The Knitting Life

2005-01-19T22:33:00.000-08:00

It's a dog's life...

2005-01-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

Square for Knitting Class - Embossed Chain

2005-01-19T00:12:00.000-08:00

Square # 8 Square-A-Long

Have you ever drawn a complete blank?

2005-01-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

I can't remember how I picked up stitches last time to make the booga bag. I had no problem last time, but this time I am drawing a complete blank. I am going to try again tomorrow, and if I still can't do it I will bring it to knitting class. I am probably over tired and fried from a busy day at work, maybe tomorrow it will come back to me.

I made some good progress on the rose square and on the blanket that is hanging on the Diva right now. I have half a skein of yarn left to finish the blanket on the machine then I am going to take it off and work the edges by hand. I am going to use a long circular needle to work four rows of garter stitch on either end, but I am not sure what I will do on the sides. Since it is all stockinette stitch I need to do something to keep it from curling. I could pick up stitches and do garter stitch, or do some type of crochet edge. I am not much of a crocheter so I am not sure what would work.

I am too tired to do much else today, probably just a few more rows on the rose square and then to sleep.

2005-01-18T00:13:00.000-08:00

Too tired for words..

2005-01-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

The Diva

The Diva and I ...

2005-01-15T23:12:00.000-08:00

really had it out today. If she is going to take up this much space in my life she better learn to behave. I was carefully working along on my son's blanket when the cartridge popped out for absolutely no reason. It took me 30 minutes to rework all the dropped stitched and then get it run correctly again. Some of it is my learning curve, but she sure is temperamental. However once I got it going again I worked 25 rows of 130 stitch wide stockinetted in about 30 minutes. So it is fun to do, but not even close to handknitting for creativity and relaxation. But my son loves the blanket and it would take me forever to knit this huge a blanket by hand.

Later, after my adventure to the hair dressers, I worked on Square #8 of my square-a-long afghan. For some reason I ended up having to rip it out twice, even though it is an easy pattern. I think it is because I was trying to watch the figure skating Nationals at the same time, which is not good "knitting" TV. But I did get it straightened out and my girl Michele won her 9th gold medal so it was worth it.

Tomorrow I want to finish the square and get a lot done on the blanket. I am also working another booga bag, I am at the point of picking up stitches and then I will be working in the round. I want to have that ready for some nice "mindless" knitting during the week.

I am getting back in the swing of things

2005-01-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

Today after a busy day at work I got myself organized so that I can work on my afghan for knitting class and the one for the Square-A-Long. At class on Tuesday my friend Joni showed me what I was doing wrong on an embossed chain square. It had me twisting two knit stitches, then next row creating a make one pearl, then after 8 more rows dropping that pearl stitch. Since I wasn't doing the twist correctly I would do the ten row repeat, drop the pearl stitch, and the whole thing would self destruct. But now I have the technique down it worked up quickly and finished the square.

I also went through my square-a-long squares and found I have completed squares 1-7, 25, and 28. I found the right yarns and started square #8 which is a two-color rose fabric. Pretty easy, but you knit into the stitch below, something I haven't done before.

I have decided to name my knitting machine the "Diva". It is finicky, requires a very specific environment, is high maintenance, and only works properly when you give it your undivided attention. But it performs beautifully once you cater to all its demands. It is a Bond Ultimate Sweater Machine with an extension kit and row counter.

It is currently monopolizing my entire desk and preventing me from using my printer, wastebasket, stapler, or tape for fear of bumping it wrong. It is even trying to hog the space for my new Febreeze Scent Stories player, but there I drew the line. I can live without printing, throwing things away, stapling or taping but I can't survive without aromatherapy. Once I finish the blanket I am making I am going to have to find a better place to put it.

Time to wrap things up for the night, tomorrow I am going to spend hours of chemical torture having my natural blond highlights done. I will at least get to knit while I am baking under the dryer. I promise pictures tomorrow, I took them today but I can't find my transfer cable and am to tired to search further. I suspect the Diva had something to do with its disappearance....

I'm back...

2005-01-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

and I won't bore you with all the non-knitting events that occurred to cause my absence. But in summary we had Xmas and New Year's, I had my birthday, the boys are back in school, I have taken on new responsibilities at work, and my Dad is still in the hospital. Not much time for knitting or blogging.

However, I think I have it all back to a dull roar now and can have a life again. Guess what I got for Xmas?

Bond Knitting Machine
Yarn Swift
Ball Winder
Knit cord machine
Photoshop for modifying pictures

Obviously Mrs. Claus is a knitter and a blogger.

The knitting machine is quite an experience. I thought it would be easy but that the results would be disappointing. It is actually the opposite. I love the results but it is tricky and almost as hard to get the hang of as when I first learned hand knitting. But once you get a hang of it you sure can whip out the stockinette.

Don't worry, I am not giving up hand knitting by any means. There are a great deal of things you can't do on the knitting machine. It is just another tool to me, like dpn's, circulars, etc. It is great for the following:

Scarves made of worsted, takes one ball and about an hour
Blankets, pillow covers and afghans made of acrylic worsted for everyday use, not heirlooms
Quick stockinette sweaters, especially for kids (although I have not conquered this yet, but I am almost there
Bags to felt

It is also a different experience, not portable, not as relaxing, more about the product then the process. But for the things I listed it is great.

I also signed back up for the ongoing knitting class at the Adult School. My friends talked me into it, even though I will miss quite a few of the classes it will still be worth it when I can make it. I started an afghan there, lots of complicated patterns, and will be picking up where I left off. The two instructors, Charlie and Athena, are wonderful and will give advice and help on any project you bring in.

I am also going to get back involved with the square-a-long, I have kept up with the administration of the newsgroup but haven't posted for ages. I have 7 of the squares done and cast on the next one last night. So I am back with a vengeance, and apologize again for the long absence. I really thank those of you who left me comments, it meant a lot to know that people where reading and took the time to tell me so.

Pictures tomorrow...knitting machine, some finished squares, a new project...

I'm sorry...

2004-12-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

but add up a sick 5 year old, the holidays, mom-in-law who couldn't come because of illness, father in the hospital and you get complete chaos. Not knitting, or blogging. I hope you all forgive me, I will try and get back to my regular schedule tomorrow. I am not sure if anyone is still reading but I will press on! I miss knitting and blogging!

Madness...

2004-12-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

Two days of madness at work trying to get all caught up so I can take next week off. Now I will have several days of madness at home trying to get ready for the holidays and for my mom-in-laws visit. So you can probably expect a sparseness of content, knitting and otherwise. I am sure you don't want to hear the details of my house cleaning! However, once I get myself sorted out for the holidays I will be back to my regular obsession. Plus a little elf told me that I am getting some knitting related items as presents. (I know, interrogating your five year old is not fair, but he brought it up...)

Today I did have a little time squeezed in for knitting, but just continues on the Modern Classic Sweater. This weekend I hope to have more time in between chores. Sweep some, knit some, dust some, knit some, scrub some, knit some...

