Meet Bella!

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

...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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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