Saturday fun

After we got rolling today we hopped MAX for a ride downtown. My purpose for the trip was to acquire another skein of Jewel Shibuiknit sock yarn. I needed it for the second Wyvern sock. Here's sock one all done up:



While on the trip to Knit/Purl I started, once again, Beach Glass Basket Rib Hand Towel:


I also picked up Midnight Shibuiknit sock for future fingerless gloves and some Habu Soft Merino Lace (looks like thread and comes on a cone). I'm going to use the Habu on a few Ice Queens I think. It has almost 750 yards to I should be able to get at least three Ice Queens out of it. You can check my stash photos if you want to see them.

Last night since I'd finished the one sock and couldn't cast on for the second one and get it going I picked up the Habu Bamboo lace. I'd started the Peace of Mind Shawl but wasn't too happy with it. So I frogged it, kept the project listed, because I'd still like to do it, just in a different yarn. Then cast on for the Cleopatra Wrap from Sensual Knits. Found that there had to be an error in the chart, so checked Ravelry and sure enough there was but by that time it was really late and so off to bed.


This afternoon has been a flurry of photo taking so that I could update stash and projects with photos. Not a lot of knitting happening, but we have movies planned for the evening so lots of time for it then.

After we got done with Knit/Purl we walked over to Cacao for some drinking chocolate - yummy! Then walked down Burnside to Saturday Market and wandered through it for a couple of hours of free fun.

Deep Blue Sea and Jewel Wyvern Socks

I've finished up Deep Blue Sea Sinuate Scarf. I didn't do the fringe because I'm not a big fringe person. It's all blocked too. No photos yet because it was too late by the time it was done blocking to take good photos. ETA photos:


I was having some serious cramping and fighting off a migraine this afternoon and didn't want to be around a lot of people so didn't go to Hagen's for the Wednesday night knit group.

So instead I cast on the Wyvern Sock with the previously mentioned Jewel Shibuiknit. I'm liking the yarn so far:

I'm not going to do the p2, k2, on the bottom of the foot though. I think it would be slightly uncomfortable to stand on personally. I sometimes can feel my other hand knit socks when I'm standing in them for long periods.

So now I'm trying to resist the call of the merino/silk fiber to start spinning up one of the colors....

It makes sense in a twisted way I think.....

I've cast on three different hand towel patterns and haven't been happy with any of them. One of I have already made before even. I was starting to feel like I had bad knitting karma going on.

This morning I have a theory. I've been wanting to start a pair of socks but was starting the hand towels because they were something that I could work on while I was tired and not worry about. I was starting the wrong project over and over again. So while I had knitting time that I could apply to Knit Wars, I have nothing really to show for it.

Yes, I'd like to do up the hand towels, still plan on doing it too. I just need to cast on and start working on a pair of socks first. I can then take them to the Wednesday night group or the Insomnia group and also have along a hand towel in case I start to find myself having problems with stitch count or something. Wyvern with my Jewel ShibuiKnit. It says that it only needs 140 yards for the socks hopefully that's not per sock, or I'll have an orphan sock. I don't like them as tall as designed so it should work out (am I jinxing myself?). Cause it looks like Knit/Purl only has 2 in stock......

Am I crazy? Is sock lust causing all my knitting woes lately?

The Tulip Toes, were just plain fiddly and I usually don't mind but all those freaking loose ends that have to be woven in and the way the decreases worked for the tips. On the last three petals there's either a mistake in the directions or I read them wrong. I will go back and get these done. I think they will make a nice package bow for the Tulip baby cardigan (I have the classic kit) that Madeline will get for Christmas. Anyway this ramble was to say that TT didn't count as 'socks'.
ETA Tulip photos:

Forgot...

I forgot to say what I was totally thrilled to see by Lisa's roving - its already separated into what must be 2 oz braids. I don't have a working scale right now so I've been doing it by luck and have come fairly close. This will totally make it easier to spin each of them up on their own spindles before plying.

Hydrangea!

I'm all done with Hydrangea! It's all sitting skeined and waiting for a project. I have almost 300 yards of lace weight merino to look forward to working with. It's a gorgeous blend of sky blue, indigo blue, lavender and purples.

Here it is:


I got them last week but I have 'Spicy' and 'Embarrassment of Riches' waiting in the wings for me to start working on. Embarrassment I got for winning the Tour de Fleece contest and I loved Spicy too, so I paid for it and saved on the shipping that way. They are an 80/20 blend of merino and silk. My first time to work with silk too.