I am going to the awards ceremony for the Karate school tomorrow. It is a very big deal because Donovan is getting his blue belt (at 5!) and Erik is getting his brown belt. It seems like just yesterday that they started. This event last several hours but unfortunately my spouse and children have threatened to disown me if I take my knitting. And since I want to be able to be able to be claimed by my belt and trophy earning offspring I guess I will have to leave it in the car. I can still knit there and back...

Slow day on the knitting front...

2004-12-16T01:56:00.000-08:00

busy day at work, and then straight to Donovan's Christmas pageant. There is nothing as cute as a group of kindergartners singing holiday songs. Especially when one of them is yours.

We picked up pizza on the way home and then all ate ourselves into a pizza coma. Next thing I knew we had all fallen asleep on various couches/chairs and I had to heard us all to bed. Perhaps pizza has tryptophan(sp?) like turkey?

Now I am just about to do a little end of the day relaxing knitting on my Modern Classic Sweater before I go back to sleep. I couldn't possible spend a whole day without needles in my hand!

Another day of knitting for sanity...

2004-12-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

in an insane work world. It is so nice not to feel like the day was wasted since I did get a lot of knitting done. However, it was a very long day and I am too tired to take pictures. I will make up for it tomorrow, I promise.

I did receive the new Halcyon Yarn catalog today and enjoyed drooling over it. However, the last thing I need to do right now is order more yarn. So it is up on the shelf with its friends. I was also very tempted to get a drop spindle kit or a felting kit, but I talked myself out of it. Who knows what Santa might bring? But I am so inspired by Wendy's spinning that I am more tempted everyday.

Very tired tonight so a short post, more pictures and updates tomorrow I promise.

2004-12-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

"If you ask me, we need to send a distinct brand message, and market our products in ways that send a clear response to the voice of the customer. This will increase our market share, grow top line revenue, and show direct results on the bottom line..." Dexter CCO (Chief Cat Officer)

The best way to learn about the knit stitch...

2004-12-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

is to teach a five year old to knit. It is amazing how much I am learning about the forming of each stitch while I am trying to untangle and pick up dropped stitches. I mean it, for the first time I completely understand how the loops go together. I learned to pick up dropped stitches in knitting class, but it is a whole different thing if you combine that with several twisted stitches, one or two that were just passed without being knit, and various other combinations. You really become one with the knitting when you have taken it out and put it back together. Of course I don't make it completely perfect, it still needs to be uniquely Donovan's. He is so proud of it and having so much fun.

Of course today he decided he wanted to start another project. Those of you who have your own or are around kids know how they always manage to make you aware of your own weaknesses. I told him he ought to stick with one while he got the hang of it. He said he wanted more than one to work on in case he gets tired of one. "Just like you Mommy!". So we cast on a snake for him to knit. What could I say?

I had a 6 hour conference call today, and knitting saved my sanity. If you have never sat on the phone for 6 hours of business speak you aren't missing anything, believe me. But I got a great deal of knitting done and payed attention at the same time. Not like my peers who I know were emailing and instant messaging like crazy. I know this because so much of it was for me. So I got lots of knitting done and have a mailbox full of dumb emails sent by my bored co-workers.

At least I can see the end in sight of the Suede Shawl. I have three more hours of call tomorrow so it should be done then!

2004-12-12T23:16:00.000-08:00

Booga Bag #1

2004-12-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

Tote Bag

2004-12-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

Touch Me Scarf

FO's!

2004-12-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

Well actually, felted objects, not all finished objects. I felted my Booga Bag, the Tote Bag, and the Touch Me scarf. At last I had the guts. I actually was amazed as how easy it was and how quickly it all felted, even the Noro. There was the little incident where I thrust both hands into incredibly hot water, but I have recovered. Anyway, I am really pleased with the results. Even the Touch Me scarf, which was so wormy and ugly, looks great now. All I have left to do is add the handles to the Booga Bag once it dries.

I also did a yarn stash organization which cleared some floor space. I also ran across some Woolpak yarn I once bought to make felted clogs. So since I am on a felting roll I will have to knit them up as well. Then maybe another bag...

I did do a little knitting, worked on the snake some more, helped Donovan with his scarf, and did a few more rows on the heart pillow. The main thing is, I finished things, and have not cast anything else on. I am committed to not starting any new projects until the Suede Shawl and the Heart Pillow are finished. That will just leave me with the Saxon Braid Scarf, a pair of socks, the snake, and the Modern Classic Sweater in the works. That is quite conservative for me!

2004-12-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

Concentration seems to require a great deal of mouth positioning...

You are not going to believe this!

2004-12-11T23:55:00.000-08:00

Donovan, my five year old son, asked me to teach him to knit. I figured it was just a passing whim, but later on he asked me again. So I showed him, big needles, big yarn, and he really like it. After about six rows of blue he insisted that he wanted to do stripes and wanted more colors. So his knitting a blue, purple and white scarf!. My husband and older son are horrified. I think they believe it will result in some effect on his testosterone production. I told them it would be counteracted by his karate lessons and tournaments. They left the room in disgust.

I told them they better not discourage him or they could experience knitting needle injuries. It made them feel better later when Donovan was using a spare pair of needles to practice one of his karate weapons routines. But he sat and contentedly knitted with me while he watched his cartoons later and got about 8 inches of scarf completed. Not bad for a five year old. It is of course a little rough, and I help out a lot, but he has the hang of it and looks so cute while he is doing it. He is my little liberated man! (Gee, can you tell I am proud of him?)

As for my own knitting I am about half way down with the snake I am making for him and have made some good progress on the Endless Suede Scarf. Not bad for another day with a splitting headache. I am starting to wonder if I need a new glasses prescription or what the deal is with the headaches. I hope I am not getting migraines, my sister has those and they really stink.

I don't like snakes...

2004-12-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

but I am knitting one for Donovan. I am having fun with the shaping and I even like the small needles and sportweight yarn. I think these projects will be really fun and a great learning experience, especially once I start the more complicated ones. They are from the "World of Knitted Toys" by Kath Dalmeny which can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0715312243/qid=1102746894/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-4445613-3535253

I finished the knit cord for the Booga Bag today and made some progress on the second half of the heart pillow. I know what you are thinking, what about the endless Suede Shawl? What about that commitment? Well, I am definitely going to finish it this weekend. I have rented 3 movies to watch, that should be enough to get it finished. So what I plan to do this weekend:

Finish Endless Suede Shawl
Finish Heart Pillow
Felt Booga Bag

Which of course means I will have earned the right to cast on something else. The ski band for some color work maybe? The cashmere for the feather and fan scarf? Decisions, decisions...

The yarn is here, the yarn is here!

2004-12-10T01:25:00.000-08:00

I finally received all the yarn I ordered to make the knit Animals. Much to my husband's horror Donovan was just as excited and even said "Wow, look at all this sportweight!" I was so proud.

