Knitting Without Dog Hair Is Not an Option

GOOD BYE BLOGGER!

2007-01-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

It was nice to be here. I started blogging in January 2006 and I learned at lot during the last year of hosting my little knitting blog. It is time to move on and you can find me now at my own little castle:

KNITTING WITHOUT DOG HAIR IS NOT AN OPTION
And hopefully there won't be any glitches, down times, problems with commenting, etc.

See ya at the new place!

Confessions of a Sloppy Knitter

2007-01-24T15:53:00.000-05:00

OK - this is what a messy crafts room looks like. Beware, don't let your children see these pictures - they might get ideas... Hey - maybe next year I'll win another JenLa award for this...

SO THERE - I have hardly room to spin and the dogs just barely fit on the futon. I thought if I take pictures and out myself, I might get some motivation to clean up and organize the room. There's nothing gross - just paper messy, knitting project messy, etc. No rotting garbage or anything like that... thankfully...

I am hoping to have this started and finished soon. Send motivating vibes! Of course, the bigger the mess gets the less I want to deal with it...

SOOOOOOOO - what's happening knitting-wise? A LOT!

I finished two socks - not matching - look for yourself:

I will call these Popsicle Cables. The pattern is inspired by Sensational Knitted Socks, and I dyed the Knitpicks Bare with lemon and strawberry Great Value™ Drink Mix.

See, I told you they were different. ;-) These socks I call Snaky Chevons. The way the colors stripe around the sock reminds me of snakes. The pattern, again, is inspired by Sensational Knitted Socks. This time it is a toe-up with short rows and a short row heel.

And I finished some spinning - a 3-day weekend is definitely helpful:

300 yards of single ply Alpaca/Tussan Silk (19 wpi)

I am eyeing a nice lace shawl pattern with this. I think I should have enough. I thought about plying it but then it came very evenly twisted from the bobbin and I thought - oh no baby, you will be single. More yardage for me!

I also tested some Merino/Bombyx Silk mix which I got from the owner of Knitch last week. And it turned into a nice 2-ply:

Very soft and yummy - I love the colors. Don't they remind you of somebody?

Have a great Wednesday - I am headed to a SNB meeting.

Remember Me???

2007-01-19T08:40:00.000-05:00

Hello there - I am still alive and ready for a weekend. And it will be a long one because I was given this Monday off for all the extra hours I put in lately. YAY!

I can't believe that my last post here was last Friday - this week sure zoomed by.

The last 3 weeks have been extremely stressful at work, and I actually missed a bunch of knitting meetings. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??? Work got between me and knitting with friends! GEEZ... Here are some fun postcards a friend emailed me that kinda express some thoughts I had this week, when I was getting to work at 7am and leaving at 7pm... And my thoughts were kinda in this order...

Well, at least I am still knitting, right? Even tho' I missed out on some gatherings, I knit at home and on the bus.

Last weekend at the SNB meeting in Gainesville, Ms. Jen made me feel really guilty because she was working on her fourth red scarf for the Red Scarf Project and I hadn't done squat... So, I casted on for a red scarf on Saturday and finished it Sunday evening. Here are some pix:

Yarn: 2 balls of Caron Simply Soft Shadows
Pattern: Slip Stitch pattern from one of Sally Melville's books
Needles: US #8

And here is her highness, Hermione, who never, ever likes to be photographed:

I have no clue how I managed to get this shot... Maybe because the scarf was still on the needles and I held on to the scarf (thus the dog) while taking the picture?

The scarf went in the mail this week. Last year I did better and knitted more scarves. Somehow, time just flew by and suddenly January is almost over. Boy-oh-boy...

And here are some doggies snuggling while I was knitting, sitting on the floor in hubby's crammed office while he edited some of my writings. Because some of my English excursions tend to be mystifying, I hung out to answer his questions.

See the boxes? That is part of his evergrowing stash of jigsaw puzzles.

It seems like I have been knitting a lot of scarves lately... Last weekend I also finished another scarf - this will go into a box for knitted gifts (you never know when you need something):

I have to look for the label, but I think it was a GGH yarn (100% acrylic and unbelievably soft). I had four balls and used them all (the balls did not have a lot of yardage) - on needle size 17. (That was the project on the wooden doggie needles from last week.) The pattern is a mistake rib and it's very airy - I guess knitting on needle size #17 helps. :-)

The outlook for this weekend: a yarn crawl with the gals from SNB-NEGA to The Whole Nine Yarns in Woodstock, GA. And Monday off - hooray for that! Have a good weekend! Expect yarn crawl pictures in this theatre soon...

TGIF

2007-01-12T07:04:00.000-05:00

Today is a good day because - THANK GOODNESS IT IS FRIDAY, and payday, and I am looking forward to a nice SNB group tonight and two days of doing nothing but hanging out with hubby and the fiber dogs - and, OK, with my knitting gals tomorrow afternoon.

Here is the first proof that I am a strong woman who sticks to her New Year's resolution:

I went knitting last night with my friend Jacquie, and we visited Katey and her girlfriends at Purly Gates. AND... I did not buy any yarn. Whoopdidoo-o-o! Believe me, there was a ton of yarn I could have bought, but I held strong! Jacquie, tho', bought some beautiful Mission Falls to knit a poncho for her MIL for Christmas 2007. She is way ahead of the curve - I am not thinking about this now. I'm still delighted I got done with last Christmas...

So instead (of looking for fiber), I wandered elsewhere and browsed for books and needles. Like I don't already have plenty enough books and needles. But that's another story altogether. So, here is what I found:

Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting, by Marianne Kinzel, and Cool Socks Warm Feet, by Lucy Neatby, plus some very cool wooden needles (size US 17) with doggie toppers:

Aren't the dogs just too cute? I usually am not a big fan of straight needles but these I had to have. And actually, I use straight needles to make scarves, so there... I will use them. In fact, I already started a project with them last night when I got home from the knit-in - using yarn from the Scarf Box. I am making a scarf from my stash - YAY. :-)

With this - have a great weekend!

A Lion's Kiss

2007-01-09T07:50:00.000-05:00

Now that is one big ol' kiss...

Cali, Colombia - Through the bars of his cage, an African lion named Jupiter stretches his giant paws around the neck of Ana Julia Torres and plants a kiss on her puckered lips. It could be a kiss of gratitude: Since Jupiter was rescued six years ago from a life of abuse and malnutrition in a traveling circus, Torres has fed and nursed him back to health at her Villa Lorena shelter for injured and mistreated animals. Read the complete article here.

I am such a sucker for animals and always feel very gratified when I read things like this. That sure brightened my Tuesday morning.

And you know what brightened my Monday evening - besides coming home to hubby and the fiber dogs? The mailman brought me a package with yarn. And even better, I don't feel guilty because I ordered it in 2006. Ha-ha-ha-ha...

And it's not even my fault that I ordered it. I just had to because my dear enabler friend Jen spread the word that Yarn4Socks had a sale going on and I thought (not knowing at the time that I have sock yarn to knit socks for a small nation) I should buy some. Here is what I got:

Trekking XXL, Fleece Artist Merino, Artyarns Merino Superwash and two more colors of the Noro Kureyon, which I will add to the vest from Knitting with Balls that I am knitting.

Happy Tuesday!

Back to Spinning!

2007-01-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

Finally! I have to admit that I haven't touched my wheel since last year. Sounds very dra-mah-tic, if you disregard the fact that today is only the 8th day of January. But seriously, I wanted to spin over the holidays but didn't feel like it at all. Moody woman...

So, it took a Distaff Day at the Peachtree Handspinners Guild to get me all excited again and hot-to-trot uhhhh -spin...

Thankfully I had a brain in the morning before Nicole, Shari and Jen showed up around 9:15 last Saturday and I packed three different rovings in case I would get totally frustrated with one of them. And indeed - I did. I had some Merino/Silk mix on the bobbin and I wanted to continue with it. No way José - it was not my day for that roving. Off went the bobbin and on came a new and empty one, and I started spinning with the roving that my Sneaky Snarky Pal Laurie - who is called Blogless Laurie - gave to me. She is one of Katey's friends, and she outed herself on Saturday. Noooo - not what you think, only that she was my Sneaky Snarky Pal! Laurie gave me 4oz of Dragon's Fire by Three Bags Full. Dragon's Fire consists of purebred American romeldale wool, Tencel®, and silk noil, a very luscious blend. Here is a picture of my handspun:

It spun up very thin. I like the colors but of course I had to hear some teasing from my spinning gals - they were wondering if I emptied the dryer filter and added some extra fiber. Har-har... Just because the tencel looks a little like lint. I am about 1/3 through the 4oz ball and I will probably ply it.

AND while we're at it - Laurie also made a very cute little purse for me. I love the handles. Very funky! Dorky me hadn't blogged about my gift - SORRY! Here it is, with the roving in the bag and chocolate, which went straight to the office to share with my co-workers:

And here are some pictures of the circle of spinner/knitter/bloggers at the spin-in on Saturday - and it's not my fault that most of them are blurry. These women move too fast!

Laurie, Stephanie, Janice, Jane & Nicole

Katey, Amy & Laurie

Melissa, Jen , Allsion & Kerry
At the time - when I took these pictures - two of our friends where still missing in action - Sandy and Mouse got there later and somehow escaped my camera. Oddly, tho', I got a picture of Sandy's goregous handspun alpaca blend:

After a while my back started killing me and I carded some of the Cotswald fleece from Vermont and spun that up, too. No pictures yet - sorry!

And some of us went to a local pub after all this exhausting spinning for some food & beer and knitting. And since it was our second time at the pub, the waiter remembered us knitters. Too funny.

Shari, Melissa, Allsion & Jane
We decided that Shari really needs her own blog because she has the funniest stories. Everytime we meet she has new ones that just make you laugh out loud. But that lady is very busy and I can understand that she would have a hard time finding time to write her stories down.

Nicole, Jen, Shari & Melissa
We had a great time! Why can't there be a week of Saturdays like this???

Free Pattern - Lace Scarf

2007-01-07T18:17:00.000-05:00

OK - this is one of the little patterns I was making up over the holidays. Actually I saw a similar pattern in Simply Knitting but it was written in purl only, and that is not really my favorite stitch. Especially when you can create exact the same design with all knit stitches. Here are pictures of the finished scarf - project no. 2 for 2007 - YAY!

Yarn: Malabrigo 100% Merino wool
Color: Little Lovely
Needles: US #13
Yardage: 215

I had 14 inches left when I finished the scarf (see the little string on the left side?).

Here are close-ups from both sides:

I just love the colors - the variegation reminds me of a bowl of raspberries and blackberries. And here is the pattern:

Cast on 21 stitches.
Row 1: Knit all sts.
Row 2: *K2tog, rep from * to last st, k1.
Row 3: K1, *knit through the bar between the st just worked and the next st, k1, rep from * to end of the row.
Row 4: K1, *yo, k2tog, rep from * to the end of the row.
repeat these 4 rows until you get close to the end of the ball.
Bind off on the next knit row.

Tip: I cut the fringe while I was knitting the scarf, so I wouldn't have to worry if I had enough at the end to make a fringe. The scarf is 68 inches long and 7 inches wide with a 4-inch fringe on each side. I am still debating if I should block it or not...

Happy Knitting!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2007-01-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

A little late - I know - but just as heart-felt. Wishing you all the best for 2007, good health and all the things you need and want plus a load of fiber fun.

Last year was a good one for one main reason - I met a lot of great knitters and spinners. I got inspired last January through a bunch of crazy bloggers to start my own blog, and here I am almost a year later and still lovin' it. I would never have dreamed that one day I would actually write about my knitting and people would read it, too.

So, what happened over the holidays at Casa Claudia? As I've said before, not much, but finally I kicked my lazy butt off the sofa and organized my stash. So now I am so-o-o-o-o with La:

I will work with my stash yarn for at least the next six months - you can find all the rules in La's post. If you see me buying yarn somewhere, grab my credit card and buy yourself some fiber! I had no freakin' idea how much yarn was stuffed in my closet. It finally came out of the closet last weekend, and I spent many long and grueling hours making a detailed list of it. Hubby, bless his heart, built an Excel spreadsheet and will enter the data for me. I also took pictures of each different yarn, and the spreadsheet will include links to the pictures.

So there! I can be organized if I REALLY want to. And the shocking news - I have enough yarn to make at least 15 sweaters or cardigans. I swear, I can knit socks all year - I have a drawer full of sock yarn. How could I have accumulated so much yarn??? - it is really scary. A ton of cotton for dishcloths for years to come - not only 2007. Spider-poop-weight yarn for a bunch of lace projects. Yarn for at least two big afghans. And a box full of yarn for scarves. You know how it is... You walk into your favorite LYS and you see a new yarn. You buy two balls to try it out - just enough to make a scarf. Before long you end up with a box...

I have to admit I did not go through my felting yarn stash, and I have two plastic bins of odds and ends that I will probably give to my friend Shari, who is a teacher and started a knitting circle for her students.

And while I was sorting, I also found several UFOs, which I ripped, and now that yarn awaits a new purpose as well. I already have a mental project list for 2007. We'll see what transpires. I'll keep you posted.

And have you noticed, I have not mentioned a word about my roving stash.... Whee-e-e-e....

But now for something completely different...

What does a knitter do on New Year's Day? She goes to a New Year Knitting Party. My friend Jacquie hosted another little party and here are some pics for you:

Princess Pixie - so cute in a purple tiara to match her jacket - knitting a hat for her nephew
I am glad she's back from her cool trip to Europe - missed ya girl! She brought me back nice gifts from London:

Hot off the press, the latest issue of Simply Knitting and some gorgeous Jaeger Trinity Yarn. THANK YOU!
And here are more party animals:

Three very talented and enthusiastic newbie knitters - Jackie, Jessica & Erica

Katey (yay, she finally made it to one of our outings) & our gracious host Jacquie

Sally & Debbie

Tammy & Daye

Tammy & me - working hard on a fringe for a scarf.
BTW - see the red fluffy top I am wearing? My first FO for 2007. I finished it that morning for the party - it was in the closet (yes, that closet) for 2 years. Originally it was supposed to become a sweater, but the yarn is so warm that I decided I'd have more chances to wear the thing without sleeves. I guess you could call it a tank top or a slipover. Strangely, in German it's called a pullunder. Wonder where that word comes from... Because you have to pull something under and you can't wear it by itself?

Zimba, the main attraction of the party - at least in his doggie mind. He is a cute little Shih Tzu with quite a bit of punk attitude. He reminds me very much of an Ewok. Remember those little guys from Star Wars?

Katey whipped out a dog sweater for one of her knitting classes, and since Zimba is a small dog, he was turned into a hoodie model:

"Katey, please take this off - NOW!!! Or else..."
It was a nice relaxed start to the New Year. And it's already payback time for me at work (my biggest excuse for not blogging earlier, HAH...) because our office is already super-busy, my co-worker is vacationing in Germany, and I am trying to juggle 4 attorneys, the office and the clients, and hoping that I don't drop any balls. :-) But I truly like my new job. That was another good thing that happened in 2006.

Did you know about the knitting tradition that you have to start a new project on the first day of a new year? No? Well, now you know... I started a long vest with Noro Kuroyon, based on a pattern from Knitting with Balls. That is a really cool book full of patterns for men - although nothing says you can't adapt them for a gal.

And last but not least, I have a pretty short list of UFOs for you. Six projects slipped over into 2007. We'll see when they get finished:

A pair of toe-up socks, based on a pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks

Fingerless Cashmere Mitts, from Interweave Knits

A big ol' tote - to be felted later

A top-down poncho with a chunky cable running down the center in front and back

The Kiri Shawl

And yes - the white cable sweater is still not finished!
OK, that's all folks for tonight. Oh no - wait... I have to brag!!! I won two Jen/La awards:

5. The Jaws, aka Fresh Blood Award, and
67. Head Troublemaker Award (which is extra cool because I was born in '67 and guess what's coming in July...)

YAY-YAY-YAY... I didn't know that those gals host a yearly award ceremony - I am still a newbie blogger! On January 1, 2007, was the Third Annual JenLa Knit Blog Awards. I especially love the my new title, "Lone Arranger". Ha-ha-ha-ha - you have to go read their blog. This award list is the best! Way better than the Oscars and not just because I was mentioned twice. ;o)

With this I am going to rest my spinning head for today (which reminds me that I haven't touched my wheel in weeks...) - after all I've been up since 5am... Snoozzzzzzzzzz...

Why Am I at Home Right Now?

2006-12-29T18:40:00.000-05:00

Because I live close to Atlanta, GA, and traffic sucks beyond belief. At 4pm I left home to drive into town for my usual Friday afternoon knitting session. But I gave up after 20 minutes because traffic was horrific. Why did this happen? Because I like knitting with people - but I am too stupid to realize that it's Friday afternoon and I am one of the few people that is off work this week.

Oh well - so, I decided (since I was close to Jo-Ann and Hobby Lobby) to do some shopping. Here is what happened at Jo-Ann at the check-out:

The clerk (17, unshaven pimply face) scans the first item, a frame, which I thought would be 50% off because there were signs all over the frame section, and it rang up full price.

Me: The discount didn't show up.
Clerk: Hm, then it doesn't have a discount.
Me: But there are signs all over the Frames section that say all frames are 50% off. So why is this not discounted? (Yes, I agree I was not my usual pleasant self, thanks to the traffic hassles.)
Clerk (looks at me and then at the frame again): I dunno. (not offering any help to find out - great customer service training...)
Me: Well, then I don't want it.
Then the clerk is pissed because I don't want the frame, and deletes it from the register.

Just then, one of the managers who knows me (because I teach at Jo-Ann) walks by and asks very nicely what the problem is. I explain the frame situation and she points out that I picked a frame that is actually a shadow box - sorry y'all, but that was the shallowest shadow box I have ever seen - and they're not marked down. Anyway, at least she knew what the problem was and explained it.

Finally the clerk finished ringing up my items - he was actually slapping them on the counter after scanning them and I was just waiting for one of the more fragile things to break - and I swiped my credit card. Then he scanned my teacher's discount card. But the system didn't take the discount card and my credit card was charged without it. He just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders and tried to tell me that I was too fast swiping my card. What BS - that has never happened before. But I could get the discount if I would get in line at the customer service desk to re-enter the whole purchase. At that point I just looked at him, grabbed my bags and left. I didn't scream until I was back in my car...

Then I went to Hobby Lobby and scored big time - all the needlefelting tools & roving were 50% off. I bought 4 bags of roving, and a bunch of tools. I'll take pictures later. And I bought 16" circular needles, two size 0 and two size 1 for knitting socks on two circular needles - also 50% off. And some yarn, of course. That made me feel much better.

