, one orange and one with daisies. She had tiny sock earrings, and purple hair. And a British accent. Cool. I loved her. I learned so much from her, it was easy to overlook the clownish exterior. I bought two of her DVD's, both about socks of course.

Saturday night brought the student banquet, which was kinda boring, but I won a door prize! 100 dollars at the Knitting Arts booth, which I had fun spending.

Sunday

I was met by Mom and Carey and I ditched my last class in favor of sleeping later (7) and hitting the market sooner to spend my 100 dollars. We shopped till we dropped and then loaded up the car and headed home. I got home around 7, exhausted, and so not ready to face another week.

I had a really nice time at Stitches and am ready to try my hand at designing socks to enter XRX's sock contest. Now I just need an idea....

Jean stays warm!

2008-02-18T07:24:00.001-08:00

hat & mitts
Originally uploaded by yarnpaperscissors

Yes, more proof that my knits get out more than I do. I haven't seen anything like snow at all this year. Here is Jean showing her mitts and hat in Wisconsin. Brrr.

Let's send a little springtime her way. I won't tell her that the trees are blooming here. We miss you Jean!

Hooray for the camera!

2008-02-16T16:26:00.000-08:00

I got my new camera. Yay! I'm still learning how to use it, so sorry these photos aren't the greatest.

Finished my fuzzy drop stitch scarf/wrappy thing. It is now entitled "Drop Stitch Scarf". This was made with one ball of Artfibers Tsuki in a really deep teal color that does not show up on this new camera very well.

It took me a LONG time to finish this. Lets just say that this was started after I went to Stitch n Pitch. In 2006. I dug it out during the great Yarn Organization of 2008 (hooray for spacebags!). I used up every smige of yarn I could, while ending on the correct row of the pattern repeat. For Tracy, who secretly thinks I cheated and ended early because I was whining so much, here is the proof-

I am on a Stitches countdown. I leave Wednesday. I think I will be leaving my computer at home this year. It will give me a little more down time if I don't have to upload photos and post to the blog. Last year I had a major case of "too much stimulation" and my brain got overloaded from all the classes, people, and yarn to look at. This year I am going to try to relax a little more. Maybe even sleep. I will take the camera and post when I get home.

I won't be finishing any more knitting between now and then I'm sure, but maybe I'll sneak another post in before I go.

Use your imagination

2008-02-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hi guys -

Still no camera, so pretend you are seeing photos of my nearly completed teal fuzzy scarf.

Isn't it lovely? The Willy Wonka everlasting ball-o-yarn may actually be shrinking.

Now pretend you are seeing the Swallowtail shawl, but thinking to yourself, "I swear it looked like that last time." Not much progress. Why? Because I'm trying to get the other project DONE.

And, I am doing my Stitches homework. The borders class has five different swatches. That one is done. I also finished the swatch for the Thursday class, "The art of knitting backwards." I just love the thought of that. It is so Knit Geek-like. Two more classes to go and those are the sock classes. They recommend using non sock yarn and I'm having trouble pulling that together without buying yarn specifically for the class, which I'm not that excited about doing. But I need to get it in gear since Stitches is COMING SOON!

I am looking forward to going to the Ravelry meeting at Stitches, and getting myself some Ravelry stuff.

I'm also looking forward to getting myself a new camera. Soon. Then you won't have to use your imagination.

Carey creates!

2008-01-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

SO... this head cold is really getting me down. But it has allowed me the time to create a little diddy for my friend Shelly.

Tracy actually was the inspiration for this little coffee book. She had one casually lying on the table as we came in. I, of course, sprinted toward the little scrapbooking bit of joy. It is a little gift-card holder friendship book made out of -- get this -- a coffee sleeve! How cool is that?

I simply cut the sleeve open and used it as a pattern to cut colored paper to cover the top (and disguise the logo on the sleeve). I also cut inside pages and decorated them with ribbons and stickers. The last page of the book, on the inside back cover, is simply a folded piece of paper that I attached with a dimensional dot. The dimension allows the gift card to simply slide right in!