I started working the 6 feet of 5 stitch knitcord I need for the handles of the Booga Bag. It is going quickly and I am about 2/3rds complete. This looks like a felting weekend. I am also trying to discipline myself into finishing the endless Suede Shawl by making myself knit at least 5 rows on it before I can work on anything else. Yuk, but I gotta get it done for Xmas.

2004-12-10T00:35:00.000-08:00

Yarn for the toy animals.

2004-12-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

The corgi executive.

K2, purl, K2, K, K2, purl, K2, K....

2004-12-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

and on and on, beautiful blue wool, nice rhythm, soooo relaxing. The Modern Classic Sweater grows slowly on. Still avoiding the endless Suede Shawl. It is a Xmas present for my sister, I imagine it will end up being sent express.

I did get some Xmas things done today, just not knitting. I ordered presents from Amazon for my family back East. Every year I send them each a book or two, a very librarian's daughter thing to do. But we are a reading family and I know their taste so it works out well. I also got some Xmas cards and will print out the list from my address book so I can start addressing them tomorrow. I am thinking of doing one of those family newsletters this year, since I have so many digital pictures now it would be fun. Really just like blogging in a way.

I am still waiting for my yarn from Herrschners for the knit animals. Donovan is very impatient about it, I actually am just as happy to wait for the weekend. That is definitely "thinking" knitting, small needles and lots of increases and decreases. Not hard, just have to stay on my toes and keep count. The good thing is they are not very big so it shouldn't take long. I am hoping to create a Panda Bear this weekend. Donovan and I will be on our own for a lot of it again, Erik is taking his test for Brown Belt this weekend, and Jack is helping to give the Black Belt tests.

I never stop being amazed at watching my older son go from boy to man. Thirteen is an incredible age, I know I don't talk about him as much but he is just amazing. I can't believe he is about to be a brown belt, it seems like yesterday he was a little boy in a white belt just starting karate. I am going to sneak a picture of him this week so I can post it. He is very camera shy right now, so I will have to trick him into it.

Since I don't have anything exciting to show you on knitting I will post a picture of Gimli. He is not in the least camera shy and very proud of his ability to climb up on the bed now. It was inevitable that he would figure it out eventually, even with his short little legs.

Would I be a traitor...

2004-12-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

if I got a knitting machine for Christmas? Just for quick to make shells and sweaters for me? Would it be so wrong, would I be banned from knitting blogdom? I wouldn't in anyway give up handknitting, just make some practical clothing out of some cones of worsted I have. It wouldn't really be my fault because someone else gave it to me, I wouldn't have actually bought it. (Shhh, don't have to confess about the wish list, they could have picked something else to give me.) I am struggling here, comments welcome.

Speaking of Christmas, how did it get to be Dec. 7th already? I believe that just like years pass much more quickly once you hit 35 that December passes at an accelerated rate as well. Luckily I do most of my shopping on the Internet, which is designed for procrastinators. Not for the penny pinching though, the later you are the more they make you pay for it.

I worked along on the Modern Classic Sweater today, I used a lot of brain power at work so I was looking for some nice relaxing stockinette. I just couldn't face the endless Suede Shawl, I needed to feel wool with all its calming effects. I have an early conference call tomorrow so I need to get to bed early tonight. After all, I have to be wide awake to knit and pay attention to the call at the same time. Isn't that what they mean by multi-tasking?

I leave you with my dream sheets, I found them on another blog, can't remember which one right now. I don't know what I like about them more, the idea of sleeping surrounded by knitting, or the idea of having a herd of animals that could both produce wool and knit it as well. Now that would be the ultimate knitting machine!

2004-12-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

The ultimate sheets, however unlikely it is my husband would ever sleep on them...

2004-12-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am descended from royalty, but no one around here seems to acknowledge it.

2004-12-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

A great artist at work...

Under the weather...

2004-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

since yesterday. I guess the rainy cold weather got to me, I have had a cold and wicked sinus headache. Headaches are the worst for me, it bothers me to knit or read. Which is pure hell for me, since that is what I spend most of my time doing. So instead I watched TV, dozed, and was generally a lay-about.

So not much to report, today I did a little on the suede shawl, am up to 150 of 175 rows. My headache seems to be responding to Advil at last so tomorrow I should have more to report. So to make up for the lack of knitting content I will post a few pictures.

Nice cozy rainy day...

2004-12-04T23:35:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those of you who are still coming back after reading my list of 100! Either some of it resonated with you, or you returned for the same reason one observes strange animals at the zoo.

Today I built a big fire in the wood stove and Donovan watched TV and played while I read and knitted. (Not at the same time, I am not that good.) I finished the Booga Bag body, just the knit cord and felting to do. I also made more progress on the Modern Classic Sweater. Not really much exciting to report, just steady knitting.

I got the most recent issue of Knit'n'Style, it says February 2005. Ridiculous how far in advance they date them; I think it has something to do with how long they stay on the shelf. I liked the article on cabling and a few of the other patterns, but most I thought were pretty ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I know.

I usually find only a few gems in each magazine I buy, but I can't seem to convince myself to just cut those out and throw the rest away. I am running out of room so someday I am going to have to bite the bullet and do so.

Last night I downloaded some really cool journaling software here http://www.davidrm.com/thejournal/

I like it because I can type my blog in it offline and then upload it straight from there. It also lets you add pictures and attachments. I can do the rest of my journaling and writing in there that I don't post to the world. (Believe me, you don't want to hear all that stuff!) Anyway it has some cool templates and thought starters, I think it will be fun to work with.

Tomorrow should be another nice quite day and I plan on starting one of the Knitted Animals for Donovan. Panda or Polar Bear to start? It will depend on my mood. I am sure that my family would prefer I woke up in a Panda not a Polar mood tomorrow.

The great handbag dilemma solved...

2004-12-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

I found a booklet today at Joanne’s that has all sorts of patterns and instructions on how to make purses and attach handles. They aren’t knitted, but I can see how to adapt the techniques. I am excited about it for two reasons, one is to felt some bags and use the handles, the other is to actually sew some of the larger ones for knitting bags. I haven’t done much sewing recently but it is another area that I am really interested in and I think these bags would be great projects to start with. There are so many wonderful fabrics out there!

I didn’t get a lot of knitting done today, very full day at work then I went food shopping. I also helped my husband and older son get ready to leave for a Karate tournament tomorrow morning. They are going for the weekend and Donovan, my little guy, and I are going to be hanging out on our own this weekend. We are all ready, I have lots of knitting and movies, he has his “melty beads” and poster coloring projects that we picked up. It is supposed to be cold so we are going to cuddle up and keep the woodstove going strong.

I think I am also going to write the 100 things about me this weekend. I have been thinking about it and was inspired by Annie’s list at Knitty Gritty. They are fun to read and you can really learn a lot about someone that way.

2004-12-01T23:51:00.000-08:00

But these I don't know how to attach.

2004-12-01T23:47:00.000-08:00

These I get...