Only two hours start to finish... At least I picked up some sushi for Hubby and me...

OK, I am going to start a pair of socks now, have a glass of Champagne (left over from Xmas believe it or not - we are getting old) and watch a movie - Homicidal. Sorry for the ranting... Sometimes you just have to do that...

And then I look at these two cute creatures and the world is all better!

Have a great weekend!

Holiday Report - Part Three

2006-12-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

I really wonder what is wrong with me... I had such big plans for this week but I haven't done $#!+, pardon my French. Then again, maybe I should say - I haven't done merde...

Here is what I wanted to do:

  ·  organize my crafts room
  ·  inventory my stash into a spreadhseet with pictures
  ·  do chores around the house
  ·  spinning
  ·  visiting friends

...and a bunch of other things.

Here is what I've done so far:

  ·  knitted
  ·  played with colors and dyed some samples
  ·  did laundry
  ·  watched movies and knitted
  ·  taught a class and knitted
  ·  went to a couple of knit-ins and knitted
  ·  bought more yarn

Other than that I feel like a big bum. I've been sleeping in until past 8am which is really late for me. Ordinarily I get up at 5am... And I have no motivation to tackle the big projects... Oh well, the more I stress about it, the worse I feel. I am going to stop now... and just forget about it for a while.

So, here is my little dyeing project. Remember the Cotswald fleece I got from my SIL from the Vermont Sheep & Wool festival? I spun a little sample a while back. The fleece is very clean but not washed, and I didn't really want to wash it because it is so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o much work.

You can see how yellow it is from all the grease - but because of the grease it was really nice to spin.

Here it is again after a little wash - you have to soak your yarn before you dye it, so I just soaped it a little:

Already much whiter and not greasy anymore.

And here is the sample after 2 minutes in the microwave in a dye of one package each of Grape and Strawberry Great Value Unsweetened Drink Mix:

I zapped it for another two minutes and the dye soaked in some more.

Here is the sample I knitted from it last night:

It is pretty fuzzy - I knitted it on size US #2. I didn't ply it - so, it's a single strand. I like the color - it came out pretty even.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! I think I have to put the laundry away now and get some more stuff done before I leave to go knitting at Why Knot Knit tonight...

Holiday Report - Part Two

2006-12-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

In case you wonder if I was a good girl and Santa brought me some nice gifts... YES INDEED! Hey, I am a knitter! That alone should qualify!

This Christmas, Hubby went all out to find very cool ornaments. I think we have enough ornaments to have a different theme every year for many, many years to come. Here are some of the themes:

  ·  Shoes
  ·  Cows
  ·  Knitting
  ·  Corvettes (yes, you read correctly)
  ·  Cirque du Soleil
  ·  South Park
  ·  Crystal
  ·  Looney Tunes

I am sure I'm forgetting something - forgive me...

But first of all - Thanks to Aunt Pixie, Noah and Hermione got gifts as well:

They had a ball! :-) I'll spare you the drooly pictures. :-)

Here are some of the knitting ornaments I got from mah mayn:

AND he got me a gazillion shoe ornaments. I will post about them later, in a separate post. I really got a gazillion, and I need to take pictures. Stay tuned for the shoes... But here is a cute teaser - called The Queen of Shoes. I guess that's what Hubby secretly calls me ...

Don't ask me where he finds these things - I know he shops a lot on eBay.

And I got a Sock Monkey - isn't she adorable? She dangles from my car's rearview mirror and drives with me everywhere. YAY!

Another theme was Corvettes. My all-time favorite car is a 1968 Corvette Stingray. I know I will never own one, mainly because it's a really crappy car, but it looks so cool! So, besides a load of Corvette ornaments, Hubby found a salt and pepper shaker set shaped like a Corvette (1953), which is a great year - guess who's birth year that is...

OK - enough with the ornaments... Here is what I got from Mom. Remember the green cardigan with the cables? she knitted me a matching tank top - now I have a twin set. How classy!

And if anyone thinks that I am a fast knitter, get this - my Mom knitted a hat and three pairs of socks during the week before Christmas. She is A LOT faster. Unbelievable! And one of the pairs of socks was for my BIL - he has big feet - especially on sock yarn with size #1 needles...

Here is another great gift. My sweet SIL in Vermont sent me this awesome book. It's all about the different sheep breeds and specifics about their wool. And some really cool pewter charms:

And the most hilarious gift I got from my bro and SIL in Germany. Cow Birkies!

I am going to be the only silly almost-40-year-old running around with these shoes. But I don't care - people already know I have a screw or two loose...

And last but not least - a picture of Hubby's goils. Mommy and Hermione wear almost matching outfits (a little bit of fur and red...) - he took a really great picture of the two of us (if you disregard the big pimple on my chin...):

He thought this would make a great Christmas card picture for next year, but I don't really like that idea because the men of our little family are not in the picture - Noah was off snoring somewhere and Hubby was busy behind the camera snapping off shot after shot to get this one... We'll see, maybe I can convince him to try and pose all four of us with the tripod and self-timer before the tree comes down...

OK - I gotta go lay down for a while now... I am kinda sluggish this week - probably from de-stressing... I even have to force myself to blog... YIKES!

Holiday Report - Part One

2006-12-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a crazy knitter who was married to a man who didn't want anything knitted from his wife. Not because he didn't like her knitting but because he was a regular T-shirt-and-shorts kinda guy. He only wore sweaters and hats when his wife dragged him to Germany where the weather is usually cold and nasty and you need to wear something to keep you from freezing. But in Georgia, USA, he was a very happy camper without heavy socks and scarves, etc.

So, Christmas came along and the wife knitted something for all the other loved ones in her life, and she thought long and hard about what to knit for her husband. You have to know that her husband has an enormous jigsaw puzzle collection - over 7,000 puzzles. Inspired by one of her knitting friends, the wife decided to make him a jigsaw puzzle.

She used up all her leftover felting wool and knitted a big striped rectangle. She used two strands of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes and needles size US #15:

One evening before Christmas, she threw the big thing (actually big enough to be a lapghan) in the washer and felted it:

The edges were a little ruffled but the wife just cut them off to make a smooth edge. She also found a template with jigsaw puzzle pieces online.

And on Christmas Eve morning at 6 o'clock when the world was very quiet and hubby and the fiber dogs were still asleep, she sat down at the dining room table with a big wonderful cup of tea and started to cut the jigsaw puzzle:

And after a while it was all done:

The wife was very happy how it turned out and wrapped it all up in a big box to surprise her hubby on Christmas morning:

AND - YEAH BABY - he was surprised, and delighted! And the wife was happy because she knitted something for him after all. Knitters know some tricky ways to wriggle their craft into almost anybody's life. He-he-he...

And they lived happily ever after...

Six Weird Things About Me

2006-12-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged, my first time - Thanks Jane!

“THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you’. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

1. I fall asleep pretty much instantaneously. And I can't control it. I can try as much as I want to stay awake. No luck. And then nothing wakes me. When I am asleep, I am asleep. You can ask Pixie. One weekend earlier this year we shared a hotel room in Athens, and she could not wake me to help her turn off the light. Also, when I am falling asleep, I can have a conversation with you which I don't remember in the morning.

2. I love salty licorice - I guess I am really a strange person. But I can't seem to find any around here in the Atlanta area. Any suggestions?

3. I LOVE KETCHUP - I'll put it on or in almost anything - even oatmeal. Thankfully a low-sugar version is available now.

4. I have a very hard time throwing papers away. I keep greeting cards, patterns, invoices, business cards, etc., for years - and I almost never look at them again. But they have to be in a box somewhere.

5. I like to be very organized (a German trait, I guess) but due to lack of time and enthusiasm, I fail miserably. And when it gets very very very bad, I am like a storm trooper and clean up like a crazy person and then everything is great for two weeks... And then... Oh well, maybe a new year's resolution for two weeks. Ha-ha-ha-ha...

6. I like to drive. Even in freakin' Atlanta where traffic is a royal pain in the behind. Hubby reminded me that family and friends have nicknamed me "Michael Schumacher", a crazy German Formula One driver.

OK, is that enough weirdness for the moment? Sorry, I won't tag anybody else - so the bloodline dies here. And don't take this as an invitation that I like to get tagged. ;-)

And I found this on Lorette's blog:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
28
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

YAY - It is Friday. I need to wrap hubby's gifts this weekend. And then Monday can roll around. We'll have our traditional Christmas morning. Hubby, me and the dogs. Gift exchange with a bottle of champagne and Christmas music in the CD player.

Girlfriends Are the Best!

2006-12-20T08:31:00.000-05:00

Especially when they leave town for the holidays to visit friends or foreign countries. Then you get to exchange your Christmas/Hanukkah gifts early. Actually the Hanukkah gifts were right on time for Pixie.

So, last weekend I exchanged Christmas gifts with Jacquie and Pixie.

Here is what Jacquie gave me:

A yarn ball ornament (it's on the tree), 2 hanks of Suss Yarns Fuzzy (I love the colors) and a beautiful knitted scarf (3 strands knit together - cashmere & mohair)

Scarf close-up

Ornament close-up

Fuzzy close-up
Just so wonderful!!! Jacquie knitted the scarf worrying that I wouldn't like it because she thought it is too hard to please your knitting teacher! GET OUT!!! I told her that these are the most wonderful gifts you can give your teacher. And it is beautiful, as you can see. She did a wonderful job and I wear it very proudly.

And Ms. Pixie also spoiled me rotten with some very cool things:

Plymouth Baby Alpaca & Sock Blockers

A "Hello Yarn Fiber Sampler" - with 11 oz. of happiness! (Cotton, silk, BFL wool, Merino, South African fine wool, hand-dyed wool, Alpaca, Camel, Cashgora, Cashmere, Mohair, Soy Silk)

Very cool - she had stitch markers made for me that look like my fiber dogs (right down to Hermione's crooked ear)! They are tiny (no bigger than your pinkie nail) - perfect size, so they won't dangle in your knitting.

I can't wait to spin the sampler. All I want to do during the upcoming holidays is spin, knit and dye, and organize my crafts room. I think Hubby thinks I am a little mental because I want to completely rearrange the furniture, too. Yikes...

And there are FOs. I gave Pixie a hat and the Goldilocks Socks. One knitted gift for Hanukkah and one for Christmas. She bought some Jo Sharp yarn to knit herself a hat but never got around to it. I thought I couldn't send her to London and Paris without a warm hat, so this is what I knitted for her:

And here are the Goldilock Socks - finished and on my feet for the pictures. So forgive the stretchiness. They look better on Pixie's tiny feet:

Jacquie got the pair of Fetching she (and you) may have seen earlier on this blog. They need to be spoiled, too. I also gave them stuff besides the knitted things.

Have you ever knitted with silk recycled from saris? OH MY... I was at Knitch and couldn't resist getting a ball and I turned it into a dressy scarf for me. Since I will have to wear a suit every once in my new job, I thought this would be a nice accessory - and it has every imaginable color...

Three more days and I am off until January 2, 2007. I can't believe that 2006 is already almost over. WOW...

Happy Wednesday!

Getting Older and Maybe Wiser...

2006-12-13T10:35:00.000-05:00

I need to rant today about something... You know that I never talk about politics or religion because I don't want to bother or infuriate other people with my opinions and beliefs. But, sorry, the beginning of this post is not about knitting.

I had dinner with three girlfriends last night. It was really nice to see them again, all former co-workers that I have not seen in a while. The food was great - we went to Brio's on Peachtree Street and we had a wonderful conversation until one of them started talking about religion. And here we go... I know better than to do that, and I was the youngest one at the table. I will call them "X", "Y", and "Z" instead of using their real names. To give you some background - I know that X and Y are devout southern Baptists. I didn't know the religious beliefs of Z. So, Z starts ranting about how narrow-minded and blah-blah-blah the other two are and that there is no such thing as Immaculate Conception and that of course there is such a thing as evolution. From there she went on to the Da Vinci Code and all of the facts in the book... I was sitting there and thinking - I need to leave now. I do not want to be part of this. And Z wouldn't stop. So, of course, X and Y got to the point where they felt they had to respond. And I think they had every right to. Finally, they all decided that they would not come to an agreement (and how could they?), but that was after an hour and I was so ready to get my knitting out and disconnect from this stupid situation.

Bottom line - you can't change people's beliefs and you shouldn't try. I don't want to be converted into a Baptist, or a Methodist, or whatever. I was raised Catholic and my parents were very open and let me decide as a teenager what I wanted to do. And I slowly parted with the Catholic church and religion in general because I don't agree with a lot of things. You have to have an open mind - for anything in your life. And if you have a scientific mind, you know that the world was not created in 7 days. I can't really take this literally, but as a guideline. That does not mean that I don't believe in a Higher Power somewhere. But, enough. Sorry about these first few paragraphs... But that was festering in my head all night.

Bear with me - there will be a tiny bit of knitting content at the end of this post. ;-)

I also wanted to tell you - and this kind of fits in the context of letting people be what they want to be - that I find it so weird when I meet new people, and they are shocked when they find out that I am a German Catholic (from a small town in Southern Bavaria) married to a Jewish man who grew up in New York City. Like, how can you??? I'm not going to get into this from a historial standpoint. But, we have a wonderful relationship because we respect each other's background. And neither of us is trying to push the other into a role that doesn't fit. Anyway, I just wanted to illustrate some of our diversity by what's hanging on our Christmas tree. Hubby is buying ornaments like a crazy person - I guess it's the season - and I just wanted to share some of the latest additions.

Just for fun and because we both LOVE South Park, he bought a set of ornaments of the little guys from the TV series opening their crappy gifts.

He also bought some Jewish ornaments. I think they are just beautiful:

The Hebrew text on this star translates to:

Blessing for the Home
=====================
Let no sadness come through this gate.
Let no trouble come to this dwelling.
Let no fear come through this door.
Let no conflict be in this place.
Let this home be filled with
the blessings of joy
and of peace.
=====================
J e r u s a l e m
And a Star of David with Choshen stones representing the 12 biblical tribes of Israel:

The stones translate as follows:

Beryl - communication
Opal - happiness
Garnet - creativity
Ruby - fertility
Onyx - protection
Agate - power and courage
Sapphire - intuition
Topaz - energy
Jasper - body strength
Amethyst - calm
Diamond - purification
Emerald - heart and back
And I have to say all these matter to me very much and I think the blessing expresses what everybody should wish for.

Last, but not least, the promised knitting-related part of this entry: pictures of the Flying Geese scarf. All done - I even had enough of the tri-colored yarn to make a fringe:

Have a great Wednesday! I am off to the company's holiday lunch at Maggiano's! YUMMY!

Xmas Knitting - FINISHED!!!

2006-12-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

Ta-da! I can't believe it... I feel like - hmmm, no more pressure, what am I going to do now? But hey, I already have a ton of projects in reserve. And people will have birthdays next year, too. ;-)

I finally finished the Menorah pillow for my in-laws. I have to say, I am pretty pleased with this project. It turned out very nice and I hope they will enjoy it. Hubby is taking it to the post office so they will get it in time. Hanukkah starts Friday evening.

I altered the pattern sightly. Instead of knitting 4 I-cords that have to be tied into knots for buttons, hubby went shopping and found those gorgeous buttons.

I also whipped up some ornaments for the hostess of the block party using a really neat idea I picked up at the SNB-NEGA Holiday Party. What better to do with left-over Fun Fur than to shove it into glass balls?

I finished a pair of Fetching as well - I LOVE THIS PATTERN! It's very quick to knit, takes not much yarn and is a great gift:

Yarn: Andean Treasure (100% Baby Alpaca)
Amount: 110 yards/50 gram ball (makes one pair)
Color: Embers
Needles: US #2

I also altered this pattern a little bit, adding another cable repeat at the top of the fingerless mittens. It just blows my mind that you can make this pair with 100% Baby Alpaca for $3.79.

Knitty.com came out with a new issue last Friday and guess what? At the SNB-NEGA meeting on Saturday, three knitters had the same idea. We all wanted to knit a pair of Corazon. Jen was brave and knitted at the meeting. I didn't dare. Reading charts and chatting doesn't work for me, so I just showed my progress. And Melissa - she spun some incredibly thin yarn at the meeting - plans to knit them but has to look for yarn first. So, this was my progress Saturday night:

I finished the first mitten and knitted the cuff of the second one. But then I got tired, and knitting fair isle when tired is not very productive either...

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of The Andes (100% Peruvian Wool)
Amount: 110 yards/50 gram ball
Color: 2x Cranberry, 1x Hyacinth
Needles: US #5

Since I used thicker yarn and bigger needles than the pattern calls for, I knitted the smallest size.

So, I finished no. 2 Sunday afternoon at the block party, and I used a professional steamer on them (and the Menorah pillow). OH MY GOSH - that steamer is a wonder machine. Very, very cool! Not that I want one - but at least I now know where to go to block.

Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention - the purpose of the block party was to bring knitting projects for professional blocking. Just fabulous!

Have you seen the Fiber Dogs lately? Here they are - Sunday morning, keeping mommy company while she knits - and Mommy is sooooooooooooo boring...

Don't look at the mess in my crafts room. Geez - I really need to clean it up. I am to the point where I have only a vague idea of where some paperwork is that I need pretty urgently... Yikes!

Last, but not least, here's a funny story. Hubby's mind works in mysterious, and often demented, ways. There seems to always be something odd rattling around in his head, and sometimes, especially when we're lying in bed on a lazy weekend morning, he lets me in on some of it. So yesterday, out of the blue, he started laughing, so I asked him why. He said he just had a thought that he's surprised he never had before. He observed that the class of animals that are fur-bearing and give birth to live young is named Mammals, because they have mammary glands. The class of animals is named after their boobs! Which, he said, is proof that historically scientists have been men.

Have a GREAT week!

What a Wonderful Gift!

2006-12-08T07:38:00.000-05:00

Remember I mentioned at the beginning of this week that my fabulous knitting friends gave me a wonderful Christmas gift? Here it is...

They adopted a sheep for me!

When I opened the gift, I was totally overwhelmed and in shock, all positive of course. What a cool idea and what a great present for a knitter/spinner!

After a few days of digesting this and running around deliriously, I called the Schacht Fleece Farm with a few questions.

A wonderful chat with Mandy Corry (who owns the farm with her husband) in south-central Indiana helped me to decide what options I wanted, and here is what I picked from the program:

Adopt-a-Sheep for Spinners (Processed Fleece) - This option allows the individual to pick the sheep they want to adopt who has the fleece they would like to work with. They receive the entire fall fleece that has been skirted and then sent to Stonehedge Fiber Mill to be washed and carded into roving. The roving will be sent from Stonehedge to the individual after processing. The individual will receive an adoption certificate and an illustrated book written by Schacht Fleece Farm capturing life on our sheep farm. Quarterly, Mandy will write a letter to the individual describing the recent happenings of the adopted sheep. A picture of the adopted sheep will be sent with each letter along with a bar of our handmade sheepmilk soap.