I needed something last night that wouldn't take too much thought to work on, so I started another Basket Rib Hand Towel, this time in Knit Picks Crayon Beach Glass. It's a Pima Cotton that is similar to a boucle, very soft too. It doesn't show a lot of pattern definition, I thought, but well enough to tell where I got distracted, came back and thought I was on one side to later find out that I have two rows that are on the wrong side. Oh well, its now a design feature. ;^)


I had fun taking some shots of a beautiful day lily by the pond:



Then thought I'd try taking pics of the pond:


Can you spot Nessa in the background? I made the mistake of showing her about the Gooseberries under the willows and she was busy harvesting.

I'm possibly going to cast on for Wyvern with my Jewel Shibui Knit. I'm thinking socks would be a nice change up.

A time to breathe again

Wednesday evening Brandon's dad, Harold and stepmom Debbie, drove up from the Bay area bringing along a sectional couch that didn't fit in their apartment for us to have. It's big for our living room but still allows a walkway in and we're enjoying having it now. We all went out to dinner at Macaroni Grill (last time we're eating there).

I found cards in the mail for $15 off to Stanford's and Newport Bay each, but they expired on Thursday. So we had the plan that Brandon would get his main dinner at Stanford's, I ate a nice bowl of French Onion soup and we'd then go over to Newport Bay and I'd get the main meal, since Brandon doesn't like seafood. Well on the drive over grandpa called and said that he wanted to take us out to buy a new washer and drier as a thank you for all that Brandon has done for him lately. So we ended up going to Stanford's then going to Judy's to meet up with them and then head over to Lowe's.

Spent a bit of time looking over the options and the sales person ended up suggesting two different machines but ended up going with the Maytag set with a 4.0 cu ft capacity washer and the 7.0 cu ft capacity drier. I really like the drying rack and the fact that you can have a wool sweater dry on it with no heat just air drying. Very cool. We'd also picked up William and since he hadn't eaten, headed over to Newport Bay where we both ate Halibut Fish & Chips while Brandon chatted with us.

Friday Will and I talked with the FA person at Rock Creek PCC and then he worked on his paperwork for it. I have it to drop it off on Monday for him. This is his last week of work and he's excited to have a few weeks of vacation time before classes start on the 22nd.

Brandon and I have done six years of volunteering for Hood to Coast. One year we have done a Saturday morning shift but we prefer doing night shifts. It's easier to stay up late and then go to bed then it is to get up really early and then work a shift. We had Will in the volunteering with us for a friend's team. Our shift this year though was 7:15am to 10:45am - not the best time of the day for me. ;^) We were also almost 13 miles west of the Columbia County Fairgrounds near St. Helen's. We got there later than planned because of slow moving race vans but it worked.

This year though after our shift instead of going home to bed and sleeping, we needed to head over to Columbia Park for a family reunion on Brandon's side of the family. It was nice seeing some of Brandon's side of the family that we don't always get to see, especially since Kari is pregnant. Food wasn't too bad and we didn't have to bring anything except drinks for ourselves, that we found out after we got there.

Kari and Todd's baby shower was Sunday, so another afternoon spent with family. Nice getting socialize again before Will headed out. Also more good food. This time no need to bring drinks. ;^)

Kari and Todd liked the burp cloths and baby quilt I made for Madeline (full name to be Madeline Yvonne):


The burp cloths were, one knitted and two flannel ones from the same material as the quilt. I think they both liked them. Kari also said that she hadn't gotten any burp cloths, so I'm going to make up a few more for her.

Now what to knit? I was going to start another hand towel, still may. Leaning towards a desire to do a pair of socks and then continue on holiday projects and finishing Sinuate and the Peace of Mind shawl. But tonight would probably be a better night for a hand towel that's easy cause I'm tired!

Bobbie Blue Falling Water Scarf Done!

I'm on a roll! I spent a few hours this morning working to finish up Bobbie Blue. Then there was the blocking. Best place was the ironing board, its out of the way of the dogs and has cushion. It's 77 inches long blocked and my ironing board isn't that long. ;^) So blocked in sections.

Took it outside and it was just starting to sprinkle when I started taking pictures of it. Brandon tried out a few photos with it up in the grape arbor.


What to do with the unknown bit of Malabrigo Lace?


After getting that all out of the way, I started plying Hydrangea. Both of the spindles fit into my shoe box lazy kate and up through the top hole to make it easier than the last time to ply. It's coming out to be a gorgeous purple dominant yarn. I can't wait to see it skeined up.