Still can't find it..

2004-12-01T23:09:00.000-08:00

how to add the bag handles. One of them I know you just add about 2" of the right width stitching, put it through the slot, then sew to the inside. But I will be darned if can figure out the other type. I spent way too much time today searching for the answer on the web today. I bet it is out there, I am just not searching with the right keywords.

I worked on the Booga Bag today and the neverending Suede Shawl. Nothing exciting, just mindless knitting while watching Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer with Donovan. If only Rudolph had knit, he would have had more friends and not been an outcast. I am sure socks, mittens, scarves and hats would be very popular at the North Pole. Obsessesed with knitting, who me?

Today was Gimli, my Pembroke Welsh Corgi, first birthday. I gave him the last of the leftover Turkey as a treat. We also bought him a new toy. Yes he is spoiled, and he knows it.

It has been incredibly cold here for Southern Cal, it was 21 degrees last night. I know that is not really cold, but when you live in a log home with very little insulation, a wood stove for heat, and pipes that freeze it is very cold. I think I was a real clashing of old and new today as I huddled under a blanket, knitting, while I listened into a conference call on my headset phone while watching a Powerpoint Slide Presentation. The best of both worlds I think!

Shopping!!

2004-12-01T01:24:00.000-08:00

Went to Joanne's and Walmart today to find some inexpensive DK weight yarn to make toy animals. It was a complete wash, only managed to find "baby" colors plus black. I ordered it online and can get started on the panda, seal, sheep, and pig in the meantime (requiring only black, white, and pink yarn). Donovan and I also picked up some craft kits for him including plastic beading, painting, etc. He worked on those while I knit, it is so fun to watch the joy he takes in creating objects with the uninhibited enthusiasm of a five year old.

I also found some beautiful handbag handles that would look nice on felted bags. I looked through my books and patterns and can't find one. I also did some searching on the web, but found nothing so far. The only ones I did find were for circular handles, these have small clips on the bottom and I am not sure how to attach them. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

I finished one side of the heart pillow today, and started the second side. It worked quickly and the striping is fun. I hope it looks good once it is filled. I also put some more work into the booga bag and the sweater. I hope to have more time to knit tomorrow, shopping took way too much time with all the holiday crowds and traffic. Didn't they know they were cutting into my knitting time?

2004-12-01T00:45:00.000-08:00

Halfway to the Heart Pillow

Tis the season...

2004-11-29T23:13:00.000-08:00

to clean up the place. My mother-in-law is coming for the holidays. Believe it or not, she is the opposite of the stereotype, she is wonderful and we get along very well. She spoils us rotten, cooking and helping out, plus she is a knitter! Well worth cleaning the house.

Today I went through the vacation withdrawal. It was hard to get back in the swing of things after all that time off. But all good things must come to an end. I still managed to squeeze a little knitting and blog reading. I made another discovery, which I imagine most of you blog readers already knew, but Clapotis, Blaze, and other patterns that so many bloggers use are from Knitty.com. The more you read the more you learn.

Tomorrow is payday and Donovan and I are going in search of DK yarn to make the knitted animals he picked out yesterday. I believe I will start with a husky dog and a sheep. I know I will learn and practices haping, color changing, and working with small needles. Not to mention how excited Donovan is about the project! I can recruit Mom M. (aka Nanny) to help while she is here as well.

2004-11-29T23:07:00.000-08:00

2004-11-29T23:06:00.000-08:00

We are cleaning up around here! |

2004-11-28T23:39:00.001-08:00

Modern Classic Sweater

2004-11-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

Saxon Braid Scarf

2004-11-28T23:38:00.000-08:00

Heart Pillow

2004-11-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

Booga Bag

Time to come out of the cocoon...

2004-11-28T23:34:00.000-08:00

and back to reality in the morning. But I did have a relaxing five days and fit in lots of knitting. Here is the update:

Cast on my Booga Bag (Done, and 60% completed)
Cast on a pair of socks from sock yarn stash (Done)
Cast on Classic Sweater (Done, and 8" of back completed)
Felt my other bag and wash the "Touch Me" scarf (not done)
Seam Donovan's sweater(not done, but waiting for Lori from LYS to help me)
Work more on the Saxon Braid Scarf (Completed another 16 row repeat)
Update the links on my blog, and the wip's and fo's (Done)
Rearrange my stash to accommodate new purchases (and make it look less packed so I can buy more yarn) (rearranged, bought more yarn, repeat)
Find a good charity to donate the three hats I made (Found it, need to mail)

Additionally:

Cast on completed 75% of one side of heart pillow
Had fun picking out animals to knit for Donovan, will order yarn this week
Made more progress on never ending Suede shawl

Lots of progress picks to post!

This week's unconscious mutterings...

2004-11-28T01:50:00.000-08:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

Limited time only:: sale!
Voluptuous:: sexy
Nutritionist:: weightloss
Belt:: hip
Star crossed:: lovers
Snakeskin:: boots
Athlete’s foot:: yuk
Boom:: ka..
Freezer:: burn
Store hours:: too short

http://subliminal.lunanina.com/

Why it is good to have a lot of projects in the works...

2004-11-26T23:29:00.000-08:00

and other great rationalizations. I believe (have convinced myself) that it is good to have a whole bunch of works in progress. Sometimes I am in the mood for socks, or a hat, or a , sweater, or mindless garter stitch, or something difficult, etc. So having a multitude of choices means I am always knitting something that I want to knit. This means it is a pleasure instead of a task.

The rest of my life is filled with things I need to do or must do, so I indulge myself a great deal when it comes to my craft. I do get a lot of things finished, it must work for me. If you are a projectaholic like me, feel free to steal this rationalization. If you are a one or two project at a time person just pretend this blog belongs to about 6 people all named Cathy.

NowI have convinced you (me) that this makes sense, I will tell you about the other two projects I cast on today. First I got a pair of socks going. They are Lion Brand Magic Stripes on size 3 dpns. This is just a warmup for the cable socks. But it has been about a year since I knit socks so I thought I better work through turning a heel on regular socks before I work on a pattern.

I also cast on and worked about half of one side of the heart pillow. My wrist was bothering me from all my projects on circulars and I wanted something I could do on straight needles. I don't know why my wrist bothers me on circulars, but I guess something about how I knit causes this. It goes away completely with straight needles.

I didn't neglect the other projects either. I have added about 5" to the Modern Classic Sweater, almost finished the body of the Booga Bag, and worked on the never ending Suede Shawl. Now that I am at the top of the shawl, about 150 stitches across, it takes a lot longer to complete the rows. I have 25 rows to go, then the fringe.

I leave you with a picture of what I see in my dreams...

2004-11-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

In my dreams...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

To all of you in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving, and to those of you in the rest of the world, I hope you had a good Thursday.

I am always excited when I see that people from other parts of the world are reading my blog. I have traveled a great deal, and consider my self a citizen of the world, not just the US. One of my dreams is to be able to travel someday and study the craft of knitting in as many different countries as possible. I bet I share that dream with a lot of other knitters!