And here is the beautiful Islandic Sheep - my newly adopted daughter. Meet Claudia!

Isn't she just too cute? I can't wait for her fleece!

Perfect name match - and here is her description from the the farm's webpage:

This ewe is loaded with fleece. Her lamb fleece was amazing in handle, color and weight (3.1 pounds- skirted). It is a gorgeous blend of dark honey and dark chocolate and every color in between. She had so much fleece as a lamb that she looked like a mop swaying back and forth before shearing. This ewe has attitude. She is quick to stomp her foot if you get closer than she wants you to.

And because my knitting friends are X-tremely generous, I still had some credit remaining, so in addition to adopting Claudia, I picked out a second fleece, Michaiah's:

I love black - so, Michaiah's fleece will be wonderful to spin! And here is her description:

This girl is big and beautiful. She is loaded with thel-rich fleece that is black with occasional grey fibers. Her lamb fleece weighed 2 pounds and 13 ounces - fully skirted. Her fleece could be processed in several different ways. Michaiah walks around like she has a crown on her head....very regal looking.

Michaiah's fleece is being sent to the mill as we speak and sometime after the beginning of next year - all processed and ready to spin. YAY!

I am so inspired to spin - with all the roving in my head. I have to put the finishing touches on one Christmas gift and one Hanukkah gift and then I am DONE-DONE-DONE!!!

Oh - and by the way, Mom already got our package with all the knitted gifts. Hubby mailed it last Monday and it arrived last Friday. Such a relief! AND - hubby and I got Mom's package yesterday. Great timing!

Have a good weekend! I am going to my wonderful Saturday SNB meeting in Gainesville. And to a "block party" on Sunday!

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie!

2006-12-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

While I was busy getting some of my spinning bobbins emptied last night, both fiber dogs were pooped out on the futon. Not exactly big helpers...

Noah likes to sleep on knitting notions...
And Hermione cannot be bothered with anything - all gone to doggie la-la land. She didn't even budge when I got up to get the camera. Very unusual for her:

But - when the dogs are so-o-o-o asleep, you can take really cool pictures. Noah proudly presents - while sleeping - Mommy latest handspun:

His paws always remind me of really puffy slippers.

Hmm... The Blue Face Leicester (color: dark plum) looks really good on jet black dog fur.

And here is the Alpaca / Tussan Silk all spun up:

It is almost spider poop thickness... Now I have the daunting task of plying from one bobbin ahead of me ... I have to figure out how to do that - or I might just ply it with something else...

I had to get into spinning mode because tonight I am taking Esmerelda (my wheel) to the elderly knitting group at the retirement home. The ladies want to see how yarn is spun. Cross your fingers that I will be in good spinning spirits tonight. I really don't want to start cursing in front of the lovely ladies...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2006-12-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the Stitch'N Bitch Group, Northeast Georgia had its Holiday Party. It was a wonderful get-together. We had 18 knitters and two husbands.

Here are some highlights:

Everybody brought food, of course. You need energy to knit, right?

Actually, these pictures don't show the complete feast - I snapped them too early. The ham and turkey and a few others things weren't out yet.

I bought some German stuff - how can I not? ;-) German Potato salad (my mom's recipe), Bavarian Cream - the Georgia version, decorated with peaches and pecans, and Gluehwein.

After conquering the buffet, everybody settled down with some knitting and waited for the White Elephant Gift Exchange. It is a popular party game in which each guest brings a gift to the party - in our case a knitting related gift worth around $20 - and ultimately each guest leaves with a gift. Along the way is a random drawing to determine the order in which players get to choose and unwrap gifts or "steal" previously opened gifts. Our rule was that a gift could be stolen at most twice and then it stayed with the owner. And boy, was there some stealing going on and cheering to do so. Those crazy knitters...

Here are a few of the 18 gifts:

As you can see, there were some really cool gifts. Everybody was extremely thoughtful and generous.

Then we celebrated Pixie Purls birthday - it's actually tomorrow, but what a great opportunity to surprise her with a cake...

I am hoping other pix from the cake will show up on other blogs. She had already blown out the candles and eaten the "P" and the "H" before I took a picture. He-he-he...

And she also got a gift - I couldn't resist felting her some Pixie Feet. I found the pattern in the October edition of Simply Knitting, a British knitting magazine. They just screamed at me to make a pair for her birthday.

Too cute on the Pixie feet. ;-)

Some of us tried needle felting and we madly punched very sharp thin needles into styrofoam balls to make some ornaments.

I came home with an ornament for hubby - a red-haired banshee. :-) I did not have the patience to cover the ball with roving. Hubby thought she is very cute. He remarked that she has the same haircut as he does.

To look at all the Holiday Party pictures, click here.

One really mindblowing thing happened at the party. More about this in a later post. I am still awestruck about it. I received a wonderful, absolutely fabulous gift - besides the one from the White Elephant exchange. I want to dedicate a separate post to it. Stay tuned!

What Flower Are You?

2006-12-01T07:45:00.000-05:00

Found this on Mouse's blog:

I am a Snapdragon.
"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

What Flower Are You?

I like the flower but I am not so sure about the description.

Today is World AIDS Day.
See what you can do.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! Tomorrow is the Stitch'N Bitch NEGA Holiday Party. I'll be back with pictures and stories!

Roving at Hobby Lobby

2006-11-30T21:56:00.000-05:00

Who would have thought...

A friend and I went to Hobby Lobby today to check out if the rumor we heard was true. And yes it was: Hobby Lobby sells roving for needle felting. Sweet! So, we bought styrofoam balls and roving to make needle-felted ornaments:

And YAY - this is the last day of November. National Blog Posting Month is over and I somehow managed to post a new blog entry every day!. YAY again! ;-)

Big City Pictures

2006-11-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

Well - I finally remembered to take the camera to work and then, of course, the weather was crappy. Anyway, here is something for you to look at - impressions on my way to work.

And this is my new office space:

Still a bit sparse, but I am working on the decorations. And at least the Bavarian flag is still there. My boss told me that I can decorate however I want. Hubby is going to lend me some of his treasured jigsaw puzzles. He owns a bunch with pictures of my hometown. That'll be nice. ;-)

And some knitting news. I am almost done with the first Goldilocks sock. Three more rows and then the bind off. Pixie can try it on this weekend. And - I inspired two co-workers to start knitting again. One of them has been knitting for years. She is from Germany as well, actually from the former East Germany. It was interesting today because I was wearing a pinkish novelty yarn scarf (I think I used Bernat Boa) and she told me how amazing it was after the wall came down 1989 and all of a sudden all these wonderful yarns were available in the Easterm part of Germany. It's hard to imagine how limited people there were before then.

A Handspindle Treasury

2006-11-28T20:05:00.000-05:00

When I came home tonight - after returning crappy faulty merchandise to Fry's and shopping for advent wreaths for the office - I found a package from amazon.com. YAY - more books! Well, not all of them are for me. But this one is:

I am looking forward to some reading during my Christmas break.

I am off to watch a movie with hubby - we got The Twelve Chairs, a Mel Brooks movie from 1970. Here is some cute trivia from the movie:

Mel Brooks had problems with Yugoslavian extras who did not speak English. Some extras playing museum guards were to walk through the museum ringing a bell and shouting, "Closing time! Closing time!" The extras misunderstood and walked through the scene shouting "Cloakie Bye! Cloakie Bye!" Brooks decided "Cloakie Bye" was funnier, so he left it in the movie.

Off you go - have a good night - Cloakie Bye...

What Not to Do...

2006-11-27T21:27:00.000-05:00

I finished the tree last night - got compliments from hubby. He better like it - he-he-he - since I spent most of my Sunday decorating it.

What not to do:

Drink a lot of caffinated beverages to stay awake and finish chores around the house, but then you can't slow down
Knit after midnight on US #2 dpns and find out that you added a stitch somewhere and you have to rip 5 rows of your dainty cashmere mitten before you finally decide to give up
Leave the house at 6am the next morning without the fourth dpn to knit on the mitten

Luckily I brought another project with me to knit on the bus. At least my brain was working slightly.

Traffic was a zoo today - I am so thankful to sit on the express bus and watch everybody else crawl along. Sorry...

BUT - today was the first day that both my new/old boss and I were at the office. He's been travelling the last couple weeks. It's really funny because some things never change. He said something really nice when he left this afternoon. He said good bye and then he smiled and said that it's nice to say good bye to me knowing that I will be back in the morning. Nice, huh?

So, and here is some eye candy from our Christmas tree for you:

This is one of hubby's crystal ornaments, a mid-1950's Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, made by Mikasa.

No caffinated beverages tonight - I am actually sipping a glass of red wine. ;-)

Deck the Halls

2006-11-26T21:34:00.000-05:00

After spending all day decorating the house for the Holidays - Christmas and a little bit of Hanukkah - I am finally at a point where I can take a break and blog a little. I am not done with the tree yet. There is still one entire box of ornaments to go through and pick the ones for this year. One of hubby's other collections (besides the jigsaw puzzles) is ornaments, and he has a ton of beautiful crystal and china ones.

So, now, the outside of our house looks like this:

And here are some pictures of the inside:

A couple of years ago hubby gave me a collection of Cirque Du Soleil ornaments. They are very cool. We both love their shows. I know one is coming to Atlanta in Spring - I wanna go!

Before decorating the tree with the lights, we tested them to see if they still worked:

They are a pain to wrap aorund the tree. Hubby likes a lot of lights, so I strung 5 sets of 100 bulbs each on the tree for him.

We have an artificial tree - my hands were in pretty bad shape after that and I decided to take a break and get a manicure. Ahhhh...

And - of course - the fiber dogs had to be put through some silliness...

I don't think they really want to be elves...

And in between I had to knit some - on the Goldilocks Socks and the Cashmere Mitts - and I finished the tweed beret. Ooh-la-la - it turned out pretty cute.

AND - the package for Germany is ready to be shipped tomorrow. Nine pounds of knitted goodies and some other gifts are all boxed. Hubby will go to the post office for me tomorrow. Such a sweetie!

Have a great Sunday evening and a wonderful week! See ya knitting somewhere. ;-)

Watkinsville Fiber Crawl

2006-11-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

It is Saturday, 11:00am. 12 knitters, 3 cars - hit the road, baby. Off we went to Watkinsville, near Athens. Never mind that THE football game was going to happen in Athens in the afternoon. Nothing keeps a knitter away from a yarn store...

As always, it was wonderful at Main Street Yarns. After some serious shopping (everything was 20% off and I, of course, hearing the S-word, had to get a few things), we all sat down for some serious knitting. Look at the wonderful knitting group first and then I'll flash the new stash. ;-)

I just love to hang out with those gals!
Shari bought some Blue Skies chunky yarn and whipped out this really cool hat on size US #15 needles - within an hour... So fun!

I knitted on the Tweed Beret from the lastest Interweave Knits issue:

I still have 5 balls left from the Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed I used for the Entrelac Poncho and I thought that would be a cute hat for me.

Yesterday, I also started the Wine and Roses Mitts from the same magazine:

I splurged at Knitch when I went knitting (and shopping) with Pixie. They had the exact yarn the pattern calls for - Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere, so I could not help buying it. It is so soft... Don't ask about the price - I do feel guilty. But I will so wear these mitts.

I also knitted some on the Goldilocks socks. Since Pixie's foot was available for a fitting, we tried the sock on and, adding 10 stitches after turning the heel, they fit like they were made for her tiny feet. ;-)

OK - and here is today's loot:

I bought some Harmony, highly recommended from Ruth, the store owner, for felting. She showed me a felted bag she made from that yarn and it was gorgeous. I also got some frou-frou yarn to add some flair to felting projects. Also some merino roving and some merino/tussah roving:

Pixie said: "Look there are 4 bags, two for you and two for me." Thanks for sharing, my friend! I also bought a needle-felting starter kit, some Addi Turbo Naturals and Addi Turbos for knitting socks on a magic loop. And a bunch of knitting notions - somehow I misplaced my Knit Chek. Uh-h-h-h, and then I also bought 1,300 yards of bright red Merino Oro for a lace shawl.

And lastly - meet Shaun:

He came home with me and will add some baa-baa-baa to our Christmas tree. Which hubby and I will put up tomorrow. YAY!

I AM SO IN THE MOOD FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!! I wonder if that has anything to do with having finished my Xmas knitting for the Germans. Sure makes for less pressure and stress...

Magical Mystery Knitting

2006-11-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

After today, only 5 more daily blogs for National Blog Posting Month. Whew... That was fun but I don't think I want to do it again any time soon. I have really run out of ideas... But since I started and I am compulsive, I am going to blog until the bitter end of November. And then I am going to relax for a bit.

I have a bunch of projects planned over the Christmas holidays. I will be off work from December 24 'til January 2. Yes, that's long and, yes, I just started a new job. Sometimes even a blind chicken finds a grain - as we say in Germany for when you get really lucky.

One of my projects is photographing all of my stash and listing it in a spreadsheet, then choosing patterns for the different yarns. At the same time, I want to organize my closet and maybe make a trip to IKEA for more storage stuff. And I am going to move my blog. I already bought a domain. Stay tuned - I think this will be cool.

So, here is some Magical Mystery Knitting - no, I am not going to take you on a tour... Sorry - not enough content for a tour...

Guess what this is:

More pictures of the field trip to Main Street Yarns in Watkinsville tomorrow. Last time I counted, we will be 10 knitters from the SNB-NEGA group. WOO-HOO!

Burp...

2006-11-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

Pardon me... I am stuffed... Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful. I ate too much - but what's new... Before I go to bed, I wanted to let you know that I finished the last Christmas gift today. Here it is - a simple but elegant garter stitch scarf:

Yarn: Knitpicks Merino Style (100% Merino Wool)
Colors: Cinnamon, Petal & Asparagus
Needles: US #5

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2006-11-22T07:59:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in Germany. But since I live in the US now, I'm happy to take the long weekend coming up - we actually close at 1pm today. Very nice, and even nicer, I don't have to cook a single thing for tomorrow because hubby and I were invited to Jacquie's (you remember her - we shared a room at the knitting retreat in Pigeon Forge in September) with her family. Hubby made his famous from scratch Cranberry Sauce - YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY. I just have to bring myself - and some knitting for calorie-burning after dinner. I am soooooo looking forward to this.

Still no knitting pictures for you. You'll get a bunch over the weekend. Some knitters of the Stitch'N Bitch NEGA group will go to Main Street Yarns & Fibers in Watkinsville on Saturday for the After-Thanksgiving Sale and some knitting.

And hubby and I are planning to put up our Christmas Tree on Sunday. So, you see my weekend is already all planned.

Last night the dogs tried desperately to bring me back to life. No chance - I was too tired to play. Poor puppers... ;-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - gobble all you can! It's the season for eating good food and spending time with the people you love.

See what Lola from Lion Brand has to contribute to Thanksgiving.

Now, there is an idea... A fuzzy hat and scarf for the poor turkey...

Running Out of Ideas...

2006-11-21T16:13:00.000-05:00

Y'all - posting every day is a bit strenuous... Well, today I am out of ideas and I have pictures to take. So, maybe tomorrow I'll have some knitting content. But I found this for Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving Horoscope for Cancer

You're the sign most likely to both dread and look forward to Thanksgiving.
Your signature dish: Mashed potatoes
Your signature dessert: Pecan pie

This holiday: Don't let crazy family members get you down. Maintain your tough outer shell!

What's Your Thanksgiving Horoscope?

AND I also found this - which is shockingly true (about my weak spot...). Ask hubby what a paranoid person I can be at times. Sometimes I should just say - WTF!

Your Birthdate: July 10

Independent and dominant, you tend to be the alpha dog in most situations. You're very confident, and hardly anything ever shakes you. Mundane tasks tend to drain you - you prefer to be making great plans. You are quite original. When people don't "get" you, it bothers you a lot.

Your strength: Your ability to gain respect
Your weakness: Caring too much what others think
Your power color: Orange-red
Your power symbol: Letter X
Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Officially a Busy Bee Again...

2006-11-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

And I am loving it... This morning my work email said that I had 30+ emails from my boss over the weekend. And my messenger tool finally broke down. I guess that is a sign from the Cyper Gods that I shouldn't chat while I am at work, which is good. I'd rather be productive for my boss than twiddle my thumbs - since he is paying my bills. ;-) I can't tell you how happy I am. ;-)

Pixie took a picture of Jen and me yesterday at the Peachtree Handspinners Guild. Boy, look I serious... It's cool tho' how the wheels spin. ;-)

OK, I am typing this during my lunch break. I took a short walk to the post office and mailed my next Secret Pal package and my Sneaky Snarky Pal package. ;-) And now I am sitting here eating a sandwich at my desk. I try not to do that, but there's just no time today. Not all the time, tho' - I swear!

Happy Monday!!!

Sunday with Friends ...

2006-11-19T22:35:00.000-05:00

... at an Irish pub, after an afternoon of spinning and knitting and a Pixie trying on the Goldilocks Socks.

I am glad she did because the foot is a little too short and I have to add stitches after the heel. With the cables it's a little too tight for the cuff. We don't her feet to suffocate, do we?

Sorry for the short entry - I am too tired and my head is ready to hit the pillow. I have a short week - the office is closed Thursday and Friday. YAYAYAYAY!!!

Socks It to Me, Baby...

2006-11-18T18:21:00.000-05:00

Well - it seems like they are a perfect commuter project. While I am knitting away on Pixie's socks - I will need to consult her foot for a fitting before I continue - I am also working on a pair of socks for ME. Imagine that...

I bought some sock yarn at SAFF.

Miss Babs - Superwash Sock & Baby Yarn - 100% wool - 350 yds

It's a toe-up sock and I used one of the patterns from Sensational Socks by Charlene Schurch - one of my favorite sock books.

I am going to my first Peachtree Handspinners Guild meeting tomorrow. Will report back with pictures and stories. Have a great weekend!