What a fun way to invite my friend to coffee! (If you're reading this, Shelly, await a hand-delivered message from your husband this evening!)

Here's what the insides look like:

Evidence of Knitting Revealed

2008-01-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

I have been knitting! Not as much as I would like, obviously, and I feel like I am not making much progress.

In the process of going through my knitting stuff, I encountered a lovely mohair/silk scarf I started knitting around a year and a half ago. I recall being driven crazy by not being able to see what was a knit and what was a purl due to the nature of the fuzzy thin yarn, and I eventually lost interest.

I've pulled it out again, and am dealing better with the visual thing, and am almost done. This little skein of Artfibers Tsuki is lasting forever, though, and I feel like I knit forever and nothing changes. Logically I know I will finish eventually.

Here is the up close--

As I mentioned before, I have started a lace project, this time the Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Fall 2006. I have been wanting to do this one, and since I found the magazine, it made it much easier to start (no snickers, please).

This one is not going very well. It seems like the simple lace pattern in the beginning is driving me crazy. I guess I am out of lace practice. I am plugging away, but not very quickly.

I am afraid of starting another project, although I'm dying to start a sock. I know my brain can only handle keeping two projects going or I am sure to mix them up and disaster will strike. So I will keep my tortoise pace going until one gets finished.

On the exciting front, I have received my Stitches packet, and am looking forward to going more than I can put into words. I really need a break from things around here. There is going to be a Ravelry meet-up, and I am going to connect with a few people I met last year.

Button Tree

2008-01-21T20:00:00.001-08:00

button tree
Originally uploaded by yarnpaperscissors

I have been knitting and I have been crafting. Unfortunately, my dear sweet husband took my camera on a business trip, leaving me with nothing to show my blog.

Here you see a Valentine button tree made for our upcoming Good Things project. I got the idea from this blog: http://mamanjackjack.blogspot.com/2006/11/button-button.html . It was easy, and collecting the buttons/pins was by far the hardest part.

On the knitting side, I have started a Swallowtail shawl, and am finishing up a long ago forgotten mohairy scarf.

Since the camera came back from the trip sort of smooshed, photos of the knitting will have to wait. Coming soon!

Good Things

2008-01-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

Well, it is official. 2008 is here and the Good Things group is up to its eyeballs in planning a bunch of cool stuff for the year. Here's the breakdown!

February 7
Button craft hosted by Cindy/Carolyn

March 11
Egg craft hosted by Carey/Chrissy

April 8
Paper craft hosted by Carey/Tracy

May 6
Patriotic craft hosted by Chrissy/Bonnie

June 10 Summer gift exchange hosted by Tammi/Cheri

July 8
Idea and stuff exchange hosted by Cheri/Elisha

August 5
Movie night hosted by Nola

September 2
Tea party hosted by Tammi/Cheri

October 9
Felt craft hosted by Cindy/Nola

November 3
Christmas craft hosted by Lori/Carolyn

December 9
Cookie exchange and gift exchange hosted by Chrissy/Bonnie

Knits Travel World!

2008-01-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

It's like seeing your children off to summer camp.

Here is Lisa and her two good looking boys on their England holiday, nicely showing off her Koolhaas hat.

We miss you Lisa -- see you next week! Oh, and anytime you need a knitted object to take on a travel, we can talk. At least the knitting gets around.

Out with the old and in with the new

2008-01-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

First up, let's greet this year's first finished object, the Tilted Blocks Scarf from the new book Knitting New Scarves:

Made from three lovely colors of Uruguay Chunky, an alpaca, merino, and silk blend chunky yarn that is very soft and smooshy. Loved it!

There are benefits to having your yarn stash sprawled out on the dining room table, instant access for a quickie. I started this yesterday on a whim, and finished it today. Lots of quick fun, except when it came to weaving the ends.

Wonder how long I can get away with leaving the yarn out?