I am pretty tired from cooking Turkey and all the fixings, since I am originally from New England I make all the traditional fare. So I think I will keep it short tonight. For your entertainment, however, I have added a section called "Coming Soon" that includes the projects that I already have the yarn and pattern and will be cast on soon. So please browse those and I will be back tomorrow.

2004-11-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

Look what followed me home.

2004-11-25T00:04:00.000-08:00

Headband and Mittens

2004-11-25T00:03:00.000-08:00

I bought this yarn to make the Headband and Mittens.

Why didn't I think of this earlier?

2004-11-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

Some of the patterns I am knitting are from books and magazines and I do not have a flatbed scanner, just a one page feed type. So if the picture was not on the web I thought I couldn't show it to you. I just figured out today to take a picture of it! Duh! Double-Duh! I can't believe I never thought of it before. So expect a lot of updates to my works in progress and I am also going to add a section that shows yarn and projects waiting to be cast on.

Today I went to my "home" yarn shop. East, west home is best, it was so good to visit the shop in my town. It is called Lori's Frames, Fibers & Frills and is such a nice place to be. It is fun to see the shop grow and the group of knitters expand. It has yarn, custom framing, and lots of nice collectibles. But I must admit I love seeing how the yarn has expanded from one corner of the shop to about 80% of it. I love the other stuff, but after all, the yarn is the best.

I can remember the day I first found out there was a yarn shop in town, I think about 2 years ago. I had been driving far afield to get my yarn or ordering over the web. Then came Lori, who stocks beautiful fibers, is an experienced knitter, and is always willing to help out, as are the others that work there with her. I sat down and knit with them for about an hour today, worked on the Modern Classic, and got some advice on a few of my projects. Of course somehow books and yarn followed me home, can't imagine how that happened!

I absolutely cannot stay up all night knitting and blogging, I have a turkey to cook tomorrow!

2004-11-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

I love them both but neither one can be trusted alone with yarn or needles!

I thought today would be quiet...

2004-11-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

but actually it was really crazy at work and of course I was tired from staying up too late knitting. But now I start my five straight days off. No work, no alarm clock, no pressures. I love my job but is extremely stressful. So this time off will be great and I can feel myself decompressing already.

Since I travel so much my favorite thing to do is cocoon when I have time off. This is the perfect time to do it as well, my boys will be home from school and I have nowhere that I have to go. So we will all cuddle up in our log home in the mountains, with the woodstove going, and each other for company. We all have our hobbies and things to do, my knitting of course, Jack with his miniature painting, and the boys with their drawing and games. I am sure we will also bake together and watch some movies. I have to be careful not to get popcorn grease on my knitting!

I did get some knitting done today, I made good progress on the Booga bag, finished one skein on 3. I am not sure why I need 3 since it is getting very close to be the correct height, it must take a lot to make the knit cord straps.

I enjoyed my visit to the Needleworks shop yesterday. The ladies there are friendly and knowledgeable. I don't go visit often since it is such a long drive, but it is nice to drop by once in awhile. They have very nice yarns, my only issue is that it is a small space with a combination of other needlework plus knitting so they don't have a lot of yarn. I am sure that if I still did embroidery or needlepoint I would love all that stuff too. But I am afraid to look to closely because I don't need another obsession. Plus I stopped doing cross stitch because it gave me a headache, it just isn't a good combination with my computer intensive job.

Of course I didn't leave the store with just the needles I needed. (No one really thought I would, did they?) I picked up the Sirdar Chunky Magic I was looking for to make a striped teddy bear for my little guy. I also found a two neat Patons pattern books and bought the yarn to make a headband and mittens. They will be my first real foray into color work. The other book has a sock patterns with cables and I picked up the yarn for that as well. They didn't have the yarn they called for so I am substituting with Dalegarn Helio. I have done cable work and socks, but never both at once.

Tonight I am concentrating on making some progress on the Modern Classic, now that I have the new needles it is much better to work with. Tomorrow when I am rested and fresh I am going to do some work on the Saxon Braid Scarf again, that one requires a great deal of concentration to work all the cables. I love it but it is slow going and brutal to fix if I make a mistake.

I am not a yarn snob but...

2004-11-23T01:04:00.000-08:00

I think I am becoming a needle snob. I was knitting my Modern Classic Sweater with Boye's circulars that I bought before I was spoiled. I loved the yarn, but the needles made me feel like I was wrestling a boa constrictor. So today I went in search of Addi Turbos, my circulars of choice. I couldn't find the right size and had to settle for Crystal Palace bamboo. They are so much better, not as good as Addis, but still a huge improvement. I realized one big difference is that the cord is attached so that it can spin around freely. The Boyes couldn't move, hence the snake wrangling.

I also no longer like any straight needles that aren't wood or bamboo. Most metal needles don't feel right. I have a few pairs of Susan Bates I don't mind, but other than that I want Brittany wood or Crystal Palace bamboo. I hope I never try anything that is even better than those, then I will be in real $$$ trouble. I am not snobby about yarn. I appreciate the beauty of high-end fibers and love being able to use them as I can afford. But have no problem whipping up a sweater for my boys in a practical, low-cost acrylic. I also like to make lots of charity projects and use all sorts of different yarns for those. When it comes to needles though I am really picky now. Am I the only one?

Here are the pictures I promised of the Modern Classic Sweater and the Booga Bag. I love both the yarns and watching the Noro stripe is really fun. I can see the Booga Bag becoming a project I regularly have on the needles and make for all my friends.

2004-11-23T00:21:00.000-08:00

Modern Classic Sweater in Lamb's Pride BulkyWinter Blue

2004-11-23T00:20:00.000-08:00

Booga Bag

Other obsessions...

2004-11-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Did I mention that in addition to being powerless over yarn I am also powerless over kitchen appliances? I love to cook and I used to buy the latest greatest kitchen gadget when it came out. This was not restrained to the normal crock pot, Kitchen Aid mixer, bread maker, and food processor that normal people buy. I am talking ridiculous appliances that get used once or twice then get stuffed in a closet where they take up an outrageous amount of room because of the odd size and shape. Ahh yes, the yogurt maker, bagel maker, iced tea carafe, cookie press, pizza oven, food dehydrator, sandwich maker, waffle maker, Belgian waffle maker, air popcorn popper, fryers (plural!), sandwich makers (plural!!), etc. all keep each other company waiting in hope that they will someday regain their former position of honor on the kitchen counter. Since I started traveling so much I do a lot less cooking so my husband refers to this collection as the "museum of kitchen appliances." I must say I felt quite strong this season knowing that I was not including the new automatic jar opener on my Christmas list.