Sneaky Snarky Pals Questionnaire

2006-11-17T22:05:00.000-05:00

1. What kinds of things do you like to knit? Everything that does not involve a lot of sewing...
2. Is there any one thing that you are just dying to have and haven't/won't purchase for yourself? Well - usually hubby buys me the out-of-print knitting books.
3. What scents do you like? Lavender.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Nope.
5. When is your birthday? July 10 - next year is a big one...
6. Do you celebrate Chrismas/Hanukkah/Kwannza/Yule? I celebrate the holidays... A born and raised Catholic with a Jewish husband.
7. Do you have a favorite color? Black was/is a long-time favorite. But really, I like all kinds of colors.
8. Any colors that you absolutely hate? Baby poop colors...
9. Any allergies to fiber? Nope.
10. Anything else your pal should know? I knit and spin. ;-)

Katey - I am sorry it took me so long to post this. I have been so oveloaded with changing jobs - my head was spinning. I promise to do better. Sending you a big hug and thanks for organizing the Sneaky Snarky Pal Exchange!

Have a great weekend - y'all!

Beautiful Fall Weather

2006-11-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

That was the view from our kitchen last Sunday morning.

It was cold today - I am lovin' it, sorry - and I was glad that I brought my chunky scarf along.

For the life of me I can't remember now what yarn this is. I have to go look if I can find the label somewhere in the house. I love the color - a very rich raspberry - and it is SOOOOO soft. I bought it at Main Street Yarns in Watkinsville on Labor Day. I think it's called ... something ... Soft Chunky ... DUH ... My brain is getting too old. ;-)

UPDATE ON THE SCARF YARN!!!! Thanks to Anita - who emailed me that the yarn is called Twinkle by Wenlan - I remember now. I used two balls. It's 100% Virgin Merino Wool (virgin means it is from the first time the sheep was shorn). It's great to have friends who work where you buy your yarn.

Update Christmas Knitting

2006-11-15T17:12:00.000-05:00

OK - I haven't given you any new stats lately...

Here is the latest update on the Christmas gift list (I actually have a spreadsheet - makes the math easier and will let me keep track of when I sent what, etc.):

24 completed
2 under way
2 more, not yet started

So, I am doing pretty good, I'd say. Deadline for the Germans is Thanksgiving weekend. I am very confident that I will be able to wrap everything and send a big box to my Mom to hide until December 24 - which is the day in Germany when you open your gifts.

And I started my new job today. When I got to the new office this morning, I found a desk ready for me with a running PC and a big Bavarian flag from my boss as a welcome present. They have free Starbucks coffee all morning and I actually got to join everybody for their Thanksgiving luncheon. A great opportunity to meet everyone and socialize. A very interesting crowd of people. More soon!

Wild Dogs

2006-11-14T18:54:00.000-05:00

Look at the wild fiber dogs at play - what a life...

Too bad there is no audio - Hermione likes to grunt when she plays with Noah. ;-)

After carding some of the Cotswold fleece at Pixie's on Sunday, I wanted to see how it spins up. Real nice, but... GREASY... BLEEEEHHH...

Now I am going to be a picky princess, too. I don't really like the feel of it. I thought - because the fleece is very clean - I could get around washing it. I don't think so... But I am not going to wash it myself - too much work and too little time. Pixie mentioned that she heard that you can send your fleece away for washing. Any suggestions?

Today was my last day at work - the new job starts tomorrow. I AM SO-O-O-O EXCITED!

Goldilocks Socks

2006-11-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who I have knitted a pair of socks for. And my friend has a cat who peed on her socks.

So, because my friend is a dear friend, I offered to
a) try to rescue the socks and wash them for her and
b) knit her a new pair of socks.

On Saturday, I got the sock yarn from her and Sunday morning I sat down to create a pattern for her socks. After consulting my treasured Barbara Walker books, I came up with a cool pattern for the socks. It's a toe up sock with short rows at the toe and the heel. And since it's a pattern for a dear friend and she asked if I could make a cable sock, I found a pattern with XOXOX.

This is what I have accomplished so far:

When we showed the socks to her hubby, he just rolled his eyes and said that that is sooooo girly. With the Xs and Os. Ha-ha-ha... I like to be girly every once in a while.

If you bear with me and give me a little bit of time - probably until after Thanksgiving - I'll publish the pattern here. I am also working on the pattern for the fingerless mittens and the man's hat with cables. STAND BY...

Sorry to make you wait but I just have a ton of things going on right now and I would love to have a couple of clones to get everything done.... HELP... YELP... ;-)

Corona Carding

2006-11-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

Never heard of it? Well - what do you know... I have a picture.

I spent a few hours at Pixie's house today. She and I decided that we had a bunch of knitting that can't be done alone because it's no fun and you have to hang out with your best friend to finish it. SO - after I finished the unbearable task of seaming and weaving in all the ends of the Harry Potter sweater, Pixie showed me how to card fleece. Very cool.

Here you can see Ms. Pixie modelling the HP sweater. Doesn't she look like she is going off to a game of Quidditch?

Is it really fair that she can model a sweater that I knitted for a 9-year-old??? DANGIT...

Glad to Have a Pixie in My Life...

2006-11-11T18:40:00.000-05:00

When I came to the SNB meeting today, Pixie gave me some goodies as a congrats gift for my new job - which I'll start next Wednesday.

A cute bag from Lantern Moon, Koigu sock yarn, domestic Merino roving, color matching knitting needles and an issue of "Wild Fibers".

AWWW - I was so touched - she is such a sweetie.
THANK YOU PIXIE!

No Idle Hands

2006-11-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

I have bought a couple of knitting books this week. One of them is No Idle Hands by Anne L. Macdonald. It's about the social history of American knitting. I don't know when I will ever have time to read it from end-to-end, but just browsing through it is very delightful. It has a ton of old photographs and a poem on the very last page that I wanted to share with you.

"As incentives for knitting, pleasure has preveiled over duty; fashion has triumphed over thrift; relaxation has edged out industry; creativity has outranked knitting-by-the-book; "working with my hands" long ago nosed out "fear of the devil". The old saw of idle hands becoming the devil's playground fades to a memory, revived with a chunkle by this stanza from "Grandma Says," a 1986 poem:

When Satan moves in with his Cohorts of Sin
Say, "You'll never find me submittin'
You irk me, I find
So get thee behind
And please don't disturb me-I'm knittin'."
And that's what I am going to do this weekend - have a good one.

It's All About Finishing, Isn't It?

2006-11-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

As I promised - here are the FOs from this week.

First - I knitted a little purse with the Shades of Narnia handspun from Canada. Monday I got finished with the knitting part.

The bag was 15 inches wide and 14 inches high - before felting.

On Tuesday the purse went in the washer. It turned out pretty cute. I haven't measured the purse after felting but I think it's a good size.

And I found a cute flower at Joann's last night. I still have a bunch of yarn left. Maybe for a matching cell phone case.

At the SNB meeting last night I finally got over my seaming phobia... I really hate to do it - but I finished the Haiku cardigan.

I couldn't find the buttons I intended to sew on - so little flower buttons will do just fine. ;-)

And I finshed the cable hat. I just had to weave in the ends and attach a pom-pom.

HAPPY THURSDAY - I will be at Knitch tonight for the Atlanta Intown knitting meeting.

Wanna Go Home with Me?

2006-11-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

Sh..b...s - it's late and I just came home from a SNB group. Usually I go to bed around 10pm. And I haven't blogged today. OJE...

So, here is the "To be continued" from yesterday. Some impressions from my way home on Monday afternoon around 4:30pm. It was a really nice day - before we got hit with that nasty weather... Here we go.

Riding MARTA in Atlanta

Very steep escalators to get back to the surface streets - WOW...

Waiting for the bus at Peachtree Center, Downtown Atlanta

And of course, knitting on the bus.
I almost finished the hat that day. Another pattern I made up. Give me some time and I'll write it up, too. I know - the fingerless mittens...

I am going to bed now - more FO pix tomorrow. I finished two projects at the knitting group tonight - YAY. Good night, and good luck...

Wanna Hop on the Bus with Me?

2006-11-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

Monday Morning Sky at 6:00am
Yeah – I know it’s freakin’ early – I get up at 5am tho’. But I am a morning person, so I am a happy camper as long as I get coffee and no smelly person comes too close. Which is not always possible when you take public transportation.

Let me take you on a little journey with me today. You can accompany me on my daily commute to work. I took the camera with me yesterday and I truly felt like a tourist snapping pictures on my way to work. It actually made me feel good. ;-)

It was a beautiful morning and usually it takes the bus about 40 minutes to drive into the big city – Atlanta. Then I hop on the subway for another 15 minutes and then I'll walk for another 20 minutes. Here are a few shots from the subway in the morning.

As you can see, I am knitting on the bus and on the train.

Atlanta has some cool buildings. Of course – me the country girl is fascinated easily. ;-)

Walking along to the office, I also get a little-bitty sunrise:

And here is where I end up after the morning travels - the office:

Nice building, huh?
To be continued... I am splitting the commute story into halves - since I want to post every day in November. Today the weather is nasty. Luckily, I brought my umbrella with me - a big one. :-)

BTW - I started a felted purse last night (with the Shades of Narnia handspun) and finished it during lunch today. I can hear the washer calling - use me, use me... He-he-he...

Balling, Lacing, Spinning, Plying, ...

2006-11-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

I did it all yesterday. It was a quiet Sunday - just what I needed. I spent it in my sweat pants - like a lazy bum without doing any chores around the house. I know I will have to catch up on that but with just two adults and two dogs, it's not that bad. And I am actually the one that needs to be picked up after - grin... You know how it is - yarn, patterns, books, projects all over the place. And now clumps of roving and a spinning wheel. Ha-ha-ha...

So, I made a lot of tea, settled down in front of the TV and spent all day with Tony Soprano and his family. How relaxing. :-)))

I gave in to the lace itch and started Kiri yesterday morning. Once I got through the first chart and started with the second one, it was actually going pretty fast. It's a nice and easy repeat of 11 rows.

Yarn: Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud (100% Baby Alpaca)
Color: Midnight
Needles: US #8

I got two balls of the Alpaca Cloud - 880 yards in total. I am just going to knit until I like the size of the shawl and then I'll finish it with a third chart for the border. I really like charts - I guess that's another sign of being compulsive. Everything is so structured and organized with a chart and you don't have to read through a novel to figure out the pattern. ;-)

I am working with the Knitpicks needles. Love them - very pointy - great for lace knitting. I tried to spread out the shawl as best as I could. You know how it is with lace. The real beauty comes with blocking the project. Reminds me somewhat of the Cinderella fairy tale - from a maid in dirty clothes to a princess. ;-)

I couldn't really make myself seam the sweater and the cardigan. I still have a couple of weeks before the Christmas gifts will be sent to Germany. When I talked to my Mom yesterday, we were wondering what the best time would be to send the packages off. I am not taking any chances this year... My goal is to get the box to the post office on Monday after Thanksgiving. Keep your fingers crossed!

I also finished spinning the Shades of Nania roving.

It spun up very thin. Since the roving was pretty coarse and kind of sticky, it was easy to draft for me. And then I plied it.

It's 100% wool - app. 210 yards. It turned out real purdy - as the Southerners would say. I love the colors - lots of browns and pinks mixed together. I think I will use it for a felted purse. That reminds me - I have not felted anything in a long time...

I also worked with the ball winder and swift for a while to get all the goodies from SAFF out of my way. Some of the sock yarn was a pain in the rear to ball, but oh well - all done now, ready for a project.

I also started a knitting project for the SNB-NEGA Holiday Party raffle - but obviously I can't tell you about it. ;-) Here are some doggie nose close-ups for you. Courtesy of Noah, Hermione and hubby. :-)

Have a great week!

New Home for My Roving

2006-11-05T11:24:00.000-05:00

Well - I am a newbie to spinning, roving, different breeds of sheep, etc. and - how to store roving. So, the compulsive German in me thought it would be great to have each blob of roving in a ziploc bag with its tag. Yesterday at the SNB meeting, I learned that this not a good idea because your roving can get moldy... Oy... I don't want that, of course.

So, after the meeting on my way home, I was thinking about what I could find in the basement. Also, I want to keep my roving in one place - see, compulsive again... And I remembered we had an old laundry basket. PERFECT! Here is the roving in its new home.

And here are the goils from my Saturday group:

Clockwise from top left: Jen, Amanda, Shari, Daye, Nicole & Susan

Clockwise from top left: Jen, Amanda, Shari, Daye, Tovah, Jacquie, Nicole, Susan & Ann
You can see my wheel (on the left) - I actually did not knit one single stitch but filled a bobbin with the roving I got from my Secret Pal a week ago. Its colors are very cool - pinks and browns. More pix on that later. In the second picture you can see Ann holding one of Pixie's bobbins. And if you look closely - you can see Pixie's red curls and her cheek at the bottom right corner of the picture. Jenny was hiding next to my wheel. I gave her a quick lesson how to read charts. She wants to find the right pattern to make a wrap from some of the yarn she bought at SAFF.

Looking at the pictures, I noticed how serious all of them look. Believe me - we are usually a fun bunch. I guess I just caught them all thinking about the next stitch in the pattern. :-) Also not in the picture are Elaine - she had to leave early - and Sarala who sat at Jenny's and my table. The sofa corner is getting too small, ha-ha-ha. In total - 14 crocheters, knitters & spinners. And Ann's husband Richard, who throws in interesting stories about his language studies.

On my agenda for today - plying, balling my loot from SAFF and starting a lace project. I am having an itch and I want to do a Kiri. I bought some beautiful Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud (100% Baby Alpaca) a while ago.

On a Quiet Saturday Morning

2006-11-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

I got up this morning - it was pretty pretty pretty chilly (41 degrees - feels like 35...), let the dogs out and took this picture of our backyard.

It looks to me like I can wear a nice chunky sweater to the Stitch'N Bitch meeting in Gainesville - YAY. Love it when it's cold - I guess that's what you get when you were raised in the German Alps. ;-)

In a good mood and armed with a nice cup of coffee, I sat down and finished the Harry Potter sweater. Yup - all done.

Since I didn't know if I had enough of the red yarn, I added yellow stripes to the sleeves to match the scarf. I am sure you can guess whose Christmas gift the sweater is. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

Now I only have to clean up the intarsia mess - BLECCH - on the back side and seam it.

I also finished the little Haiku cardigan last week. Sorry it took me so long to post pictures but I did not have time to take them earlier. I finished the sleeves on Halloween. MARTA had a huge problem on my morning ride and we were stuck for 20 minutes. People got so mad. Folks, there is nothing you can do about it. You just get yourself in a tizzy and annoy your fellow train riders. So, I sat there and knitted away and actually finished the two sleeves before I got to my stop. I was quite pleased. He-he-he... But of course, that's because I am a dork who knits everywhere. Built-in therapy everywhere - YAY for that. So, here is the Haiku cardigan - I have some cute buttons somewhere I have to go find now. :-)

And, I won something. Somehow I guessed the correct date when Sandy started blogging. She sent me this beautiful Corridale roving. I just want to roll in it. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!!!

THANKS SO MUCH SANDY!!!
Now my question is - should I spin it first or should I dye it first? What would you do?

I am off to get my stuff ready for my knitting group. Gotta pack Esmerelda - I am just going drag my spinning wheel along today - the SAFF loot, books, knitting, etc. etc. etc.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND - hope you can go knitting with some wonderful knitting friends like I will.

Some Eye Candy ...

2006-11-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

I saw on a few blogs that November is National Blog Posting Month. You are supposed to blog every day. Let's see if I can do it. ;-) Here is some eye candy for dog lovers - hubby keeps sending me these adorable pictures and I wanna go home and love on the dogs... Mr. Torture...

Now, here is the real eye candy for all the knitters. I finished the fingerless mittens - my own pattern. I think they are very cool and I sure hope that the person who'll get them for Christmas will wear them very often.

Yarn: Knitpicks Andean Treasure (100% Baby Alpaca)
Color: Lilac
Needles: US #3
Two balls make one pair of yummy soft gloves.

Have a great weekend! I will be knitting, spinning and resting!

The Fiber Dogs

2006-11-02T14:58:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here in my office at work and I get lovely pictures of our dogs via email. So nice when you have a hubby who is retired. The puppers are too cute not to share...

I just love these guys - and the photographer, of course ;-)

And then, I just got another email from my sister in Germany. She sent me the latest pictures of my nephew - her son - and my niece, our brother's daughter. My nephew is posing among the cow sculptures that inhabit my hometown (knowing how I love cows), showing off the Harry Potter scarf I made him for his birthday in October:

Yes, as you can see, they had snow today - 4 inches...

And my little niece is growing and growing and growing... She is now 6 months and 12 days old. :-)

HAPPY THURSDAY - gotta lay off the fiber for a little bit. ;-)

SAFF, a.k.a. FIBER OVERLOAD

2006-11-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

It's already been four days and I am still trying to get back to my normal self. I guess it doesn't help that I brought a cold back from the fiber festival and that my week has been a turmoil of events so far. More about that another time. I am looking forward to some knitting down-time and sleep this weekend ...

OH. MY. GOD. - I was a deer in the headlights last weekend at SAFF. I totally admit it. It was my first fiber festival ever and I was quite overwhelmed. I understand now (again) how some of my students feel when I drag them into a yarn store for the first time.

We - meaning, Pixie, Shari, Diana and I - left early Friday morning. I said I wanted to leave at 8:00am - the strict drill sergeant that I am - and we actually left at 8:45am. Pretty good, considering that four women had to get ready. ;-) It was pouring rain and after about 3½ hours and several pit stops later we got to the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair in Asheville, NC. Thanks to the - NOT - wonderful Mapquest directions, we got lost once, about 10 minutes from the fairgrounds. But since women ask for directions, it didn't take us long to find the place. Since check-in at the hotel was not until 3:00pm, we decided to check out the fair first and meet up with Jen and La, and then go to the hotel.

This was the view entering the fair:

Lots of people, yarn, roving, tools, books... Heaven for a fiber addict...

After a few hours at the fair and the hotel check-in, some of us gathered for dinner and knitting at the hotel restaurant. It was mostly people from the Atlanta area - my knitting buddies from several weekly Stitch'N Bitch meetings. Some of them even dragged their poor husbands along. :-)

You can see "the boys" - Doug, Lou and Famous Steve in the picture at the left. I love knitting with them - they are a lot of fun and all very talented. We had a great time, and after dinner some of us retreated to the fireplace and others went to get some sleep. It is just exhausting fondling fiber all day...

Friday night was very eventful. After knitting in the lobby at the fireplace, our little roommate group - Jen, La, Pixie and I - went to our room for some more partying. We brought lots of wine, beer and snacks. So, what to expect? There was knitting, spinning, carding, drinking, giggling, until very late... Whew - I felt like I was back in a dorm and 20 years old. ;-) Sorry, no more details - what happens at SAFF stays at SAFF, or not... :-) Or you might want to check other blogs - maybe they'll spill the beans. ;-)

And now on to the animals - actually the important creatures for a fiber event, right? Jen, Diana and I made a sweep through the barns Saturday morning.