I alternated plying with time cutting strips and then sewing them up. Then came cutting and then sewing them into blocks. I ended up with fourteen block sets. I still have the squares to cut out to make the complete block. It will end up being eight inch blocks. So the quilt will be 3x4 and most likely a four or six inch border with cornerstones. No pictures of the quilt progress yet.

I'm trying to resist casting on for another hand towel. Need to get the quilt done. I figure I'll work on Sinuate next, though for which project came first, the Habu shawl should be next.....

For real? You decide ;-)

So apparently John McCain has a Ravelry ID. Why do I know this, not being a Republican? I had him favorite my Flag Day Pins that I made for the World Wide Knit in Public day:


Cool that they were one of the items favorited, currently top of the list too.

Nearer to a craft room!

Brandon today made my new craft table. He took the door that had been made into a desktop and cut it down to four feet long and then created the shelves at one end also doing double duty as legs. I have storage under the table other than just crates, I have one of those that will have the stuff stay in there for a while. The stuff that have been in bags though will go on the shelves. My cutting board (the huge three foot wide one) is on the top and I just need to move the sewing machine over to that table. I have a folding table that I'd gotten from Costco that I've been using a sewing table but it's wobbly. Moved a run that had been out in the garage for Brandon's D & D gaming into the craft area to break up the floor.

We're getting a new sectional from his dad and stepmom on Wednesday. They're bringing it up from the Bay Area because of a family reunion on Saturday. So my chair and a half that has been in the garage will come into my craft room for seating (reading or knitting without TV). Brandon will move the two couches out into the garage and balance furniture out there until we can decide what goes on Craigslist. He'll do the carpet cleaning (vacuuming, steamcleaner running) also while I finish getting the craft room presentable.

Tuesday is also the start of quilt construction. I have the plans in my head, have plenty of fabric to accomplish it, I don't even have to go get more thankfully. So sewing/cleaning/knitting/plying over the next few days. I may also try to sew up a few burp cloths from the flannel too.

I'd like the quilt done by Thursday so that the Insomnia group can see it before the shower (Alyssa said she hoped she could see it) and think that's a good plan. I also got the last of the Hydrangea spun up as a single. So need to ply that. I've been putting time back in with Bobbie Blue Falling Water Scarf too. Four repeats done so far and hopefully one more before bed. So this puts me at 75 or 80 percent done depending upon if I do 70 or 74 inches long.

Burp Cloths - surprisingly difficult sometimes....

I tried on Thursday to do the Burp cloth with the Plymouth Fantasy Naturale-Multi that I had picked up on sale Wednesday night at The Knitting Bee. I should have known that the multi-color wouldn't show up the details. It didn't, but I wasn't totally sure until I was all done, I can be a slow learner sometimes.


So I ended up frogging the whole thing and starting all over, but with a different project. One that wouldn't matter with the color changes:
Cool to see how the color pooled.

I started it Friday night after frogging the BURP cloth and then all day on Saturday. It made it bearable to being in the back of the car for the ride down and back to Salem for my dad's and stepmom's 40th anniversary celebration. I didn't finish it in the car but not to long after getting home.

After photographing it while the sun was still out but not visible on the pond waterfall rocks, Norbert came to supervise, I unpicked out the castoff for the Honeydew Happy Hour Hand Towel. I finished up that skein of yarn and debating a lace repeat on the Bobbie Blue Falling Water Scarf or starting the last ball of pre-drafted Hydrangea so that I can possibly ply on Monday or Tuesday. I do think that I'll try to make sure to let the last single sit overnight before plying this time though.



Monday will be homemade salsa day. We have a lot of Romas that are ripe so when we were at Winco I picked up some jalapenos and tomatillos. We have a few peppers ripening on their plants that will also join the mix. I also need to start work on the baby quilt for Keri's baby shower next Sunday. Really wished that I could have had more than a week and a half lead time before the shower!

Of course have the problem with the baby quilt is that the fabric is stuff that I over bought for another baby quilt and do I do something more than the simple blocks that I did for the last one or get fancy? I'm leaning towards a little fancier than the simple blocks but not by much. I think I'll need to also pick up some backing material, I'm all out of the cool yellow chenille that was used on the last one. Okay, technically the next to last one....


So I should spend sometime looking at designs. I shouldn't cast-on a new project. I have three that need to be finished. Of course two are scarfs and one is a shawl so they aren't quickies by any means! I'm not that far with Bobbie Blue, so that will get attention first.

Here's to a good productive week!

Cascade Lizard Ridge is Done!