You know you are a process knitter when you run across two scarves that are done except for the ends woven in. One even had that done, but it wasn't trimmed. Must have misplaced the scissors. Anyway, I won't claim those as FO #2 or 3. Those are just bonus.

I managed to make 12 pair of socks in 2007, plus 3 orphans. I may finish those up and claim them as 2008 pair, I'm only human. To see a cute photo of all of them, look here. I can't seem to upload it to Blogger without getting it all distorted. I'll keep trying.

2007 was a very nice year

2008-01-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

Finished Objects 2007
Originally uploaded by cccameron

Some socks, some hats, some bags, and some mittens. All fun!

Bring on the new year!

Naughty new year

2007-12-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

Aaah, the weekend before the New Year holiday.

I decided the weekend offered a chance to look at how I've spent my down time since the wedding. Sure, I've tried to organize the apartment and to attack what will be my craft room. I've made progress, but I'm still finding it all so overwhelming.

I could have gone to the back room and organized boxes and put stamps on the shelf, but I decided instead that I'd start a knitting project. I grabbed my needles and some super soft and stretchy purple yarn that I got on the trip with Cindy, NolaMom and Tracy earlier in the year to see the Yarn Harlot. I did about two, maybe three inches. Not a great start, but hey! I was knitting. I felt yarn through my fingers. I was crafting!

But I got sleepy.

So I went to bed.

This is what I woke up to.

Yarn. Over my pants I threw at the laundry basket in my bedroom (I missed.).

So, I followed the string.

Here's a big clump outside of my bedroom. Yes, out the door and around the corner.

And then I found one needle. And then the other.

And last, but not least, I found the guilty one. Grande, my new kitty. Doesn't she look guilty?

So much for knitting progress. But I have learned a valuable lesson. With kittens in the house, it is very, very important to put away all knitting projects.

By the way, Grande does have a sister, who was sleeping with me in the other room while Grande did her thing with my yarn. Here's Mocha and Santa.

Baring it all, plus a dishrag

2007-12-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

I finished Carey's alpaca socks. They turned out very nice, if I do say so myself. They would have been done even sooner, had I not been trying to prove to Alex I am smarter than he is on Brain Age. It is addicting. And yes, he is smarter than me, for now.

Anyhow, the socks are the diagonal cross-rib socks from Favorite Socks. Great book. The pattern was fine, looks good, but it got a little boring at the end. The yarn is an alpaca blend sock yarn I purchased at Imagiknit in SF. I lost the tag to further identify it.

Look what I got in the mail! More Christmas goodies!

I am having trouble deciding what to do next. I think I am going to finish my Twisted Flower Socks to get that UFO off my Ravelry page. It is nagging me, can you hear it too?

I am also in a year in review kind of mode. I thought I should get my act together during the Christmas break and organize my yarn. It is in various places throughout the house, including many, many knitting bags which are like little snapshots in time. You don't want to know how many knitting bags I keep. Won't tell ya.

However, in the interest of full disclosure, I took this photo. Brace yourself.

This is the extent of it, except for maybe one knitting tote which may have a skein or two.

Now I do not plan on declaring a "knit from stash" kind of New Year's Resolution. I could not stick to that because I am going to Stitches in February and I like buying yarn. Sorry. I do. But I do plan being VERY choosy when contemplating a yarn purchase, meaning no more silly yarn or ordinary yarn unless there is a concrete project it is for. And I will try very hard to use yarn I already have when starting a new project. That should be easy because I have lots of good stuff.

I need to knit faster.

I ran across a lot of cotton from my crochet phase (lasted a month or two). I have never made a dishcloth that seems to be very popular, so I thought I would give my new rosewood needles a spin and I cranked out one today. Fun. Didn't use up much of the cotton stash. But I have a new dishcloth! I may also check out the market bag pattern I think is in the No Sheep for You book, or somewhere like that. Maybe it is destined to be a whole supply of market bags to help this family go green. Maybe.