Alpacas:

Llamas:

Sheep:

For Saturday lunch, Pixie organized a knitting blogger meet-up. It is very interesting to put faces to the bloggers now. Very cool to meet all these people - and of course we let non-blogger knitters hang out with us, too:

This is the list of bloggers that Amy compiled. She was clever enough to bring a pen and paper, so everybody could leave their information:

Janice - Knitting, with Dogs
Emily - Fibre Monkey
Jane - Quiddity
Jen & La - Knotty Girls
Carolyn - Sticknits
Stacey - Urban Gypz
Pixie - Pixie Purls
Grace - Grace Knits
Elizabeth - Trailing Yarn
Me - Knitting Without Dog Hair Is Not An Option
Jenny - Diaries of a Knitting Addict
Amy - Fresh Ground Knits
Heather - Heather Knits
Anita - Wool & Words

And apparently, Bekka, who was a bit shy and didn’t come introduce herself! Aw-w-w – but we are all so friendly!!! You should have said hello! We don’t bite and we hardly ever use the pointy stix on fellow knitters. ;-)

Saturday afternoon, I went to a Fair Isle class given by Nancy Shroyer. I loved it - she was wonderful. I learned a bunch of new tricks - and how to knit with two colors at the same time, one strand in your right hand and one in your left. And, I did the stupidest thing... We had homework for that class. The project was a headband. We had to cast on 115 stitches and knit in the round for 12 rows. What did I do? I cast on 105 stitches - how creative... No wonder the fair isle pattern repeat did not work out. I only ripped three times until I realized that I had too few stitches. GEEZ... But with Nancy's help, we created a new pattern on the fly and all was well. I am still debating if I should rip the whole thing - for one thing, I don't like headbands, and this one will be too small anyway.

After the Saturday daytime adventures, we all went back to the hotel for relaxing and regrouping. Some of us went to the Irish Pub "Jack In The Wood" in Asheville for another blogger meet-up which was organized by Jen. Just can't get enough of these bloggers. ;-)

Saturday evening ended early with a few more drinks in the hotel room. Everybody was pretty exhausted, but in good "spirits". I bought everything I wanted and needed. Ha-ha-ha... I made one last trip to a couple of vendors Sunday morning to buy a few final gifts and then - I spun in public for the first time. I guess I picked a good roving, because it just went so well - no trouble in spinning paradise.

It was actually quite funny. I was in such a daze that I wanted to spin all of that gorgeous fiber I bought at SAFF from Steam Valley Fiber Farm. And then I realized that Shari and Pixie really wanted to go home and it would take too long to spin it all. Poor women... Pixie actually tried to sleep a bit on the concrete steps... So, I packed up all the goodies and the girls, and we headed home around 1:00pm.

And finally a picture of the roommates before everybody went home on Sunday. We had such a wonderful time! One couldn’t ask for better sleeping buddies!

Pixie, La, Me and Jen
SO - WHAT DID I BUY??? More stuff for spinning than for knitting, that's for sure ;-)

Alpaca Tussan Silk (2 oz 80% Natural Alpaca from Michigan, 20% Dyed Tussan Silk) - Lori Flood Merino Top (4 oz, 64 ct/22 micron)

Peruvian Alpaca (100% Superfine Combed Top Alpaca) 8 oz each - Fireworks (45% 4th Clip Yearling Mohair, 45% Wool, 5% Glitz, 5% Silk) 3 oz

Miss Babs Superwash Sock & Baby Yarn (100% wool - 350 yds/2.5 oz) - Tiny Toes Sock Yarn (185 yds per skein, 100% Superwash Merino Wool)

3 skeins of 100% Alpaca Tweed handspun (app. 1,800 yards) - 6 skeins of Cotton & EcoSpun

A Jumbo Ply Head with a bobbin for my Lendrum, a very cool orifice hook

More bumper stickers and a pin that says it all...

And if you want to look at more pictures - I took over 100 - click here.

So – “That’s All Folks”. I had a blast. Met a ton of wonderful people, had the best roommates ever, learned a lot. I WILL BE BACK! :-)))

4 Things

2006-11-01T22:50:00.000-05:00

I guess I like a meme every once in a while, when I see an interesting one. This time it's Carolyn's fault and she got it from Crazy Aunt Purl.

Four jobs I’ve had:
cashier at McDonalds
baby sitter
dog sitter
knitting teacher
(plus a regular office job that pays the bills)

Four movies I can watch over and over:
The Godfather
Pulp Fiction
The English Patient
Sleeper
(it's excruciatingly hard to choose only four from a very long list...)

Four places I have lived:
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany
Munich, Germany
Alpharetta, Georgia

Four television shows I love to watch:
Seinfeld
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Sopranos
Dallas
(We don't actually have TV, I own these on DVD.)

Four places I have been on vacation:
Singapore
Bali
Italy
Greece

Four of my favorite dishes:
Mom’s cooking & baking (can’t beat her)
Crème Brulee
Hubby’s cheesecakes
Hubby’s cranberry sauce (thank goodness Thanksgiving is coming up)

Four websites I visit daily:
My bank account
My Yahoo email accounts
My Yahoo groups
My friends' blogs

Four places I would rather be right now:
At a mountain cabin with hubby and the puppers
At home on the couch with knitting, a good movie and tea
At a SNB meeting with knitting & knitting friends
At my parents house in Germany

Four bloggers I am tagging:
I am not tagging anybody. If you want to be tagged, feel tagged. :-)

I don't know if you go to Lion Brand every once in a while. I find their cartoon granny amusing. This one reminds of Pixie who is always on her laptop. ;-)

BTW - Think it's kinda funny that you can get Cashmere from them now.

Spoiled Me...

2006-10-31T16:27:00.000-05:00

OK – I am totally, totally spoiled. My tote pal Lisa from the International Tote Exchange II outdid herself.

THANK YOU SO MUCH – SUPER SPOILER PAL!!!

Let’s pretend that this post is from last Friday, OK? Her package arrived last Thursday with the SP9 package - funny coincidence.

So, here is what I got. Sorry for the picture overload – I just have to share my excitement.

Besides a beautiful felted tote and a little pouch, Lisa also sent me some corn yarn, a novel "Knitting Under the Influence" (I like Martinis), wonderful black and white cards, Texas wildflower seeds and tools from her favorite yarn store. She also wrote me a long letter about all the adventures the bag had and where the goodies came from.

And since the bag came in time for SAFF, I took it with me and everybody loved it. Here I am at the fiber festival in Asheville, NC with the tote. It matches perfectly the Entrelac poncho I knitted for the occasion.

Speaking of SAFF - I will tell you about my adventures soon. I am still trying to catch up. I got back really tired on Sunday - the fiber overload was a bit much for little me. Stand by. ;-)

First SecretPal 9 Package Arrived!

2006-10-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

Woo-hoo! My SP9 spoiler really spoiled me. My first package arrived last Thursday. Unfortunately, I had to go to a fiber festival last weekend. I hope I will be forgiven that I posted so late...

I got 2 skeins of 100% wool by the name of Quebecoise (100g/132m), roving, a candle that looks like a ball of yarn, a tea spoon and a sachet with lavender – how very thoughtful!

The roving is 100g of Shades of Narnia from Narnia II Farms. It is sprinkle-dyed. Very cool.

And I found something out. He-he-he-he... My SecretPal lives in Vancouver, Canada. I’ve been to Vancouver and I have to say, it’s one of my favorite cities. Very beautiful – close to the ocean and the mountains.

THANKS, my SP9 pal - you made my Thursday!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2006-10-31T11:47:00.000-05:00

As you can maybe guess, this picture is from last year. It was funny this morning on MARTA. One guy boarded the train in a costume. It was really weird because everybody stared at him and nobody figured it out for a costume right away. He wore his jockeys over his pants - I guess you can see those outfits on the street any time. And then, all of a sudden, there was common ahhhhh...today is Halloween.

Happy Halloween to you – lots of candy and whatever else!

A Weekend in the Mountains

2006-10-25T11:12:00.000-05:00

Man - that was nice. Hubby and I had a great time in the Blue Ridge Mountains last weekend. And the dogs, too. When I suggested going away for the weekend our anniversary, Hubby insisted that we not kennel the dogs again. So, I found a pet-friendly cabin and we took the children with us. ;-)

It didn’t take long to get there – only 2.5 hours. The dogs were so excited to travel in the car. Too funny - it took them quite a while to realize that we were not just going to the park for a walk.

Anyway, on the drive up, I finished the third and last piece of the Menorah Pillow. All I have to do now is connect all the pieces with an I-cord border and make four knotted I-cord buttons:

Heh – can you see my socks? Another gift from Mama in Germany.

The weather was gorgeous. Here are a few pix of the cabin:

We took advantage of the wonderful weather and went for a bunch of walks:

And we enjoyed the deck:

I cannot believe that Hermione let me take such a silly picture. Usually she does not hold still for that long. Good girl!

While sitting on the deck, I also got some knitting done. I was working on the sleeves for the Harry Potter sweater and I also worked some on the "Flying Geese" scarf:

We've spent several vacations in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and on each trip we get detailed driving directions to scenic trails. On each trip we can't find almost every one of them. This trip was no exception. Happily, the view from the cabin itself was gorgeous! This is one of my favorite shots from the weekend. I took it Sunday morning while the rest of the family was still buried under the covers and sound asleep:

If you're interested, you can find more pictures here.

When we arrived home on Sunday afternoon (our anniversary day), I got a gazillion very, very cool presents. I married a man who knows how to spoil. ;-)

In case you wonder why I got the cars – this Corvette is my favorite. And since I will never own one, Hubby got me miniature versions. He also bought me a model helicopter since I have a tendency to complain about my commute to work.

Beside a few other things, Hubby went on eBay and looked at over 25,000 auctions (yes, the number is correct) to present 118 charms to me. He bought charms of all my favorite subjects – knitting, cows, dogs, coffee, sushi, hearts, and German and Georgia stuff. He is in the process in putting them on bracelets. More pictures soon.

Oh – and here is a shot of the two of us. I know you were dying to know what Hubby looks like. He-he-he-he... He had bobbleheads of us made up – TOO CUTE!!!

OK – I am exhausted, despite a quiet and relaxing weekend with Hubby and the dogs in fresh mountain air. I need a break and a fiber festival. I am going to be a SAFFhole, according to Jen.

Be back after SAFF with pix and stories!

Two More Sleepless Nights...

2006-10-25T07:40:00.000-05:00

... and we're off to SAFF! It feels like Christmas in October! ;-)

First, a reminder about the meet-ups during SAFF - in case you haven't seen notices posted on one of the knitting or spinning groups in the Atlanta area. We have organized a bunch of meet-ups for Friday and Saturday. Here is the information:

Claudia's Meet-up – Friday, 10/27/06:
Several of us are staying at the Holiday Inn at the Asheville airport (address: 550 Airport Road, Fletcher, NC 28732, Tel: 828-684-1213). It's within a mile of the SAFF fairgrounds. The hotel has a restaurant (Christy's Café – open from 5:30-9pm for dinner) and a bar (The Hanger – open from 5pm-2am). I thought it would be
easy for people to meet there for dinner on Friday night. I made a dinner reservation for 20 people at 6pm. Please comment here to let me know if you intend to join us so I can save you a seat. Afterwards, we could go to the bar for more knitting & socializing.

Pixie's Meet-up – Saturday, 10/28/06:
We will have a blogger meet-up during the class break, from noon until 1pm. All are welcome. We are going to meet just inside the vendor building. As you enter the building, you'll see a concession stand to the left and concrete steps/seats to the floor-level vendors. We will be meeting on those steps under the concession stand area in the general vicinity between stalls #25 and #74 (refer to the vendor/workshop map). There's no way for us to reserve the spot, so you may have to look around for us a little. Please leave a comment at Pixie's blog if you want to join us, so we'll know to look around for you too.

Jen's Meet-up – Saturday, 10/28/06:
Then on Saturday night we will be having a "Blogger Booze Blowout". Again, you do NOT need to be a blogger to come party! We will be meeting at Jack of the Wood starting around 7-7:30pm-ish, and lasting until...? If this party doesn't work for you and you want to plan an alternate hookup, please feel free - we won't be offended (tho' if you know of a compelling reason why we'd be happier somewhere else, let us know). If you want to drop by earlier or later, that's fine too. Casual, fun, and hassle-free are our goals here. But if you are planning to come, please leave a comment at Jen's blog.

Check back on our blogs to find out about any last-minute changes in times or venues. Hope to see you there!

SP9 - A Random Fact About Me

2006-10-24T10:36:00.000-05:00

I have a huge collection of CowParade figurines - actually I own every one that was ever available for purchase. Hubby procures them for me and I get them as gifts for Christmas, Valentine's Day, my birthday, etc. This is one of my favorites:

Brrr...

2006-10-23T07:40:00.000-05:00

It’s been cold this morning (40°F, but felt like 34...) – and I was all bundled up in a scarf, mittens and a big, fuzzy wrap. I love this kind of weather. Finally it’s sweater time in Georgia. I don’t know for how long, but it’s been chilly all weekend and the forecast suggests more of this.

Blogger has been a nightmare the last few days – I have been trying to blog since last Thursday, but without luck...

Anyway – here are a few things that I wanted to share from last week.

My mom knitted another cardigan for me and it finally arrived on Wednesday. It was in the mail from Germany for over 6 weeks. She paid for airmail but the brainiac German postal worker didn’t put an Airmail sticker on the package. I am convinced the clerk did that deliberately because my mom wouldn't spring for higher postage to get the package to the US faster. But of course we have no proof, so we can’t do anything about it. Anyway – just wanted to get a little anger off my chest. Here is the cardigan:

I think you can see how happy I am about her wonderful knitting. My mom truly knits like a machine. Her stitches are super-even. See for yourself.

So, here is the story of this treasure. When I visited my family in Germany in May, my mom told to bring some of my stash and she would knit me something with it. That's great destashing, isn't it? I brought her a green cotton blend (it’s a German brand – Wolle Rödel) which I bought over 7 years ago. I never touched it - it sat in a box all this time - so I finally decided to give it to her for a cardigan. We picked out a pattern while I visited and she started on the project right away. And she ripped while I was there. She thought it would look better if she knitted the fronts and the back together. No wonder I don't like seams - it's genetic. ;-)

Mom told me that she still had yarn left over and it would be enough for a tank top. YAY - I can't wait. Then I will have a twin set - how cool is that?

Remember the drama with the hairdresser the weekend before last? I finally had an appointment - now it's super short and I am loving it.

I. love. my. hairdresser. He. is. so. good.

He had a field day. I sat down and showed him a picture of a haircut I found in one of the salon's magazines. He looked at me and asked if I was serious. Of course I was - he said I made his day. ;-) Since I am not one of these women that just want a little trim... At some point I looked in the mirror and, I swear, it looked like Edward Scissorhands was working on my hair, with it flying all over the place. If you live in the Atlanta area and want his number, let me know.

Then Thursday night, I spun some more yarn. It's one of Pixie's gifts, Olive Corridale. I really like spinning it. I tried to spin is even and airy, so I can knit it without plying it first. It turned out pretty nice.

app. 55 yards (I still have some roving left to spin up)
Even Hermione thought is was good enough to model - well, OK, it took quite a bit of coaxing...

AHHH - and I got the latest issue of my German knitting magazine, Verena. There are some fabulous projects I am going to tackle in a little bit - probably after the holidays.

Here are some pix from the magazine:

Lots of luvly knits - I just have to modify them for the Southern US, no turtle neck, no heavy wool, ... ;-)

So, that's the wrap-up from last week. On Friday, Hubby and I went to the Blue Ridge Mountains for the weekend to celebrate our second anniversary. More about that in a little bit.

Happy Second Anniversary, Luv!

2006-10-22T13:43:00.000-05:00

On Friday, October 22, 2004, we got married in the
Gwinnett County Courthouse in Lawrenceville, GA.
It was a beautiful fall weekend and we had
a lovely honeymoon in Highlands, NC.
This is my favorite photo from that special weekend.

To many more wonderful years – LOVE YA, MA’ MAN!

Got Fleece!

2006-10-18T07:40:00.001-05:00

Last night a package waited for me when I got home from work. It was from my sister-in-law in Vermont. Hubby said that it's interesting that I get a package from his sister for our anniversary - which is coming up this Sunday. He is a very funny man. ;-) It really was for me, but not an anniversary gift. Look what she sent me:

app. 4 pounds of fleece
It came with a card that said the following:
dear claudia,
baaa – enjoy spinning my fleece.
love,
beech
(a white cotswold sheep)
from the sheep & wool festival pittsford, vermont

Isn't that fabulous? It looks soooo clean. The dogs were kinda interested. Hermione, our Border Collie, gave me a look that said "Mom, that is only part of a sheep - I can't herd this..." It was really fun watching her. That is probably the closest she will ever get to a real sheep. Poor un-employed doggie. ;-)

I snapped a bunch of pix while the dogs investigated my present:

So, here is the story on the fleece. My SIL visited the Sheep & Wool Festival in Pittsford, Vermont. She went with her hubby and her best friend, who owns two Border Collies and sheep. Her best friend started spinning around same time as I did, so was a perfect consultant for my SIL. SIL actually met the sheep's sister, who didn't donate fleece at the festival - too funny. I was told that I would need a flick carder to prepare the fleece if I want to spin it from the grease. It looks very clean to me, so I don't really know if I should wash it or not. Tho', when hubby opened the plastic bag that holds the fleece, he made a funny face and closed it again pretty quickly. Well, it's a fleece and of course it smells a little like sheep. But not bad.

So, I did a little research. Since I am newbie to spinning, I have to learn about the different sheep breeds and the necessary tool. SO - what is a flick carder??? Here is what I found out:

Flick carders have metal teeth set into a carding cloth. The teeth are slightly bent toward the handle of the wood batt. Flick carders are smaller than hand carders and are used singly. They are simple, efficient to use and prepare wool for spinning worsted yarn.

Hold the cut end of the staple of wool in your left hand. Place a piece of leather on your knee and flick the carder at the tips of the wool. This is a hitting, not combing action. If necessary, turn the staple over and flick the other side.

Very interesting - I think I'll put this tool on my shopping list for SAFF. Dear readers, let me know if you have any suggestions/comments.

Here is what I found out about the Cotswold Sheep breed:

The Cotswold breed originated in the Cotswold Hills of Gloucester, a south midland county of England touching the Bristol Channel. The Cotswold Hills cover an area of about 280,000 acres, have an average elevation of between 500 and 600 feet and are not particularly fertile. The soils do contain considerable lime, and the area raises fair crops of small grains and roots. Because of its mild, temperate climate, the area is well suited to sheep raising. The name "Cotswold" was given the breed because in the early days they were folded or housed in shelters known locally as "cots" or "cotes" and they were pastured on the wild, treeless hills of the area, called "wolds".