I originally took a class then set it aside for months and picked it up again just before the June 14th WWKiP day event. I thought it would be a good project to work on during that since it is fairly simple. So it has taken just over two months to finish. Not too bad!

I did find that I ended up grabbing a few colors more often than others, but since it was a totally random thing, that happens. I did find that I happened to have a pattern show up, well two really. Both involving yellow (one of those frequent colors obviously!), that I went ahead and made obvious. I had four blocks that started with yellow and four blocks that had yellow and some other color as the ends. So I made sure to pair them up when I was doing the strips so that it was yellow-color-yellow. The other was a yellow showing up in the same place in a block across four so I went ahead and made them all connect up.

I finished up the whole thing with the Brandon requested black border by double crocheting. The original pattern calls for a scalloped border but that was just a little too fussy and required going around the whole thing twice. Um, yea, right, so not going to happen. One nice easy double crochet around and called in done!

I started work on the border Tuesday evening and of course found that having also used the black to do the seaming, I was short by two and a half blocks. Too late to run off to the LYS for more. I picked some up on my way to the Wednesday night Hagen's group and finished there. Quick flash of the finished product to Jeanette, Sharon and Rachel and back into the bag it went for final photography today.

Challenge - photographing a large object without getting your shadow in it and also getting the whole thing in frame. I did get a couple decent shots by standing facing the sun but the best ones were taken by standing on one of the patio chairs and pointing down.

Here you go:

New computer, new location

We had been planning for the last couple of months to move the locations of our computers from what is technically the 'family room' back over to the L area that the designer considers the dining area. We're a terrible family, we eat together but not at a dining table. ;^)

I have mentioned the new computer table that Brandon and I had been working on. Monday Brandon cut down one of the old computer tables to make a smaller version for himself. We started moving all of my craft stuff out of the new area and into the old computer area that I'll now get for my crafting.

Today, became the day that I moved to my new (to me) computer. It's Brandon's old computer (faster than my old one) that also has Vista on it. I'd moved a good portion of my stuff over a while back just keeping my knitting patterns on the old one for easy access. I've spent the afternoon getting odds and ends moved over, installing programs and the like. Thankfully my old one wasn't 'dead' so I also have it sitting beside me and my LCD monitor has two video inputs so I'm able to use the one to switch between the two computers. Does mean that I have two keyboards and mice too.

I'm sure over the next few days I'll still have adjustments that will need to happen. Finding how Vista does things, getting web sites up and running again. Brandon still needs to get my .pst file found and relocated. I could probably do it, but I'll let the techie do it instead.

Wednesday is all about cleaning up the disaster area that is now my craft area. Brandon still needs to make my new craft table. I want the old one cut down and made smaller so that it doesn't take up so much room. Moving the pieces around so they're in working order. Does look like unless he gets the table made this week, I'm not going to be able to start on Keri's baby quilt.

I had planned on making her a mobile, a handful of baby booties and a baby cardigan. Then with moving things around I found all this baby flannel from a previous baby quilt, so figured it would be a good idea to use it up and have an easy gift. I did order a few skeins of nice cotton yarn for doing the booties from Knit Picks yesterday so it will be fun to see how fast it gets here. But after a quick check looks like the money is coming out of my account tonight, so another day delay. I think I'll save the cardigan, Tulips, for Christmas.

I was able to chat with Lisa the vendor of Three by Hand Etsy store that I won my Challenge Day prize from. I got a discount on my second roving from her because she was having a sale plus she reduced my shipping costs. So very cool. She says that it averages 5 to 7 days though to ship from Ottawa. This gives me time to finish up Hydrangea though. I have two more bundles of that to spin up as a single then I start plying.

After asking Brandon what he thought would be a good color to get for the border of the Cascade Lizard Ridge, and his response of 'black or nothing'. I went for the black. I'm double crocheting the border without the scalloping effect that was done for the original. I think it will look cleaner that way personally. I didn't want to do two layers of single, so one round of double will work for me. I of course didn't have a full skein of yarn, just what was leftover from doing strips in the blocks, and seaming up the whole thing. I ended up two and a half blocks short of finishing it. So I'll buy the black tomorrow from The Knitting Bee and finish it up at knit night at Hagen's. That'll be a quicky project so I'll also bring along the Happy Hour hand towel. I think it's getting closer to being done too.

What a week!

We finished up summer school this week. My one student that can get violent also was having a birthday on our last day of classes. This lead to a week of high tension with him and lots of stress for me trying to keep him from lashing out. I did it though!

