First off, thank you so much to my Secret Pal from SP11. She sent (just in time for Halloween) a great seasonal package, heavy on treats! My favorite. Included in my package was wonderful handpainted yarn from Lotus Yarns. It is a delicious superwash with wonderful yardage. I am getting ready to send out my spoilee’s last package and am looking forward to revealing myself to her (not in a dirty way) and learning who my spoiler is as well (she has told me she is on Ravelry).
I had the privilage of taking a Cookie A. sock design class last night. It was great! I have been working a sock design for a few weeks and was really struggling with some construction/division issues. I have renewed confidence in my ability to complete the pattern. There was a lot of information available in the class, and a useful worksheet that I am sure I will referring to time and time again. The best thing I got from the class: Designing your own sock is not as hard as you may think. And if the sock gods are shining upon you, your gauge swatch will be your sock, and what satisfaction that will be.
I have a few almost FO (hey, life is not perfect right?). One is a poncho in all neutrals that still needs a gigantic turtleneck with some huge wooden buttons. The palette for this project made me feel ready for holiday shopping, sipping cocoa, and looking generally uber chic. The finished project looks even more promising than I had initially imagined. Of course pictures of unfinished socks are just evidence so there is no need to display them here.
Halloween was fun this year. The weather was perfect for our area and The Toddler had a great time trick-or-treating. She is almost three so this year she really had a sense of manic urgency to score the next piece of candy.
I am resisting the urge to “Holiday Knit” so my fall/winter season, so far, is relaxing. I hope to ease out a few pairs of socks before the new year, and maybe cast on 10 pair I wont be able to finish. That way I can have a shoo-in for a New Years resolution.
I received a package from my SP11 Pal yesterday. She really has me dialed in, she sent totally cute stuff. I am especially fond of the sock blocker key chain. The personalized stitch markers are such a clever idea. I am really enjoying this swap, it is a blast to get to know a person from the broader knitting community, I am very eager to learn who my pal is. 
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Published by October 13th, 2007 in Baseball, Review, Miscellaneous and Knitting. 0 CommentsAs I have stated before, I am not a baseball fan. I am however a fan of STR sock yarn.
At Stitch n Pitch in Seattle back in July I ordered some STR yarn dyed for the event in Seattle Mariners colors from Tricoter. I was told they would be shipped to me in about a week or so. Well I got them last week, 10 weeks after date of purchase. I don’t know why it took so long to get the yarn, I would have felt better if Tricoter had contacted me and let me know the time line was shifting. I am glad the yarn has arrived, I am eager to cast it on the colors are dead on. 
I don’t know that there is any lesson here, maybe ‘Patience is a Virtue’, ‘Good Things Come to Those who Wait’? Or maybe the truth, I am impatient, something I freely admit about myself, maybe I will try and work on that. Or not now that I have my yarn.
I’ve been knitting for a few years, but I finally took my first class. Annie Modesitt came to my LYS, Nine Rubies and taught two classes. I took her class on lace. In the past I have steered clear of classes, because I’m a book learner. I can read a book and figure out just about anything. Of course what you miss in most books is all those little tips and tricks that people have learned over the years. I saw Annie on Knitty Gritty last spring and really felt that her approach to knitting was very similar to mine. Though she is a far better and more experienced knitter than me. So I was really excited to hear that she was coming to teach at Nine Rubies.
How was the class? In a word, awesome. She is an incredibly dynamic presenter and really keeps the class engaged. She was very patient with people when they had trouble and talked to the whole class when she was helping them. That way we could all could benefit from what she was saying.
She really emphasized reading your knitting and memorizing your lace pattern. I can memorize a lace pattern after a few repeats, but I know many people can’t. I think she does a great job of showing you how to deconstruct the lace and find the pattern repeat and anchor point. She covered some more advanced knitting techniques including chart reading, alternate cast-ons, bind-offs, and edgings.
I think her class is about how to become a better lace knitter, not how to knit lace. A subtle but important difference. I would highly recommend knitting at least one lace swatch before you come to the class. Be familiar with k2tog, ssk, slipping stitches, and yo. IMHO when you take a class from a master knitter, the goal is not to learn the basics of the technique from them. The goal is to build your confidence and understanding of that technique, to move beyond the basics. I can look up a stitch on the wiki or in a book. What I may not learn is all of things that don’t get written down. How to approach knitting lace, how to move beyond the pattern and understand what makes great lace.
My first Handspun
Published by September 30th, 2007 in Spinning, Finished Object and Knitting. 0 CommentsWell I did it. I went to Woodland Woolworks, rented a wheel for 30 days and have officially begun my spinning adventure. This is my first handspun. 
Now it’s not glamorous. I just have to think of that first garter stitch scarf I knitted to calm my fears that I am a colossal failure. I am sure this will get easier. My finished product looking less….accidental.
To hem or not to hem?