It is suggested that sheep were in the Cotswold Hills at the time of Caesar's conquest of Britain, and sheep were mentioned in most of the early agricultural writings of the area. Professor David Low, in On the Domesticated Animals of the British Islands, suggested, however, that the Cotswold breed was not an outgrowth of the early sheep found in the hills, but that the Cotswolds of his day represented selects from the sheep that had been brought into the area from the lowlands. He based his opinion on the fact that the Cotswolds of the middle nineteenth century were a long-wooled breed of sheep, whereas the sheep that had formerly inhabited the hills were noted for their fine wool. It would thus appear that the Cotswold breed had inherited little more than a name from the original sheep that inhabited the area. Breeders of the Cotswold Hills started in about 1780 to introduce Leicester rams into the area to improve the carcass quality of the sheep. During the following fifty years much crossbreeding was practiced, which resulted in a reduction in the size and improvement in carcass quality. After 1825, Cotswold breeders started to select sheep for larger size, a part of which the breed had lost, and for heavier fleeces.

The first Cotswold imported into the United States of which there is record was brought over in 1832. Apparently the breed had been introduced earlier, because when Christopher Dunn of Albany, New York, made his importation, sheep of similar type were already quite common in this country. The breed has served about the same purpose as the other long-wooled breeds in the United States. It has been used for crossbreeding, as a means of increasing the size and feeding quality of lambs, and of getting increased staple length in ewe bands without losing fleece weight. Several large flocks of Cotswolds have been maintained in the western states for production of range rams. Some of these breeders have not kept all their sheep registered, as they have been chiefly interested in the production of rams for the range trade.

To the casual observer, the external appearance of the Cotswold and Lincoln is similar, but there are several differences that are apparent. The Cotswolds are somewhat smaller than the Lincoln, although mature rams in good condition will weigh about 300 pounds and ewes usually around 200 pounds. Cotswolds carry more foretop than do Lincolns, and the fleece is carried in rather bold locks and is usually from eight to ten inches in length. The fleece grades braid but is somewhat finer and softer than that found on the average Lincoln. The fleece will mat or become cotted rather easily and unless it is kept clean and in good condition may become somewhat unsightly. The fleece parts along the back, is rather open and in hard cold rains does not offer a great deal of protection to the sheep. The average ewe flock will shear about twelve pounds annually, while rams should shear appreciably more wool. The fleece of the Cotswold is white. The Cotswold has a white face and white legs, grayish-white color is not considered objectionable, and small black spots on the face or legs are not entirely unknown. They will also exhibit dark pigmentation on the skin of the nose, inside the ears and on the hooves.

Sorry, if that was too much information on one little sheep - I find it fascinating. I am sure I won't remember all of that. But that's why I put it on my blog. ;-)

And - since my last blog entry, I finished another gift from the slowly shrinking Christmas list. Here is the Fair Isle Skiing Hat. Gosh - I am glad this project is done - it only took me three tries...

Yarn: Nashua Julia (Midnight Blue & Spring Green)
50% Wool, 25% Alpaca, 25% Kid Mohair - very yummy
Needles: US #5

And I spun some more Corriedale. This time I tried not to twist it too much. I would like to not ply it and knit with a single strand. We'll see how it turns out once I take it off the bobbin.

I have noticed that if I spin before bed time I get very relaxed. That's great because I sometimes have a hard time falling asleep if I have too many things to think about.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

It's Fall Alright :-)

2006-10-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

When I woke up Saturday morning, the heat was running - it must have been cold during the night. And when I let the puppers out for some business, I saw - FROST.

Yayayayay - get all the sweaters out from hiding. Finally cooler weather arrived and I am LOVIN' it!

So, the plan for Saturday was to get together with Ms. Pixie, drive to Atlanta, go knitting at Knitch, get lunch and get our hair done. We both had an appointment for a cut and coloring - which means a looooooooong appointment. That was the plan. But...

Around 9 am, our hairdresser called to let us know that a shop adjacent to his had a fire during the night and everything was full of smoke and there was no way we could get our hair done that day. I got really pissy for a minute or two. I think that was the first time Pixie noticed that I can lose my temper. SORRY GIRL... I was just so upset that our cool Saturday plans got torched... ;-)

So, after some calming down, we had a super quick change of plans and turned the day into a fabulous hang-out-with-your-best-friend-and-knit-too day. We went to the Mule Camp in Gainesville instead. It was a beautiful day - lovely fall weather. Perfect to show off my new tweed poncho & hat. :-)

Yes, finally all finished. I put the fringe on Friday night.

Here are some pictures from the Mule Camp - without any mules... Wonder where the name came from?

We thought we'd surprise out SNB knitting friends and show up unexpectedly. HAH - they tricked us. Because Mule Camp is a big festival and parking, etc., is crazy, the other knitters changed the venue. Since I am not on the PC much during weekends, I didn't know because I didn't check the group message board. So, the surprise was on us. Nobody of the usual suspects was at our usual spot... But at the end we were five knitters and crocheters and had a great time.

Karen and Allison, Me and Pixie, and Sarala (she designed the crochet poncho she is wearing - way cool!)

Pixie couldn't resist the edible roving - and it's her favorite color.

After all the fun on Saturday, I also got some knitting done. I finished the intarsia front of the Harry Potter sweater and got the sleeves started:

I am finished with the Haiku jacket - and I actually started the first sleeve today:

I knitted something with my first spinning attempts - a cute little kerchief. I have exactly 30 inches of yarn left. Good planning! ;-)

And I turned the teal corriedale into a little scarf. What is a little scarf? A scarflet?

Alright - enough for a Monday. More sometime this week.

YAY - It's Friday!

2006-10-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

I went out this morning to run some errands for work and stumbled into Barnes & Noble to buy a bunch of new knitting magazine issues. Here is what I got:

VOGUEknitting Holiday 2006

My favorite is a kimono jacket made out of four sizes of prismatic hexagons in 23 colorways of Koigu. It is a huge coat - gorgeous, but too big a project at the moment:

Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts

I have to make these:

And then a new crafts magazine, called Craft::

Jane brought it to the SNB meeting on Wednesday and I thought it was very cool. They have a pattern for Zombies and Robots and Bears.

AND - I finished the Entrelac Poncho last night. More pictures after the weekend! Have a good one!

Is Fall Inspiring for Spinning?

2006-10-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

It's really funny, but the last few days I felt like I need to spin every day. Did I catch a really bad virus here or what? I can't believe it. ;-) But it sure feels good when you sit there and the wheel is humming and the bobbins are filling up.

After knitting at the library on Monday, I sat down and spun one of the gifts from Pixie. She gave me some beautiful Louet Corridale:

Aren't those colors great? I couldn't help myself and spun up the whole pile of teal roving in one sitting.

And to relax I had to have some spinning oil. He-he-he...

Hermione did not approve. ;-)

So, here is the Corridale:
All spun:

All plied:

And all ready to knit:

App. 80 yards.
But I am also still knitting - don't worry. Of course on the Christmas gifts. After the hassle with not enough yarn for a little cardigan (another first attempt - this is the third project where I have some trouble), I had to toss the half finished project aside. Don't you hate that? Thank goodness for hubby and his willingness to rip.

So, I went out and bought new yarn - a different brand and enough this time. And I changed the pattern, too. I'll probably knit the Swing Thing eventually, but now I am making the Haiku. It's a great pattern because you can use any yarn. You make a swatch and then you calculate with your gauge how many stitches you'll need to cast on, etc. Has some math but not too bad. It is knitted sideways - very cute. AND supereasy, mostly garter stitch:

Yarn: Jo-Ann Sensations Bellezza Collection Dolcetto
Needles: US #5

And here is a Fall-related quiz I found this morning.

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings. Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Hmm - how true. I really like the change of season a lot. And I can't wait to bundle up in more than just a T-shirt. It's still pretty warm around here - in Georgia. This morning on my walk to the office, I had to take my jacket off. Go figure - I'll never wear a chunky sweater around here, dangit! ;-)

Raving Mad About Roving...

2006-10-09T08:14:00.000-05:00

So much to do, so little time - can I be cloned, please, or win the lottery so I can retire? Here is what I did this weekend - totally fiber-related - YAY!

SATURDAY

My friend Jacquie and I went to Knitch in Atlanta because the store had a SALE (15% off each item at the store...). Well, you know me - I hear the S-word and I am there... Actually it was Jacquie's idea - I just tagged along... Good excuse, hmm?

Now that spinning is a new hobby I not only look for yarn but also for roving. Very bad idea... Which is also kind of silly at the moment because I am going to SAFF in 17 days. ;-) But you can always buy just a little to play with, right - which I did, of course:

Clockwise from top left: Blue Face Leicester Dark Plum, Merino Top Cranberry and Merino Top Amethyst - each 2 oz.

I also got some yarn - I couldn't resist. It's for next spring for a short sleeved sweater (I am thinking cables). It was such a steal - 1,000 yards of Eden Print Bamboo for $46. Very soft - the color is called Cappucino. (I guess because it's Italian - it doesn't really look like cappucino to me...)

And then there was one more thing I bought - I couldn't say NO either. Weak, weak, weak woman - but such a deal. It's a Noro shrug, a store sample. I always wanted to have one of these. And there it was. I love the colors - great for fall. No way I could have knitted this piece for $34. Very cool. ;-)

This was the exiting part on Saturday. After the shopping spree, Jacquie and I went to Gainesville to our Saturday SNB meeting to get our knitting fix in the afternoon. I love going there - always such a nice and relaxing group. Of course, we had to show off our goodies. ;-) It's so much fun to do the show and tell and hear the ohhhs and ahhhs. ;-) And Jenny brought home-made biscotti. My favorite with anise - they were YUMMY!!!

After the meeting I got home, watched the first four episodes of Boston Legal (Season 1) on DVD and knitted this cute little hat.

Yarn: 3 balls Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed (double-stranded)
Needles: US # 9

The pattern is from the latest Knitter's Magazine. It is the Tweedy Topper by Susan Douglas. I really liked the pattern - it knits up very quickly (tho', I didn't knit the hat band - not my kind of thing). I wanted a hat to match the entrelac poncho - now I am all set for cooler weather in Asheville in 17 days. ;-)

SUNDAY

And then on Sunday... After talking to my Mom - our weekly phone call on Sunday morning - I sat down and had this urge to spin. So, I spun some of the roving I bought at Knitch the day before. It was funny because I started and once I got going I wanted to spin it all up, of course. But I was to meet a couple of knitting friends to carpool to a workshop with the famous Ginger Luters. I got so carried away and totally lost track of time (which is very unusual - if you know me - I am German - I am never late...). Since I was running late, I hurried out the house and later - during the workshop - I found roving clinging to my jeans. GEEZ GIRL... Hahaha...

But the Merino spun turned out really nice. Here you are:

Come a little closer (notice that I am kinda pleased with my spinning attempts???)!

Pixie, my spinning teacher, will probably think "WTF, Claudia hated to spin with Merino when I gave her some." And she is right. When I first tried it, it felt slippery and dense to me at the same time and I couldn't get it to work, not on the wheel and of course not on the drop spindle. But I found that if I prepare the roving more for my humble newbie attempts, I can spin it better. Here is what I do, and this may sound silly to all of the experienced spinners out there but it works for me. I part the Merino roving into at least 8 separate thinner stripes. And then I spin them up one by one.

So, GINGER LUTERS - what a wonderful person, great teacher and inspiring designer. I am so glad that I went to her workshop. Ginger published a book called Modular Magic.

Here is an excerpt from the book description: The modular techniques introduced in this knitting guide provide a creative approach perfect for beginners in which rectangular, square, and triangular pieces are used to fashion a sweater or other knitted garment. Step-by-step instructions and simple solutions illustrate the construction procedure. The swatches and sketches provided reveal endless possibilities for mixing color, texture, and shape.

I have to back up a bit here - Ginger also gave a presentation at the Atlanta Knitting Guild meeting and she brought a ton of her finished projects from this book. Truly great sweaters and cardigans. What intrigued me most was that you can start somewhere on your knitting and you design while you create your pieces. For example, you have a lot of left over yarn in the same weight and in colors that somewhat match. With Ginger's creative shaping you can mix them all together and make scarves, sweaters, blankets. Very, very cool.

So, back to the Sunday workshop - it was a three-hour-class. We started out knitting L shapes and then connecting them. You connect them by knitting on to the existing piece and there is not really any seaming because you connect your pieces by knitting them together as you go. Right up my alley. ;-) Here is my class sample:

Ginger explained that she does her designing on the computer and she plays with shapes and colors.

After the L shapes, we moved on to mitered squares which you can see in each corner of the Ls. And after the mitered squares we with played with T shapes. I have to finish that square yet - here is what I've knitted so far:

After the workshop we went to dinner with Ginger Luters. It was very interesting and a lot of fun to be so close to such a knitting superstar.

When I got home, I wanted to finish the spinning I started in the morning. I felt kind of experimental (interesting that mental is part of experimental...) and plied the Merino Top with one strand of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes (the color is called Black Cherry Heather). I thought it coordinates well with the cranberry colored merino. Here is the end product - 46 yards:

It think that should be enough to make a skinny scarf, belt or maybe a kerchief.

Interesting what one finds when you look up word definitions: A kerchief (from the French couvre-chef, "cover the head") is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the head or around the neck for protective or decorative purposes.

So, these were the spinning and knitting tales from the weekend. Have a great week & happy knitting!

SAFF - 22 Days and Counting

2006-10-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

I AM SO EXCITED! In 22 days I am going to Asheville, NC, for SAFF - three days of looking at fiber and spending money. ;-) This is my first fiber festival ever - and hopefully not the last one. ;-)

SO - Pixie, Shari, Diana and I will jump in the Knitty Van Friday morning. It's the first time that SAFF is open to the public on Friday as well. The drive - according to Mapquest - is 148 miles and 3.5 hours from my house. I don't know if should bring my spinning wheel. I guess I'll see what the other spinners do. We sure have plenty of room in the Previa (aka the Knitty Van).

And since I want to wear something knitted at SAFF, I am working furiously on an Entrelac Poncho. Maybe you remember that I started the Lady Elizabeth Entrelac Stole from Scarf Style a while back. Well, I thought I could finish in time for SAFF. But a couple of weeks ago I realized that I am out of my mind (nothing new there...) and realized I am not going to make it. Too much other stuff going on... But I already had a piece that was 34 by 18 inches. After some heavy thinking, I realized that if I make two of these, I can sew them together for a poncho, HAH - saved my day! ;-) Last weekend I started the second rectangle (this picture is from Sunday night).

And with all the bus rides, I am almost halfway done with the second piece. I paid attention the other day and I can get through half of one row of rectangles on one ride. Ergo - I am adding a row of rectangles a day and I need 13 in total. Maybe I can finish it this weekend and block the pieces. I also want to add a fringe. I figure a poncho is much more practical anyway for SAFF than a big stole that probably slides off my shoulders half the time. I think I have enough yarn left to maybe make a matching beanie. We'll see. I always have big plans and then I run out of time.

Not so - YET... - with this year's Christmas gift list. I am doing surprisingly well. Last weekend I finished the Drop Stitch Shawl - the pattern is super easy and self-fringing. Very nice - here is a picture of the self-fringing part - it only looks scary. You unravel 5 stitches from the border and makes an overknot in each loop - and voila there is your fringe. I was very pleased, it took me only 30 minutes to get the fringe done.

Don't look at my hair - I know I need a cut - I have an appointment coming up.

I also worked some on the fair isle hat. This is the third try (sigh...) and so far I like it. Finally it's the right size and the right look. I will make the top slope towards two corners. Hard to describe - I'll try to find a picture. It's a more old fashioned look. Since the recipient is an excellent skier, I think he will like this hat.

Oh, and the intarsia front for the Harry Potter sweater is done. I just have to knit a few more rows to get to the neck line - YAY.

Well - looks great, doesn't it? Only one problem... I will not have enough red for the sleeves. So, with hubby's great taste and visual talents, we figured that the sleeves would look good if I stripe them. Kinda similar to the Harry Potter scarf I knitted recently.

I am also contemplating changing a few patterns for the remaining Christmas gifts. More later when I am done thinking. Can you smell the smoke? - Have a good week!

Secret Pal 9 - Questions & Answers

2006-10-03T10:40:00.000-05:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I like all kinds of yarns and I even use acrylic for some projects.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have tried several things. Lately I have been using a plastic box from a local craft store that looks like a tackle box with two drawers that fold out (tricky to describe...) I am still not very happy with the way I am storing my circular needles in that box but maybe somebody has a good idea to pass along.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting since 5th grade - that means I have been knitting for 28 years. My mom taught me English style and then my crafts teacher at school taught me Continental style and I stuck with the Continental style. I teach knitting at a local craft store - I guess I could call myself advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No. But I buy almost all of my knitting books on amazon.com.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) Lavender.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? No. I like salty snacks - my absolute favorite is salted licorice. (I know, yucky.) But I try to avoid those, too.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? Crochet and cross-stitch - but knitting took over a while back... AND - I started spinning a couple of weeks ago.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yes, my PC can play MP3s. Since I am an "older" person and my prime time was during the 80's, I like 60's, 70's and 80's music. No hard rock, reggae or rap, please.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? For a long time my favorite color was black. Now, I like all kinds of colors except the ones that look kinda like baby poo. ;-)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have a hubby and two furry kids - the fiber dogs. ;-)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes to all. Unfortunately there are not a lot of occasions in Georgia (Southern USA) to wear mittens.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Almost anything. I don't like seaming tho'.

13. What are you knitting right now? I am working on my gift list for Christmas - a Harry Potter sweater, fingerless gloves, a fair isle hat, a coat for a toddler, a Menorah pillow, a scarf (and that's not the end of the list). I am also making a poncho for myself - the goal is to have it finished for SAFF.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? YES

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer circular needles, but I knit with either - wood, metal or plastic, always depending on what works with the yarn I am using.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both. And two niddynoddies.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Hmm - good question. I just had hubby rip a whole plastic bin filled with UFOs because I knew I wouldn't finish them and this way I can re-use the yarn. I still have a couple that are from last year.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Cows and knitting stuff - yarn, books, notions...

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I am dying to get my hands on a copy of the Alice Starmore Fair Isle book and a copy of the Knitting Principles. I have a subscription to VOGUEknitting, VERENA (a German knitting magazine), Rowan Knitting and Cast On (as a TKGA member). But I frequently buy Interweave Knits, Creative Knitting, Knit'N'Style, Knitter's Magazine, Simple Knitting, Knit It, Knit Scene, Knit.1 and others.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I think I'll focus on spinning at the moment.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes, I love socks. I have a regular size 8 foot.