I wasn't able to get to the Wednesday night knit at Hagen's. Grandpa was at the aunt and uncle's recovering from surgery. He had a tumor removed from one of his kidneys that they had been watching for a year and it was time for it to leave. I was also just really tired and didn't feel safe driving alone.

I did manage to work on mattress stitching the blocks together after Alyssa showed me how to do it live. Yes, I'd checked out the Knitting Help video but that was for side by side and I needed top to bottom. Yes, it works out the same but my visual learning brain needed the live demo that she helpfully gave. ;^) She also let me borrow her 'gold' needle. I'll have to use a Jo-Ann's coupon to buy my own for future use.

As of Sunday, I have two strips seamed together. Another two strips almost seamed together and then it will be seaming the twos to complete. I will get it done today as a goal. Here's a picture of the blocks laid out before I started joining them in rows, the photo isn't the end layout though so you'll have to wait to see that.



I've also been spinning with Hydrangea and have this much to show for it:


Since they don't seem to be showing up in my progress bars because I uploaded them from my computer to my projects, I'll show the progress that I've made on Bobbie Blue Falling Water Scarf and the Honeydew Happy Hour Handtowel:




We're getting Romas rippening, I think our water melon is ready for picking so that all those flowers its throwing out can try to produce another one. The summer squash and zucchini are also producing. I noticed that there are a few peppers on the plants so jalapenos and romas will be getting together in a salsa soon. I seriously need to get out and deadhead the gerberas. I've also enjoyed handfuls of blueberries this week. We were surprised to spot some Asian Pears that survived the frost/heat early this spring. Apples will be good this year too. Yesterday a handful of figs were picked with more still on the tree. Now I have to figure out what to do with them. Turns out this is a fig that I don't enjoy eating fresh (it's green, I like the black ones).

Next couple of weekends have milestones/events - my dad and stepmom are celebrating 40 years together - amazing! Then the following weekend is a family reunion on Brandon's side of the family. Next weekend is the last one we'll have with Luke as he goes off to Moscow for college on the 21st (that's in Idaho). We're as a family working Hood-to-Coast (H2C). New team captain and so we have an (UGH!!) early morning shift on the 23rd before heading to the reunion. D&D Jesse is also turning 21 next week and is having a party the boys will be going to, she's doing a super hero theme so costumes will be needed.

This has turned out long, so I'll make sure that I don't go a week between events for posts. ;^)

Blocks are done!

I have all the Cascade Lizard Ridge blocks done and blocked. I've even gone back and fixed the three that I found were wonky. I learned that I shouldn't finish a block when I'm tired because I forgot to do the last little nine stitches that bring up the top point on three of them. Oddly enough two were the same color. Oh well, they're fixed now and just waiting to be laid out. Tomorrow afternoon I'll with Brandon's help try to figure out what order they'll be in so that I can start seaming them up.

I've also done some spinning on Hydrangea:


No pics of it in progress yet. Maybe tomorrow when I do the stack of blocks. I had fun spinning with it while watching Becoming Jane. Interesting movie, can't imagine never getting married though. ;^)

Norbert's nose is out of shape because Will's gone again. He looks for him during the week while he's gone. They'll both be glad when the summer is over and he's back home.

Quiet day due to a slight migraine. Lots of coffee and Excedrin Migraine and keeping out of the light. Didn't stop me from getting laundry and dishes done though. Darn house elves don't take the offerings left for them and the fairies also seem to be on strike.

Haircut day

I forgot to mention that I finally got Norbert his haircut this morning. Lots of white showing up in his coat! He turns seven the end of September. It's hard to believe that he's a middle-aged little man.


I was able to get Nessa positioned on the top rocks of the pond:


Then because as I mentioned I'm having fun editing photos, I briefly was sidetracked with some artistic stuff, colored pencil & watercolor:

Stab needles in it, it's done!

After plying for three days. Not all day silly. Karma Chameleon is all done and ready for debut starting from this:


Spinning for a several days to get these:


I really should have remembered to take a picture while plying it.....


The drop spindles that got me here:
The one that looks like its carved on top has been my plying spindle. The purple glass with the gold in it is the one I started out with Karma.

I'm being tempted by this:


But I have started work on Block 20 of the Cascade Lizard Ridge afghan. I'll finish that today, if I ever get away from the computer long enough not to be taking photographs and editing them, or reading forum posts, or writing posts (you get the idea). Then it will just be laying out the blocks and deciding which order they'll be in. Brandon will help out with that part.

So now to try to get away from the computer...... ;^)