Published by September 25th, 2007 in Work In Progress and Knitting. 4 CommentsIt’s been a busy couple of weeks for me. I’ve been traveling for work, we’ve been having internet difficulties at home, frackin’ cable modem… but none of this has stopped me from working on my beloved Tilted Duster.
I took it with me on the plane even though it’s way too big for a carry-on project. I just couldn’t stop myself! I wrapped it up carefully and as gently as I could shoved it into my not so large laptop case. It really made me want a very large purse like Brenda on The Closer carries to hold everything I could ever want while I’m on a plane.
The progress has been slower than I had hoped, but it’s getting really, really close to being finished. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with the bottom edge. I’ve already knit a small hem because I think the curling stockinette edge will drive me nuts. I just haven’t decided if I’m ready to bind off and declare that edge the winner. All that’s left after that is to attach the sleeves and a couple of buttons and I’m done!
Unfortunately I can’t work on it tomorrow night, because Annie Modesitt is coming to my LYS and doing a class on lace! I’m really excited about the class. I don’t normally take classes, but I really wanted to hear what she has to say. Her approach to knitting has fascinated me since I saw her on Knitty Gritty last spring. I hope to learn all kinds of useful things that I didn’t even know I should know.
Marina Piccola’s are now on the FO list.
I love these socks. This pattern kicked my butt a few times. It caused me physical pain to tink back. At one point, on the second sock when I realized I had made a mistake 20 rows back I developed a stress rash on my hand while trying to convince myself I could live with the mistake. Fortunatly Sandi saved my hide on that one. * Thank You Sandi. *
Not often, sometimes I find myself unable to disengage emotionally from a project, The Wrap was one of those projects. As were these socks. I suspect I will cast them on again. See if it goes a bit easier for me the second time out.
This was a great learning and confidence building project.
To celebrate this victory I have cast on a pair of Monkey Socks. A sock vacation of sorts.
Not bug spray silly……..Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival.
Husband ans I trek’d to Canby for the festival. I spent time hopping with Sherylswool while he was on a hunt for coffee and a cash machine. I think I may have enjoyed this event more than Black Sheep. Maybe because I was not so overwhelmed by everything I saw. I was better prepared. I also had a goal.
Must. Get. Sock. Yarn.
The event opened at 9:00 am. I was standing in front of the Blue Moon booth at 8:30 am. I may have been drooling. Initially I felt like such a stalker-dork standing there eyeing the yarn, credit card inhand (did I mention Husband was out getting coffee?) checking the time every few minutes. Then people started showing up. I no longer felt like a dork, now I felt like a wild animal, prepeared to kill to protect her territory! I got a nice selection of sock yarn. 
Sherylswool was no slouch herself at the Blue Moon booth. Being a spinner allowed her additional purchasing options. She even got a Sheep to Shoe slipper kit.
That settled it. I am going to learn to spin before Christmas. I am going to rent a wheel, make sure it appeals to me in application as well as idea, and set forth on a spinning adventure. And after seeing this guy
I was reminded of just how vast the fiber options are. I saw a woman spinning chinchilla, the final product was like butter. I could have a chinchilla (blend) coat sans all the dead chinchillas.
Now Madrona Fiber Arts is just over the horizon. I can hardly wait.
I received my first SP11 package. I am pleased.
I am also very impressed, my pal managed to locate healthy milk chocolate? I had no idea such a thing existed.
Stitch Markers, more candy ( I really like my pal). Knit Pick Bare worsted weight and (here is the super clever part) Kool-Aid. 4 flavors/colors. I have done some dyeing with Kool-Aid in the past and wanted to do more, I just had not gotten around to it. She even sent a color sample.
Silly Putty, one of my favorite nostalgia toys. Some pencils for my dyeing notes, beautiful stitch markers. An activity idea book for kids with some yummy recipes. Fuzzy ewe tape measure, will need to keep toddler from trying to adopt that. And a great key ewe key chain. I feel spoiled. This was such a nice treat today.
Thanks Pal!
That was the name of the game this last weekend.
I was able to go away with my friend Sherylswool to the beach. This was my first weekend away from the Toddler. It was bliss.
We knitted, shared a bottle of wine, stayed up until 2:30 am. I was told if wanted that toe to look good I would need to knit tighter, me of all people! She was right.
The following night we were joined by two other knit-nighters. We hit a great bead store, a not so great yarn shop, made stitch markers. Ate at Gracie’s Sea Hag two nights in a row. Namasteknitter taught me the provisional toe cast on. Rocky was like icing on the cake.
I have not been very comfortable making friends with women in the past. Knitting, knit night especially, has really opened me up to listening to the women around me, learning that they have the same issues, insecurities, hopes, blah, blah, blah. I know it sounds a bit like a greeting card, I don’t know how to make it sound any different.
I think we somethimes get so wrapped up, isolated in our own issues that we don’t realize their commonality. Life really is easier with the love of friends.