23. When is your birthday? 07/10 (Yikes, I didn't know until I checked on IMDB that I share a birthday with Jessica Simpson...)

Not So Rapidly Transiting After All...

2006-09-29T13:57:00.000-05:00

OK - I thought I'd give you an update on my adventures with public transportation. Everything went absolutely wonderfully Wednesday afternoon on my way home. The bus was extremely fast - in comparision to the crawling cars - and I was really in awe at my luck in finding out about the Express bus line.

So, Thursday morning I was back on the bus. Everything went well - I got a ton of knitting done. But when I got to the MARTA station to take the train, they were announcing over the speakers that my train would be 20 minutes late due to mechanical problems. Oh well, I thought, it didn't take long to make me less ecstatic, did it?

BUT - another train was due to arrive in 2 minutes. And I decided to take this train. It would go to the Lenox station instead of the Buckhead station and I figured I'd have to walk a little longer, but it shouldn't take me much longer. I didn't like the idea of hanging out at the train station for 20 minutes and then maybe find out that there would be more delays.

One should not guess distances if one has only been in an area by car... I also guess my brain was impaired because I hadn't had coffee yet. Instead of 20 minutes I walked for 45 minutes - DUH... But at least, I got some exercise in, right?

So, in the morning I had to deal with mechanical problems. And in the afternoon I had to deal with athmospheric problems. Shortly before I planned to leave the office to walk to the train station, it started to pour. You'd have thought somebody opened the sky and water came just gushing out.

YIKES! I had thought about keeping a little foldable umbrella in my backpack, but of course in the state my brain usually is in the morning, I never remembered one. I don't mind walking in bad weather. I am very used to it from living in Germany for so long. But I mind having to stay soaked. Happily, one of my co-workers gave me a lift to the bus station - so I did not even have to deal with the train/bus change. I was at the bus station way early and sat on a bench knitting away when it started to rain again. AND. IT. HAILED. TOO. Holy cannoli... I hadn't been outside when it hailed in a long time. It was pretty neat sitting under a big covered area watching the rain and hail coming down. Then 2 minutes later the sun was out again...

Amazingly the bus ride was - again - only 35 minutes. I would have had a ride from hell on the highway with all the bad weather. So, all in all, I am still in love with my newly found transportation. ;-)

AH-H-H - and I wanted to show off the cutest thing I have knitted in a while.

Meet the YULETIDE GNOME!

Noah & Mr. Gnome (reminds me of Mr. Hand - ha-ha-ha...)

Hermione & Mr. Gnome
(doesn't she look like she's thinking "who the hell are you"?)
Our woofmodels - as Janice calls her dogs - were very cooperative this time. Actually Noah is always good, I guess because he doesn't care much what you do as long as you don't startle him. He is still a bit skittish and we've had him now for almost 2 years - we got him in January 2005. The circumstances are enough for an entire blog entry.

And Hermione usually is a terrible woofmodel. I always feel like I have to stalk her. But I discovered that I can trick her. HAH! She loves to play with her green rubber ball, so if I hold the ball while taking a picture, she sits still because she thinks I am going to throw the ball for her. Which I do - OF COURSE after taking the pictures.

OK, time to get ready for the weekend. I am looking forward to some knitting at my Friday SNB group with wine and snacks! Have a good one!

Rapidly Transiting a Non-Rapid-Transit City

2006-09-27T13:24:00.001-05:00

HAH - I finally found a way to pretend I still live in Europe. I took public transportation to work this morning. Now, if you live in New York City or Munich or any other big city on this planet with a great commuter train and bus system, you might say "nothing exciting about that". BUT - if you live in the North Georgia boonies and you work in Buckhead (Atlanta) and you find decent public transportation, it's a big thing. So let me tell you how it went - it even has a knitting aspect!

I drove to Discover Mills, a big shopping mall north of Atlanta (which took 15-20 minutes), and hopped on the bus. It does not make any intermediate stops and was in the city - at Lindbergh Plaza - in about 35 minutes. It would have taken me at least 50 minutes to drive there during morning rush hour (and I leave home around 6:15 am). Then I took MARTA (the local subway system) for one station. And then I walked to the office - 20-25 minutes.

So, I saved on gas, put less wear and tear on the car, got a bunch of knitting done, listened to my CD book, and I exercised, too. I was so energetic this morning at the office - I felt like a Jack Russell terrier, bouncing off the walls. Wheeeeeeeeeeee! ;-)

I — LIKE — IT!!! It reminds me very much of Europe. Public transportation over there is just fabulous - sorry you guys, but over here it sucks, especially in the Atlanta area. Well, not so much anymore, I guess.

One of my knitting friends told me that one year she knitted 11 (!) afghans when she lived in Boston and she took public transportation to work. Well, I am not an afghan person but I am looking forward to the extra knitting time. I had to try really hard not to wave at the cars driving or, rather, crawling in the lane next to the bus. Snicker...

So, while I sat on the bus I continued knitting on the Drop Stitch Shawl. Believe me, it is already a bunch bigger than this:

I have a total of ten balls – I am on ball no. 4, almost ready to start no. 5 and after the fifth ball I will decrease instead of increase to shape the triangle.

AND – I plied for the first time last night. I went to Pixie’s house for another spinning lesson. I plied the white Coopworth – and now I have 23 yards of my first 2-ply hand spun yarn. I am pretty proud...

This is not the real color of the yarn – somehow how not using the flash made the yarn look yellow. Blecch – nobody peed on it, I promise!

If you click on the picture for a larger view, you can see a dog hair sticking out – sigh... Not really anything without dog hair, is there?

Now I have to find a cute little pattern for a clutch or cell phone case. Needless to say, I have to knit something with that yarn.

Oh – before I forget, creative hubby named my spinning wheel. He is so good! Her name is Esmerelda – Essie for short. I guess I'll call her Es-me-REL-da when she's not cooperating the way I want her to. ;-) When I was spinning on Sunday, hubby teased me that I need a wart and a witch's hat to complete the picture. So, of course, he came up with a witch name for the wheel. ;-) (He claims a witch name for the wheel came to his mind because what it does is magical. Uh-huh.)

I am going to show off my first spinning attempts tonight at a SNB meeting. So far only Pixie and hubby have seen my efforts. Hubby’s comment: "Looks like real yarn." And he should know – I have a lot of yarn all over the house...

What Kind of Knitting Needles Are You?

2006-09-27T09:05:00.000-05:00

Finally - a quiz for knitters. ;-) I found this on Jenny's blog:

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are plastic. Futuristic, milky, and silky, you are willing to go where no crafter has gone before. You can do just about anything, with strength, agility, and pretty colors to boot! While you are good at slipping and sliding out of sticky situations, remember to stay where and when you are needed. Don't overdo it on star gazing when there's earthbound knitting to be done!

Take this quiz!

YES SIR - no star gazing for me.
I...AM...KNITTING...CHRISTMAS...GIFTS......NO...MORE...SPINNING.
Yeah right...

Knit, Claudia, Knit

2006-09-25T07:39:00.000-05:00

... So you've got time to spin!!! MUAHAHAHAHA... I've gone over to the dark side now - and am looking for the cookies ;-) Where are they, Mouse? But I think I need to practice a lot more before I deserve cookies. :-)

So, I did what my spinning teacher told me. While hubby and I watched an old movie - Rio Bravo - on Sunday, I practiced pedaling my spinning wheel and knitted at the same time. NOW THAT IS MULTI-TASKING! And since I cleaned up my room, scrubbed the front porch (now it's not green anymore but bleached white) and did three loads of laudry, I allowed myself to spin some of Pixie's roving.

I filled three bobbins with the White Coopworth. It went pretty well. I was surprised how much the pedaling practice helped - but I am still a long way from good and even spun yarn. I spun the yarn on the left bobbin first, then the one in the center and then the right:

Hubby sat with me for a while and we chatted while I spun - very relaxing. He was amused how roving turns into yarn. A simple but very creative process.

And the puppers watched, too. At some point Hermione had a sneezing fit - I think she sniffed at the roving a little too long. ;-)

After I finished all the White Coopworth, I gave the drop spindle another try and used some of the "Star" Coopworth - it's all greens and blues.

Too bad I missed the sheep shearing at Wauka Farms last Saturday. If you want to know how it was, go to Pixie's blog. She actually filmed one of the sheep getting fleeced. Very cool!

SO, I guess I will have to rename my blog... Knitting & Spinning Without Doghair is Not an Option. I really like spinning. But that does not mean I will give up knitting - no way!

Besides the spinning and the cleaning, I also...guess what?...knitted this weekend.

I decided that I will turn my Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole into a poncho. For one thing, I think I will wear a poncho more than a stole that I have to drape around myself. And it would take much longer to knit the stole, since I have a bunch of more pressing projects. Also, I want to wear the poncho (née stole) at SAFF (which is only 31 days away - YAY!), so time is of essence. But what's new about that? This is a close-up of the pattern. I am using Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed.

To make the poncho I will knit two rectangles (34x18 inches) which I'll sew together as follows and add a fringe. Pretty easy-shmeesy! ;-)

Speaking of which, here is a current update on the Christmas gift list (I actually have a spreadsheet - makes the math easier and will let me keep track of when I sent what, etc.):

12 completed
6 under way
10 more not yet started

I started one of the two back pieces for the Menorah Pillow. This is great knitting for a group outing - no more cables. Just plain old double moss stitch:

I also started the "hat from hell" again - this is my third try. Now there is a thought - I should put all the trials on the spreadsheet. Or maybe not, that could be depressing... I finally found a couple of fairisle patterns I like in one of knitting pattern books.

It looks a bit funny now - but I will fold in the bottom half (all blue). Two good reasons - you can't see the back of the fairisle and it keeps the ears extra warm. After the fairisle, I will probably add some cables for the crown of the cap.

I also started another Christmas gift - the Drop Stitch Shawl from Knitpicks. I figure I should finish this shawl in a week or so... Dangit - I am not on top of all my deadlines. But it knits up fast...thankfully.

Yarn: Knitpicks Getaway (35% Tactel, 35% Nylon, 18% Cotton, 12% Acrylic)
Color: Watermelon
Needles: US #9

It's a very soft yarn - I have used it for a shrug before.

Enough for a Monday - have a great week!

Spin, Claudia, Spin

2006-09-22T08:09:00.000-05:00

OK - here we go... I have to make a confession. I am a WEAK woman. I stopped singing "La-la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you" and let Pixie show me how to spin. So, there. I did it and now I've told you about it.

Wanna see pictures, dontcha? I thought so...

Pixie got me started on the spinning wheel first - a Lendrum Original Spinning Wheel. First she let me pedal a while to get the feel of it. But, oh boy, I am such a spaz... Don't ask me to do different things with my hands and my feet at the same time... Then she let me try a couple of different rovings, first a Moorit English Wool Top and then a Coopworth.

AND because I wanted to know everything (and needed a break from spinning on the wheel), Pixie also showed me how to spin with a drop spindle. And, again, she took pictures...

That was a lot of fun. Pixie said I did good because I didn't drop the spindle, but it's a drop spindle (ha-ha-ha). ;-)

Soooooooooooooooooooo - guess what... Pixie's Lendrum was for sale. Not anymore... I bought it from her and asked her if she can live with the responsibility of creating a monster... Also, if she is aware that I will haunt her with all kind of questions and never-ending requests for lessons for the rest of her life.

I HAVE TO SAY - she is a wonderful teacher. She was very patient and her explanations made a lot of sense and she is very good at show & tell.

So, these are my first spinning results from the spinning wheel:

On the left is what I spun when I tried it for the first time. On the right is what I spun with the wheel after taking a break and trying the drop spindle.

And here is my first hand spun yarn with the drop spindle:

So, now my head is spinning (pun fully intended). Pixie sent me home with the wheel, 6 bobbins, a Lazy Kate, and a shipload of roving. She is so generous!!!

The wheel is in pristine condition - it looks like nobody's ever touched it. But I know Pixie has been spinning with it for quite a while. I have some of her gorgeous hand spun yarn at home.

Clockwise from upper left: Fawn Alpaca/BFL, White Coopworth, Moorit English Wool Top, Olive Green Corriedale, "Star" Coopworth, "Rainy Day" Spanish Fine

OK - I am in good shape with my Christmas knitting... That's my excuse for all this and I am sticking with it. Tho' - I feel like my own mom. I made a deal with myself that I have to clean up my crafts room this weekend. Otherwise I am not allowed to play with my new toys!!!

Have a great weekend - maybe I'll see you knitting somewhere?

Have You Heard About Knitting Projects from Hell?

2006-09-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

No? Good for you! ;-) I am working on two at the moment - or better, I am trying to work on them... Of course both of the projects are on my Christmas gift list - so I am working on a deadline and I keep getting into trouble.

Here is the first project. I knitted the Four Corner Hat a while back and then I realized it was way too big. Naturally it was finished when I discovered this. It was about 4 inches too wide... So, I thought that I would just felt the hat and keep it for myself. Here are the before and after pictures:

I just wonder how many times I will wear this hat in Georgia? Maybe global non-warming will bring a bunch of winter days - that would be nice. I sure miss the four seasons in Germany.

Last weekend I started another fairisle hat that I had to rip because it was too small. I have to sit down and re-think the pattern this weekend. Yes, I wrote down my gauge - actually I was smart enough to measure before I ripped the second try. I'll keep you posted on future progress.

The second project from hell is a scarf - you would think scarves and hats wouldn't cause such drama. I don't know what's wrong with me... Either I don't like the pattern, or the yarn, or I am knitting a wrong size.

Remember - I started the Campus Scarf from Scarf Style and then I realized it would have way too many ends to weave in. So, I looked for another pattern. And then I didn't like the yarn anymore. So, I bought other yarn. Then I didn't like the yarn knitted as scarf... Goodness gracious... A while back I bought the Andean Silk & Andean Silk Twist Sampler from Knitpicks. I found five colors in the sampler that will make a wonderful scarf. I like it, it knits up nicely. When I am at the end of one ball, I simply start a new color:

Yarn: Andean Silk & Andean Silk Twist (55% Super Fine Alpaca, 23% Silk, 22% Merino Wool)
Colors: Lettuce, Poppy Field, Leaf, Prairie, Olive
Needles: Size US #5

And the colors really match - Andean Silk Twist picks up the greens from the Andean Silk. This is a close up of the reversible knit/purl pattern - love that for scarves. It's called "Flying Geese" and I found it in Big Book of Knitting:

So, it seems I have the scarf problem under control and I'll take care of the hat this weekend.

I told you that I knitted a gnome at the cabin. Here is a picture of the little guy - still in pieces. I have to sew his parts together, stuff him and get PVC pellets to give him a weighted butt, so he stays in a sitting position:

At the cabin I also finished the front of the Menorah Pillow. I really like the way it knits up in the Debbie Bliss Cotton/Wool blend:

The back is knitted in two pieces and has button holes and buttons made from I-cords. And then all three pieces are knitted together with an I-cord. Very intriguing.

I am going to do something new tonight - maybe I'll blog about it tomorrow ;-) or not, depending on if I like it or not. HAH - we'll see if you check back - you nosy people! ;-)

Pinch Me - I Need to Wake Up!

2006-09-19T08:44:00.000-05:00

Last weekend sure felt like a knitter's dream come true. Help me wake up, will ya?

How to describe the weekend in Pigeon Forge? This is what popped into my head:

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS
absolutely stunningly fantastic!!!
OK, OK, OK... Here is the less abridged version...

I met Jacquie on Friday morning at 7:30 am - the sun was just coming up:

And we got rolling. After about 4½ hours and only one wrong turn (which we figured out pretty quickly - because women ask for directions ;-)), we arrived at the cabin. Several warnings about traffic (because Pigeon Forge was hosting their major annual event that weekend - The Grand Fall Rod Run) did not come true. I guess we were lucky because we got there before noon. Other knitters were not so lucky and got badly stuck in traffic later on.

We knew that would be staying at a fabulous location - a $1½M cabin no less - but we did not know it would be like a 5-star hotel. OMG...

Here is some simply splendid sample scenic splendor for you...

The house (It’s not a cabin - if this is a cabin our house is a shed!) has a fabulous interior. The owners put a lot of work into it and everything looks like out of a western. Very cool.

I don’t care much for stuffed dead animals – I am too much a lover of living creatures – but they fit in with the rest of the house:

This is the living room on the first floor:

The cabin had six bedrooms, each of which had a bathroom. This is the master bedroom on the first floor which, if you can believe it, was unoccupied:

This is one of the two bedrooms on the second floor – with a queen size bed and bunk beds – how fun:

The second bedroom is a mirror of this one and it was already occupied, so I was nice and didn’t snoop around and take pictures. The two bedrooms were connected through a little sitting area on the balcony and also had a table for playing cards:

Jacquie and I stayed in one of the bedrooms in the basement. They are also a mirror of each other and connected through a living room with a pool table:

So, this is what we had to live in this weekend. One of the knitters said, very jokingly, that she truly had to lower her standards for this weekend – ha-ha-ha...

After we unpacked and got a tour through the town with our gracious and wonderful hosts, Leon and Sarah (the parents of the cabin owner), we settled down for some knitting. Actually, in my case not knitting but ripping. The evening before I screwed up a fairisle pattern at a SNB meeting – of course, I think I can knit that and chat and make no mistakes. Give me a new brain... So, Jacquie had to take a picture of me ripping. It sounded like it had to be documented for the afterworld because she could not imagine me ripping anything – think again Jacquie – I have done it too many times... And I am sure there is more ripping in my future... Comes with the territory – so here is pitiful me:

After that, I had to take a break, so I showed Leon – yes, he is a wonderful knitter, too – and Jacquie how to do Entrelac. Then, more knitters showed up around dinner time and Sarah prepared wonderful spaghetti and salad. We had way too much food this weekend. And wine. And Sangria (made from scratch). Boy-oh-boy...

Jacquie and Susan

Daye, Leon and Sarah
Saturday morning started with a sunrise, coffee from our French press and a first get-together for breakfast. Just fabulous, what more could you want?... I’d say all but two of the group – we were 11 – were morning people.

After breakfast, everybody whipped out some knitting and we settled ourselves throughout the living room and dining room:

Jacquie, Leon, Nicole & Stephanie

Jacquie – working on a felted purse

Susan, Daye & Marilyn
We even watched knitting videos – here is a snapshot from one that showed us how to knit a toe-up-sock:

It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. I am always amazed how a hobby can toss together people from so many different backgrounds and everybody gets along beautifully.