So I really have made progress in this area, with one exception. I still drink coffee. So I have been through numerous versions, the drip machine, the drip machine with the permanent filter, the cappuccino machine, the French press, the drip and cappuccino combo, the grind and drip combo, and the drip with the carafe. I recently succumbed to a new, improved model that I think was made just for me. I bought a home cafe machine that uses individual pods and makes one cup at a time. I hate stale or over warmed coffee so this is perfect for me. Fresh coffee in less than a minute and no waste. They are starting to make all sorts of different flavored pods as well.

I love the machine and the coffee it makes. Unfortunately my corgi hates it and has a barking fit every time I use it. It is pictured below with the great coffee cup my dear friend Valerie bought me. In case you can't see the words it says "Everything tastes better with dog hair!"

Well, I think I will go make a cup and stay up late knitting. After all, tomorrow is the last day I have to work before FIVE DAYS OFF! Life is good.

2004-11-22T22:15:00.000-08:00

New coffee maker, and yes, that is the carafe one right behind it, after all, what if I need a whole pot?

True love...

2004-11-21T23:30:00.000-08:00

I can't help it, I am in love with the two projects I cast on. The Booga Bag is fun, easy, and I love the Noro yarn. The colors are so intense and I love to watch the stripes grow. I am knitting from the center of the skein so I never know what color I will get next. It is smaller than I thought it would be, and I still have to felt, so I am wondering what size it will end up. But I have seen lots of cool booga bags on other blogs so I am sure I will like it.

I am also crazy about the Modern Classic sweater I started in Brown Sheep Bulky Winter Blue. It is a wonderful color and is working up quickly. It should be interesting to knit, it is done in one piece like the Einstein coat. I am not so wild about the needles, I only had Boye circs in the 10 1/2" 36" inch it called for. But tomorrow I hope I can find some Addi's locally.

Haven't done anything on the socks yet, and neglect the Saxon Braid scarf as well. I am so fickle, lured away by two new projects. But I did finish a bunch of stuff last week, and will have lots of knitting time this week. So I am sure I will be spending time with them soon.

I am too tired for pictures tonight but I promise some tomorrow. Plus I want to do another row or two...

It all started with a spare ice cube tray...

2004-11-21T01:22:00.000-08:00

that I couldn't fit into a drawer. That and a strong cup of coffee. Next thing I knew I was completely cleaning my kitchen. I don't mean straighten up and finally clean behind the canisters clean, I mean completely reorganizing every drawer and cupboard and I can't believe I actually own 6 potato peeler's clean.

When this happens the male members of my household (which is everyone but me) know to stay well out of the way. The went to the movies, and enjoyed "The Incredibles". Of course they know it will take them weeks to find everything, but it is better than the last time I had a kitchen reorg fit. Then I spent the weekend reorganizing and then went away to New York for a week. I was receiving phone calls such as "Okay, we give up, were is the icecream scoop?"

Once I was done I also went on a casting on spree. I cast on the booga bag, classic sweater, and a pair of socks. I will take pictures and add them to my wips tomorrow. It should be a nice quiet day, knitting, watching my Tivo'd shows, doing the laundry. Of course you never know, I do have more of that coffee...

2004-11-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

Hide me please, before she organizes me!

I love Fridays...

2004-11-19T23:05:00.000-08:00

Especially when they are before a nice quiet weekend, and then a two day week, then five days off! Think of all the knitting I can do, and stash rearrangement, and maybe a trip up to Encinitas to the Black Sheep and Common Threads! Okay I am obsessed, but if you are spending your time reading knitting blogs you must at least be able to relate. My knitting-related goals for the weekend & following week:

*Cast on my Booga Bag
*Cast on a pair of socks from sock yarn stash
*Cast on Classic Sweater
*Felt my other bag and wash the "Touch Me" scarf
*Seam Donovan's sweater(after rewatching the DIY episode where Sally Melville demonstrates it so well)
*Work more on the Saxon Braid Scarf
*Update the links on my blog, and the wip's and fo's
*Rearrange my stash to accommodate new purchases (and make it look less packed so I can buy more yarn)
*Find a good charity to donate the three hats I made

Well, that ought to keep me busy. Oh yah, and play with the kids, take the dog to the park, clean the house, do laundry, get ready for Thanksgiving and all that stuff. But I am sure I can squeeze that around the knitting!

2004-11-18T22:33:00.000-08:00

Gimli, my corgi, is complaining that he is not get enough air time on the blog. "Do cats sit and lay down? Come when you call them? Follow you everywhere you go?"

Minimum Scarf (The Knit Stitch)

2004-11-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

1. Buy $45 worth of "Touch Me" yarn
2. Spend xx hours knitting it into a scarf
3. Get up the nerve to do the following:

"Despite what the label says, wash and rinse in warm water in the washing machine. It will come out of the washer small and hard. Dry it it a warm dryer, and it will soften to something extraordinarily beautiful."

Give me strength, I have just finished my scarf and I have to do step 3. I have friends that swear it will come out okay, I will let you know the results.

2004-11-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

Thought I would try some Unconscious Mutterings from this site: http://subliminal.lunanina.com/faq.php

Childhood:: Ups and downs
Ransom:: Note
Melissa:: Ethridge
Trust me:: maybe
Report:: Card
Give up:: Never
Nightgown:: Big T-shirt
Smokes:: Never
Cookies & cream:: Icecream
Gameshow::Jeopardy

This is weekly and kinda fun...

2004-11-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

Saxon Braid Scarf

Squares and Braids

2004-11-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

Today I made good progress, finished Square #2 for my square-a-long. That actually means I have the first 7 done now, since I had already done 3-7 earlier this year. Square 2 was striped stockinette, very straightforward but good practice at switching colors and keeping a very even gauge. I love this book, Barbara Walker's insights really help you pay attention and learn to be a conscious knitter. My favorite BW quote is:

"There is something in every human soul which seeks to create a thing of beauty."

The next square I need to do, #8, is a "Rose Fabric" that involves knitting in the row below, something I have never done before. I am glad to be trying all these new techniques, it will be a real feeling of accomplishment when I finish all the squares. Not just the finished product, but how much I learned during the process.

I did a little work on my Saxon Braid Scarf, amazing how much easier it is now that I have the corrected pattern. But since today was a "thinking" day at work I am mostly in the mood for the peace and rhythm of easy knitting.

One thing that seems to be calling me though is my sock yarn. I have not made a pair of socks in over a year, and feel like casting on a pair. I bought one of those pouches that let you walk and knit, so that would be the perfect project for it. I will probably give in to this urge over the Thanksgiving Holidays.

2004-11-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

My black and white Kitty collection...don't let those innocent faces fool you, they are yarn marauders, every one of them!

One of the things I love most about knitting...

2004-11-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

is the lessons learned about knitting and about life. Yesterday I cast on the Saxon Braid Scarf from Nicky Epstein's "Knitting on the Edge". It will be my challenge project, it is a 16 row repeat complex cable with fringe.