Next post: Year in Review

Nolamom got the Hemlock Ring Blanket

2007-12-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

Which is not really blanket-like, full of holes and kind of smallish. More like table topper thing. But it is beautiful!

Gary liked his fingerless mitts and they fit fine.

Carey got a sock. Yes, one sock. And then she had to give it back so I could make the second one look like the first. True sister love when she didn't even bat an eye. Photos when they are done, which should be in a day or two. I have to quit the after Christmas shopping and dishes marathon for much knitting to happen.

Cindy got lots of knitting books, some fine sock yarn, and some beautiful rosewood needles. And a hint that something is backordered. Hmmm, what could Knitpicks have that is on back order? I'm hoping it is a harmonious little shipment....

What to knit next?

Actual Knitting Content

2007-12-18T19:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is true. I have been knitting, and therefore neglecting the computer, and most definitely neglecting the photographing of the knitting.

But, it is a rainy day and things are starting to come together for these few things I am doing for Christmas. I don't have time these days to knit everything I want to for gifts, so I chose a few select smaller items.

First, for Gary, some Dashing fingerless mittens. Don't know if he will really want them, but he can always give them to Carey. Or just pretend. I'll never know. They were fun to knit. And they fit me really better than the ones I made myself last year.

Then, for Lisa, the black hat for her trip to England. She has promised to photograph it in a very cool location for blog purposes, but for now we will see it displayed on Alex's head. Sorry Lisa, but he did wash his hair this morning! As you can see, it is another Koolhaas Jared hat. Go Jared! Create more hats! Love them! I am a little tired of the crisscrossing thing though, since I did it about 3 billion times with black yarn, but that feeling will be a distant memory soon.

Now, there are a few more things on the horizon that I have not posted here yet, but will post some of them to ravelry. Sneaky that ravelry thing, being in beta and therefore easy to hide photos of presents from those not on ravelry. Anyway, if you want to see them, I'm yarnpaperscissor.

Recipe for Lisa

2007-12-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here is the recipe for my cookies I made for the Good Things Cookie Exchange.

Cranberry Crackle Bars
By Cindy

6 cups tiny pretzel twists
2 T. packed brown sugar
½ c. butter, melted
2 c. dried cranberries
2 c. salted mixed nuts, coarsely chopped
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan with Pam. Combine pretzels, brown sugar and melted butter in food processor, pulse until mixture resembles crumbs. Press into pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle cranberries, nuts, and chips over crust.

Combine granulated sugar, butter, and corn syrup in saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly (this will take 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour syrup evenly over cranberry nut layer.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until syrup is bubbly over entire surface. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 60.

Store in airtight container. Can be frozen.

This is a modified recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookie Magazine from this year. I doubled the amount of syrup, chopped up the nuts, and made it in a bigger pan to make a thinner crust layer.

Yummy!

I smell a monkey!

2007-12-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

A Christmas pair of monkeys no less!

Monkey socks made with French 75 yarn (local goodness) and started on Thanksgiving Day. I finished them and wore them last night to the Good Things cookie/gift exchange night.

Carey will have to blog that event. I didn't have my camera. It was lovely, as always, and everyone did a great job with their cookies! I made cranberry crackle bars and they turned out good too, but I gave away every last one of them so I am feeling the need to make more. Maybe I will take them to work. My friend Isabel has been hinting for me to bring her some goodies.

Onward to the rest of Christmas knitting.

I am still trying to recover from the trama of jury duty. I was an alternate, so I sat through the entire trial (until 5:00 on the dot on Friday afternoon) and then was released pending a "real" juror getting sick, etc, by Monday. That didn't happen, but neither did I get to hear how the whole thing ended up. Talk about a waste of valuable time. At least I know I did my job as a citizen of this fine country and set a good example for my children by not trying to "get out of it."

I did finish "The Alchemist" by Coelho. Emily had to read that for school this fall and I must say it was a nice little book. I have been going through the shelves of the library at school and I am getting the urge to reread lots of books from my childhood.

That would seriously cut into my knitting time.