I worked the first 16, realized I had made some mistakes and found an obvious mistake in the book. So I frogged. Worked the 16 again, was extremely careful, pretty sure I had followed the pattern accurately but still it looked wrong. So, frog #2. Was I wrong? Was the pattern wrong. I then did the same 16 rows, being very careful to follow the directions exactly and it still looked wrong. So I took a shot and did a search on the internet and found the errata sheet. Not only were there mistakes in the pattern, there were actually 5 mistakes. I frogged again (#3) and worked it with the corrections and really watched the knitting as well as the pattern. It all made sense and worked out beautifully.

So I (re)learned:

*Trust your instincts
*Patterns are good, but conscious knitting (and life) is much more rewarding
*The greater the task, the greater the reward

I love knitting!

2004-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

The purple hat...

Believe it or not, a finished object…

2004-11-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

I finished the purple hat. The pattern was fun to work and I like how it looks. But I think maybe I should block it. I am trying to figure out what head shaped object I can pin it to. None of my family seems to want to volunteer.

Now that I earned it what will I cast on next? The cashmere scarf? The celtic braid? Those yummy warm mittens and hat? The booga bag…

Very seamy… yesterday I watched Sally Melville teaching how to stitch together a sweater on Knitty Gritty. She did such a wonderful job explaining it and I really picked up some good tips. I have recorded all the Knitty Gritty episodes on Tivo and am in the process of putting them on video tape. Emily in my Square-A-Long group also found this web site http://knittinghelp.com which has movies of the stitches. Sometimes it just helps to see it…

2004-11-14T21:09:00.000-08:00

Look what followed me home!

Buy yarn? Who me?

2004-11-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

I found lots of the yarn I needed for projects and then some that I just couldn’t resist. Having all this waiting to be put on needles is encouraging me to finish up my other works in progress. I am being strict with myself, I can only cast something new on when I finish one of my others works in progress.

I have made some good progress on the Suede shawl. Each row is increased by one, I am at 132 stitches, finished is 175. Then lots of fringe, but that goes quickly. It will definitely be ready for my sister for Christmas.

I am also almost down with the Touch Me scarf. I sure hope that it looks better once it is washed, because now it is supper “wormy”. But the directions say it will really look nice once it is washed and dried. For $15 dollars a ball, total of 3, I sure hope so.

In the eye of the storm...

2004-11-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I am back from Boulder, leaving again for New York on Tuesday. Crazy schedule, I will be so glad after this trip that I shouldn't have to go again until after Christmas. While I was in Boulder I visited one of my favorite yarn shops in the country,Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins. Tons of beautiful yarn, books, needles, everything you could want. Plus lots of spinning stuff, I am not a spinner but I bet I would be if I lived near this shop. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and don't mind having pictures taken!

2004-11-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

2004-11-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

Shuttles, Spindles, & Skeins, Boulder, Colorado

2004-11-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

I love the sheep collection...

A Tale of Two Yarn Shops (Part II)

2004-11-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

So when we left it yesterday, Serena and I had just visited the wonderful School Products yarn shop. We then took the subway a few more stops and got off by Union Square park. It was an upscale area, lots of nice shops and restaurants. We walked about a block to the "Knit New York" shop. I had read a review of in a knitting magazine and it sounded interesting, a combo yarn shop and coffee shop. We entered and the initial impression was good, nice and clean, a small but nice collection of yarn, lots of knit up samples, it looked like a good cozy spot to browse, knit, and drink coffee.

We wandered around a bit looking at the yarn. No one asked us if we wanted any help, even though there were about four employees standing around. I didn't really need any help and continued to look at samples and talk to Serena about what it would take to knit some of them. A lady, obviously a beginner, was sitting at a table struggling to work on a scarf. She asked me a question so I spent a little time showing her how to untwist a stitch and close a hole. She then began to ask me some other questions, apologizing for taking my time. Like most knitters, I am happy to help people, but I found it sad that none of the employees seemed willing to help her.

We moved to another part of the shop and admired a rack of knitted scarves and began discussing what type of yarn had been used to make one of them. A couple of ladies sitting there got involved in the conversation, but again none of the staff seemed interested in the customers, just in chatting among themselves.

Then things went from mildly aloof to downright rude. I still planned on writing a neutral review, saying it was a good place to get high end yarn and to sit and knit while having a snack. But then...I took out my camera to take some pictures. I explained to the guys at the coffee counter that I wanted to take a picture for my blog, and they said okay. As soon as I started to take the picture a woman can running up and asked me what I thought I was doing. I explained I was visiting from California and taking a picture for my blog so I could tell other people about the shop. She said she was the owner and I couldn't take any pictures. I explained I had meant no harm and put my camera away, intending to exit gracefully since this clearly wasn't a place I wanted to linger.

As we were walking out she felt it necessary to lecture me about taking pictures and how it was "like taking pictures of someone's child without permission". I was not sure how taking a picture for a blog had turned into the crime of the century, and I had followed her wishes and not taken the picture. She then said "I suppose you won't tell people to visit now...". Yes, well. Obviously she has a degree in marketing and public relations.

So here is my advice, if you want to pay extra for a limited selection of yarn, get no help, meet rude people, conceal any photographic equipment, and have no access to the 35+ other yarn shops in New York City, then I recommend Knit New York. Enough said.

Tune in tomorrow for some pictures of the beautiful yarn I bought!

2004-11-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Also known as "yarn heaven"

2004-11-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

School Products, Inc.

You can’t tell a book by its cover…A tale of two yarn shops

2004-11-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday my friend Serena and I headed out early to shop in New York. We had a few goals:

*Check out a few yarn shops and drool over beautiful yarn
*Pick out yarn, needles and a book to get Serena started on her first project
*Buy some yarn for the projects I had copied and brought with me
*Experience Canal Street shopping

We jumped on the subway, luckily Serena is an experienced New Yorker and quickly got us downtown to the right stop. The neighborhood was ok, typical downtown Manhattan, a mixture of discount stores, coffee shops, and businesses. We approached a not particularly promising building and double-checked my notes to make sure we had the right address on Broadway. We walked through a non-descript hallway into what looked like an office building. We saw the shop we were looking for, School Products, listed on the board and took the elevator to the third floor. We got off the elevator and immediately saw the shop. We were buzzed in through the door and entered yarn heaven!

The shop is one large room with yarn cupboards on all walls and tables full of yarn. We were immediately greeted by the lady working there and she offered us any help we needed. She was helping another lady on a complex pattern, answering the phone, helping other customers, but she also took the time to answer any questions we had. She obviously knew her stuff and was very friendly. The prices were great and so was the selection. In addition to having many colors and quantities of all the big names they also had spools and skeins of cashmere, silk, etc. that you have to see at incredible bargains. They also had a good selection of needles, mostly Crystal Palace and Addi’s and books. So I give this yarn shop a five stars *****, my highest rating.

School Products Co, Inc
1201 Broadway, NY 10001
http://www.schoolproducts.com/content.html

I found a lot of the yarn I was looking for, and of course some other that I just had to have. When we explained I we were shopping and I was visiting from California she offered to ship it home for me. That worked out very well, and as soon as it comes in I will post a picture. Serena also found some beautiful scarf yarn, Addi Turbos, and “The Knit Stitch” as a good starter book that also has great patterns.

Quite a wonderful start to the morning, wonderful shop, very nice experience… but by my title you probably realize this is not where it ends…tune in tomorrow for part II. (Sorry, I hate it when they make things in two parts on TV, but I gotta work for a living so I can pay for more yarn!!!)

I'm back...

2004-11-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but there has been so much to do here, plus the bad internet connection, the time change and the jet lag. But I promise to update everyone when I get home including:

*My review and pictures of one great and one horrible yarn shop in New York, plus all the stash enhancements. Can you say Cashmere?

*Pictures and stories from my first Canal Street shopping trip. If you have never been it is quite an experience. I will share with the thrill of the bargain hunt, glimpses into the hidden compartments and basements where the “real stuff’ is hidden, the secret to the best prices…

*After a five days home I will travel to Boulder, Colorado, one of the best “yarn towns” in the country.

So please forgive the lapse and I promise to make it up

New York, New York!

2004-11-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well here I am in my hotel in New York, fighting my terrible internet connection. But I made it here in good time and have a very nice room in the Metropolitan hotel in Midtown Manhattan. I am knitting my way through the election, I thought of walking down to Kennedy Center to watch the coverage but I am too tired.

I usually get a lot of knitting done on the plane, but today I have to get up at 4:30 AM so I slept on the plane. I am still pretty tired and jet lagged so I am just working on my mindless garter stitch scarf out of “Touch Me” chenille in black. It is beautiful and feels wonderful.

Tomorrow I will be taking lots of pictures and visiting some yarn shops so I will do more then. Hopefully I win the fight against this terrible connectivity, it is really cramping my style.

2004-10-31T23:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2004-10-31T23:43:00.000-08:00

While my boys went out in search of tooth decay, I worked on my pretrip yarn needs. I got aroudn the spreadsheet idea, which I didn't want to do, by making copies of all the patterns I am interested in making. So I plan on hitting New York with a folder full of copies and a half empty suitcase. I can hardly wait...

Today I worked on the purple hat, I am really getting a hang of the pattern and I like how it is turning out. I am interested to see how I like it as a hat, I have always used interesting yarns but simple patterns, this is a bit of a switch.

Well to bed, busy day tomorrow...

2004-10-31T23:41:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat, one dressed as a Ninja, the other as a "to cool to dress up" teenager

Busy Saturday

2004-10-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy one, trying to get ready for the New York trip, find a winter coat (unsuccessful) make a list of yarns to buy so I don't drag half my magazine collection to NY (incomplete) and get my house organized (impossible.) Of course I did rearrange my stash into nice clear plastic bins and get my knitting books and projects organized. You have to have priorities.

I really do want to have a good list of yarns to look for while I am there. I have a lot of projects picked out that I could buy the yarn for as opposed to my usual approach to new yarn shops. I usually walk in, wander around with the complete look of bliss until the store closes or some friend physically drags me away, and buy some wild collection of yarns for too much money that don't really work into any projects that I have patterns for. Then I have to go to the yarn shop in my town, apologize for buying a bunch of yarn elsewhere, have her help me find patterns, then buy more yarn I don't need from her out of guilt. Now you understand all the plastic boxes and why I am always rearranging. If we have a big earthquake here I will be found buried under plastic boxes full or yarn. I guess there are worse ways to go for a knitter.

I worked for awhile on my chenille jacket today while watching "Wire in the Blood" on BBC America. I love the yarn, I have used it a lot for scarves and a "blankie" for my son. But trying to do seed stitch on completely black yarn is a challenge. I found if I hold it up right under the lights I can figure out the knits and purls. I hope it fits well when it is done.

Well, back to the yarn list, I think I am actually going to breakdown and list it on a spreadsheet. Seems too much like work but I can't think of a better way...

2004-10-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Chenille Jacket

Making amends...

2004-10-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

My other two cats have complained that I have put Dexter (aka Hollywood) on my website several times but they have not been posted. And don't even get them going about the dog, believe me, you don't want to hear it. So in order to keep peace let me introduce you to my other two wonderful cats, Dilbert and Deodore. You may notice a names starting with "D" theme. Actually Deodore was originally Theodore, but my son was about two at the time and couldn't pronounce the "Th" sound. So he became Deodore.

Today I had to frog my hat, I had about ten rows done of the diagonal rib pattern when I realized it was seriously off starting in row 3. I had forgotten about the selvage stitches and messed up the pattern. I am back up to row 13 and am starting to understand and internalize the pattern. I really like how it looks.

I also made some progress on the suede shawl I am working. I really love how it looks, I think I will give it to my sister for Christmas. Although she and I have very similar features we couldn't be more different physically. I am tall, blond and (okay I am struggling for the right word) and she is short, brunette and petit. So she can wear a lot of things I can't, and anything I make too small goes to her. Since she doesn't knit and lives in Massachusetts this works out quite well.

2004-10-29T20:06:00.001-07:00

Deodore

2004-10-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Dilbert

Thank You Martha!

2004-10-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today I received Nicky Epstein's Knit Hat book in the mail. Martha read that I liked to knit hats and sent it to me. Talk about random acts of kindness, thank you Martha! I already cast on and started the "Chameleon" hat in a nice lavender yarn I had. It is a reversible twisted rib pattern and I am having great fun with it. It will be my "thinking" knitting project I bring on the plane to New York next week, I also have my "Touch Me" scarf I want to finish up. I can't bring too many projects, though, I have to leave lots of room in my suitcase for yarn!

It was a great day for mail, I also got the Celtic scarf pins I ordered off of eBay. I will take some pictures of them tomorrow. I definitely have plenty of scarves to use them on!

This weekend I will have to get ready for my trip. I am going to have a great time trying to find a nice winter coat in Southern California. But if I don't find one I will freeze since the zipper is broken on my one from last year. I will probably be the only one shopping for a color that matches my scarf collection.

If anyone has any suggestions for great yarn shops to visit in Manhattan or Brooklyn please let me know. I am going to be knitting and blogging my way through New York City!

2004-10-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

The finished bag, I hope after felting mine looks as good!

2004-10-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

I am done with my knit cord at last, and I now I am going to join my always sleeping cats...

2004-10-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

The bag prior to felting, and of course, two more rows of knit cord to go...

2004-10-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

Miles of knit cord bind off to go

A busy day...

2004-10-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

after a crazy day at work yesterday I rushed out to get all my chores done before another big rain storm. Last night I came home and put my mind to finishing the knit cord bind off on my bag before I went to bed. At 12:30 I finally had to give up, but I am on the last round so I should be able to get off of "knit cord bind off island" by the end of the tonight.

I have been reading "Knitting Lessons" which I am really enjoying. I am traveling to New York next week and I am hoping to be able to visit a few of the local yarn shops she talks about in the book. I have put aside one day to be able visit at least one or two shops.