Saturday afternoon, Jacquie and I – guilt-ridden as we were from all the food – went for a good walk up and down the mountain and met an adorable puppy and her mommy:

Later on, the puppy somehow got separated from her mom and showed up on our porch. We gave her some water, then she took a nap, mostly on my lap. I could not take my hands off of that puppy - she was soooo cute-cute-cute:

Jacquie took some cool pictures which I have to get from her. Before dinner, we took the puppy for a ride to find the mom and their home. This was a bit tricky since, although the mom had a collar when we met her (but, of course, no tags), the puppy didn’t even have a collar. Duh – some people. So, we drove around and found somebody who knew where the puppy lived. We found the house and the mom, and talked a bit to the owner. I was pretty angry that she let the puppy get away but didn’t say anything. Especially after I heard the whole story – the woman took the mama dog in as a pregnant stray and she had a litter of ten. The woman found homes for the nine other puppies and is determined to find a good home for the last one. I would have taken the puppy home with me, but I was afraid Noah would have killed the puppy and hubby would have killed me. Since I'm not home much, he would have been stuck with all the puppy training and undoing her swath of destruction, and I know that's not fair.

So, you may ask, what have I knitted? I did knit, you know, despite all the eating and drinking. ;-) But I have no pictures of the knitting - yet... Be patient...

I finished all the pieces for the gnome. And I finished the front of the Menorah pillow. I also started on the scarf - again - but that's another story. I have two knitting projects from hell - more about that in the next post. I promise there will be more knitting pictures! SOON!

The drive home Sunday afternoon was very pleasant, and short - only 3½ hours. It was a gorgous afternoon as we drove through the Great Smoky Mountains...

... and into another sunset:

Pigeon Forge - We're comin'!

2006-09-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

Arrggh - I can't wait for this day to be over. Tomorrow morning I am going to hop in the car, meet my friend Jacquie at 7:30 am (yes, we are morning people) and drive up to Pigeon Forge, TN, for three days of knitting, chatting, food and drinks, and watching chick flicks. But - we are going to be good - we both are bringing hiking boots.

The daughter of one of our knitting friends has a cabin up there. He and his wife are hosting a knitting weekend for us. The cabin sounds fabulous - 6 bedrooms, each with a bathroom, high-tech everywhere, a hot tub that fits 12 people. So, we will be ten knitters and one reader. ;-) I can't wait. My mind is already churning... What knitting should I bring - maybe all my current projects... YIKES... How does that look? I guess I will call it prepared. What if I get tired or stuck or finish one?

I'll also start the cutest thing I have seen in a long time. Pixie directed me to this Knit-A-Long. I signed up yesterday. I gotta make one of these...

Hubby helped me decide on colors last night - green body with red hat, mittens and boots, and a greyish beard. Thank goodness for stash. ;-)

Also, I got some really cool knitting books in the mail this week:

Franklin mentioned on his blog that he bought these German books at Stitches Midwest. And I realized that I am missing them in my German knitting-book collection - I know my mom has a set. She uses the patterns for traditional Bavarian vests and socks. And Franklin is right - some of the patterns "will make you rip off your eyebrows in frustration and eat them". At least I don't have to deal with the language issue. ;-)

Besides the patterns, the books also contain a wealth of information about the tradition of this knitting style - Bäuerlich means "from the farm", something along the lines of country-style knitting. I remember my mom used to knit these heavy cardigans. She got the wool directly from one of the local sheep farmers and it stank - ahh, those childhood memories. I also remember that the wool was very rough. Anyway, Mom used to knit them for a LYS for peanuts and they would sell them to tourists for a ton of money.

When I glanced through one of the books, I came across a chapter that describes an ad from September 10, 1840, about the foundation of a Catholic boarding school at the Benedictine Abbey for Women in Frauenwoerth. Interestingly that abbey is on an island in one of the biggest lakes in Bavaria, about an hour drive from where I grew up. The nuns produce some famous herb liquors. He-he-he... those Bavarian Catholics. ;-)

So - this is what the ad said:
Girls from the ages from six to twelve can apply at the boarding school. The following classes are offered: crafts (sewing, embroidery, knitting, spinning), sketching, music (singing, playing the piano), religion (catechism, gospels and epistles), the German language (reading, grammar, essays, orthography), calligraphy, arithmetic (written and orally), geography, biology, natural history, history of the fatherland, German history, gardening. Boarding and classes cost 115 Gulden per year.

The school started in 1840 with 6 students - ages from eight to seventeen. They came from Bavarian families and some of their fathers were innkeepers, merchants, teachers, beer brewers, doctors and foresters. The number of students increased gradually, and by 1850 forty girls were registered at the school. Around 1900 they had ninty girls boarded.

The daily routine for the girls was pretty grueling - now remember some of them were just eight years old. Here is their schedule:

1. During the summer the older girls would rise at 5 am, the younger ones at 5:30 am. During the winter they would get up half an hour later.
2. One hour for getting dressed and morning prayers, the rest of the time until the Holy Mass was for studying.
3. At 7 am, Holy Mass
4. After Holy Mass, breakfast and preparation for classes
5. From 8-10 am, classes
6. From 10-11 am, music and crafts
7. Lunch at 11 am, reading at the same time.
8. 12-1 pm, recreation
9. 1-2 pm, German language and crafts
10. 2-4 pm, elementary classes (twice a week a free afternoon), recreation until 4:30pm
11. 4:30-5:30 pm, classes in German language, music and crafts
12. 5:30 pm, a short Holy Mass
13. 6 pm dinner, then recreation and crafts, during the winter until 7:30 pm and during the summer until 8 pm. Then half an hour repetition, night prayer and then the pupils went to bed silently.

Some of the reading was phrased very oddly - in old German style. I hope it translates well enough. I thought it was interesting that the school focused on crafts. Reading on I found out that the students were training to become nuns. They focused strongly on crafts, and the abbey became famous for their knitting and embroidery.

I hope I didn't bore you out of your mind. ;-) I'll be back next week with stories from the knitting retreat. So long - have a great weekend! Oh, before you go, let me show off some of the beautiful roses that grow in our front yard without any special care - I don't have time... Too much (and more important) knitting to do! :-)

Wee Knitting

2006-09-12T07:53:00.001-05:00

I JUST LOVE IT - it goes fast and babies (and kids in general) just look so adorable in handknits.

Last week my brother told me that my niece's christening is on September 23. Typical bro - don't bother to tell me a little sooner... When my niece was born I knew I wanted to make her a bonnet and matching booties for her christening - but that was in April and then I forgot all about it and got busy with others things. But I also didn't know at the time if my bro and my s-i-l would appreciate the handknits. Well, yes, they said they would love to have the booties and the bonnet. So, Auntie whipped out the pointy stix last week for some turbo knitting. One of these days I have to learn how to knit while I am asleep...

So, my niece will wear a christening gown that my mom sewed for us (her babies) in 1967. I was the first one to wear it, then my cousin (who is just 3 months younger than me), then my sister and my brother. My nephew was the next one 9 years ago - and now my niece. I guess that's what you call an heirloom gown. It is gorgeous. I will post a picture after the christening - if I ever get one. Bro is kind of lazy about sending emails - you know how younger brothers are. ;-)

And this is the result of my turbo knitting from last weekend. I started with the first bootie last Wednesday, finished the bonnet Friday night at the SNB meeting, and the second bootie Sunday morning.

Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby Yarn (100% Acrylic) in white
Needles: US #3

I added white ribbons (instead of I-cords) to make it look fancier for a christening. I sent the puffy envelope off to Germany yesterday - so hopefully it'll get there before the 23rd of September.

What else did I do over the weekend? I brought Twinkle Handknits Soft Chunky to a couple of knitting meetings and everybody oohed and ahhed over this yarn. It feels so soft - duh... it's called "soft chunky"... I bought two balls at Main Street Fibers - $18 apiece (yikes) - but I just had to have that yarn... And then I couldn't hold out any longer and I knitted a scarf with the two balls. I guess I also needed a little break from the gift knitting thing.

Yarn: Twinkle Handknits Soft Chunky - 100% Virgin Wool
Color: Rasberry
Needles: US #19

I found the pattern in one of my treasured Barbara Walker books. It's called Chevron and it is reversible. I like to find patterns for scarves that look the same on either side. I have to say that the scarf is pretty heavy (400 grams and only 160 yards... whew). I sure would not want to knit a sweater with it.

I also knitted a scarf with the handspun yarn Pixie gave me. Remember the Merino/Angora/Silk roving she bought at Plying the Arts from Gale's Art?

I bought that cool glass closure at Knitch.

And then Sunday afternoon "da goils" - as hubby sometimes calls me and our dog Hermione - went over to Pixie's house to spend some time knitting and playing with her puppers. Pixie's dogs are great and they were very welcoming to Hermione.

Dogs from left to right: Willow, Hermione and Toby,
and Pixie (not a dog, of course ;-))

Toby, You-Know-Who, and Hermione

Willow and Hermione in Pixie's backyard

Willow and Hermione became good friends - just like their mommies. ;-) Toby, the only boy, was very content when the girls left him alone and when they went bounding around in the backyard. It was a lot of fun to see Hermione begging Pixie for attention and Willow wanting me to give her some puppy lovin'.

I also started another project from the Xmas knitting list - yup, gotta get back to work. It is the Menorah Pillow from Handknit Holidays.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss wool/cotton (50% Merino wool/50% Cotton)
Color: Light grey
Needles: US #3

And I started another scarf for a Christmas gift. Remember that I booted the Campus Scarf off the list? Here is an easy replacement:

Yarn: Muench Yarns Big Baby (100% Microfiber acrylic)
Color: Varigated blues, reds, dark yellows, greens
Needle Size: US #13

I also finished another pair of socks - the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays. I really liked knitting them. They knitted up fast - on size #6 needles. I double-stranded Patons Kroy sock yarn - and voila:

Alright - that's enough blabbering for one Tuesday - Have a good week!

Yours truly & The Fiber Dogs

Five Years Ago

2006-09-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

Yet another horrible event happened on this planet that changed a lot of things for a lot of people – 9/11. I was thinking if I should be writing a post about it or not. And then this morning driving into work, I thought about it and I realized that even my personal life – remember I am from Germany and never lived in New York City – has been touched by this tragedy. I usually don’t write about politics or religion – these are topics I don’t want to discuss on my knitting blog. They are personal and my opinions might rub people the wrong way, which doesn’t mean I won't express them in a conversation – but as I said I don’t think they belong on my knitting blog. So, if you feel this is political and want to skip this entry, please feel free – although I promise it won’t be too sappy, just a recollection of what I remember and feel.

Five years ago I sat in the Munich office of my former boss, a German attorney with an office in Atlanta, waiting for my H-1B visa to be approved by the US Immigration Service. I worked in his Munich office during the summer and the plan was to move to Atlanta once the paperwork was finished. Then 9/11 happened. We all thought that because of 9/11 my visa would get delayed and who knows when it would be approved. But, au contraire (maybe because it was already so close to approval), I was on a plane to Atlanta on October 6. My parents were very concerned but I told them that it was probably never safer to be on an airplane. I remember that the plane was very, very, very empty. I had the 5 seats in the center row to myself.

Thinking about it - 9/11 might have changed my stay in the US completely. My boss was scheduled for a meeting at the World Trade Center that morning but his flight to New York the night before got canceled. His business partner that he was supposed to meet was down the street in a coffee shop getting breakfast. He survived the disaster, too. Two very lucky men...

As you might remember, my husband is from New York. He worked in the south tower of the World Trade Center for many years. When 9/11 happened, he had left New York years before and was living in Atlanta. We were on the phone that day because he could not get any details at work about what had happened in New York, and I tried to update him as best I could with what news we had on German TV and radio. I remember a lot of internet sites wouldn’t load because too many people were trying to get on. My husband was devastated at the time – he is a very sensitive and loving man. It just blew his mind that such a tragedy could happen at a place that was near and dear to him for so long. It is still hard for him to watch movies that take place in pre-9/11 New York City and have the Twin Towers in the skyline. But he is getting better, and each 9/11 anniversary is less traumatic.

A while back, Hubby put United 93 on our movie queue at Netflix, but I was worried that this would not be a good movie for him/us to watch. We have been avoiding 9/11 documentaries for a long time and only just recently watched Fahrenheit 911. But Hubby said that he read a lot of good reviews about United 93 and thought he would be ok watching it. So, it arrived this past Saturday – purely coincidentally with 9/11 coming up – and we watched it last night. I can only tell you to see this movie. It is superb. It is almost two hours long and it zooms by like two minutes. We were very impressed by how real the movie felt – you almost thought you were sitting on the plane. And in the bonus features there is a one-hour documentary about some of the passengers' families and how they felt meeting the actors that played the roles of their loved ones. I feel this movie gave us some of the emotions that the passengers must have felt on the plane and I am glad we watched it. I eyed my husband every once in a while during the movies but he seemed to take it very well.

There was one statement in the documentary about the families that really caught me and that keeps coming back to me. A husband lost his pregnant wife in the crash of United 93. He was asked if he hates Osama Bin Laden because he caused the death of his wife and unborn child. The man said something along the lines of "I can't hate a person I don’t know personally. I need to know somebody to know if he is a terrible person and then have a reason to hate that person".

I SO AGREE – none of the people who died on 9/11 had met before. They had no chance to know each other and/or hate each other. 9/11 happened because of this society, this world, and some people who are in charge and who think they know better. Not everybody has to have the same opinion and live the same lifestyle.

Let’s remember how good our lives are and how many good things happen every day. You might not notice them because they are minor but I believe they all make a difference. And let’s send a lot of good thoughts to the people we know that are not as fortunate as we are.

Knitting on the Fly or - Better - Drive...

2006-09-08T13:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks for standing by... ;-) Had to get the trip report out of the way first. ;-)

While we were in Tennessee, I finished the Stitch 'N Pitch socks:

I also knitted some on my Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole:

I still have some ways to go. I am on ball no. 7 of 20. My dream goal is to have it finished for SAFF but I think that will remain a dream - I don't know... We'll see.

So, I don't know if I have told you before - I HATE TO DO DUPLICATE STITCH. If I can help it, I do fairisle. Every time I've tried to do duplicate stitches, they looked like @55... So, I changed the design for the Stitch 'N Pitch socks because I didn't want to embroider the baseballs. (Oh yeah, I also don't like to embroider knitting...) I think when you wear the socks, the baseballs are in the wrong places and they would wear out and the embroidery would rip. So anyways... Here is what I changed it to:

Since I thought about this new design after I finished the socks, I couldn't do the "RED SOX" in fairisle. I had to do duplicate stitches, yuck... It took me all of last Sunday, partly because I made a mistake and hubby had to rip out an entire "RED". (He's my Designated Ripper.) I miscentered the word and I screwed up the height of one letter. That's what happens when you don't really like what you're doing. But - I have to say that I am very pleased. The socks turned out really nice and the burgundy yarn covered the natural very well. They should have reached their new owner in Vermont by now. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!!!

I also started a few new projects, and now I have a couple of issues (besides knitting too many things at the same time and trying to make too many Christmas gifts...)

Issue No. 1 - The Campus Scarf

What was I thinking when I picked the pattern? The colors change every 2 to 6 rows and because of that I would have to weave in a brazillion ends. I don't think so. So, I need a change of pattern here. The yarn is wonderful - I bought six different colors of Cascade Sierra (80% Pima Cotton / 20% Wool). Feels very nice. In addition, I realized that the recipient is not going to be happy with a scarf - thankfully I talked to his wife this week. But she told me he would love socks. So, OK, I have a pair of socks in the works. I'll just give the scarf to the original recipient of the socks and all is well in Santa Claudia's little knitting workshop.

Issue No. 2 - The Swing Thing

I bought 5 balls of Plymouth Oh My! - and let me tell you it feels like OH MY. I found this cute pattern at Magknits for Swing Thing. It is such an adorable cute little coat. So, I started knitting - as you can see...

And I realized that I won't have enough yarn - DANGIT, DANGIT, DANGIT... What to do? I bought all five balls the store had. I started searching online and found another LYS that sells Plymouth yarn. But when I drove by the other day they were unexpectedly closed. DANGIT, DANGIT, DANGIT... So, impatient me went back online and I found it for actually less than I paid for the first bunch. So, 6 more balls are on their way to set my mind at ease. ;-)

I am going SNB knitting twice this weekend - tonight to Why Knot Knit and tomorrow afternoon at The Bistro in Gainesville.

Keep on knitting! Have a great weekend!

Walking in Tennessee

2006-09-05T09:58:00.000-05:00

WOW - what a weekend! I gotta tell you - I am still in awe from that horse whisperer. Monty Roberts sure knows his business! :-)

So, let's back up. Hubby and I boarded the poor puppers Thursday morning and off we went to Tullahoma, Tennessee. Hubby did all the driving, so I could knit. He didn't even mind driving my tiny car with all the knitting stickers. What a guy!

The drive was pretty unnoteworthy - except the portion through BFE, Georgia, when hubby started vocalizing "Dueling Banjos" from Deliverance.

He-he-he... Our little theme music... There were absolutely no other cars on this portion of the trip - and only a very few pickup trucks and SUVs. Go figure... So, while hubby drove and entertained me, I knitted and drank coffee. What more could you ask? ;-)

Can you see the knitted cuff on my paper cup? One of the men I knit with made it for me - thanks, Brett! Especially since I lost the first one Brett made for me, he knitted a replacement. (I had a blonde moment and threw the cuff away with the cup. DUH...)

We checked into a "classy" Hampton Inn, and met up with a co-worker, to go to the main attraction of Tullahoma, the Wal-Mart Supercenter. Hey - besides the horses, there is N O T H I N G to do there. And they actually have a pretty nice one there - OK, I admit I made three trips in total... But I didn't buy any yarn! Hubby couldn't be bothered and read a bunch while we were gone.

After an OK dinner at Applebee's - which is one of the better restaurants around there... - we went to the evening horse show. Man, you can see some wonderful horses at these shows.

Friday morning hubby and I went to my boss's horse farm, Waterfall Farms. They have a big breeding facility there and we sat through a breeding presentation from a prof from the University of Tennessee. It was very interesting - I didn't know that mares are pregnant for 11 months and 4 days - and sometimes a bit too graphic for my taste. I don't really need to know what the insides of female horse look like. ;-)

Then we watched the horse whisperer, Monty Roberts, which was really astounding. He worked with three horses and his presentation was over 2 hours long. Really jaw-dropping... I won't bore you with too many details, but if you want to read more about his work, go to his webpage.

Just real quick - when he works with the horses, he basically tries to become the horses's friend with a method called "Join-Up":

Join-Up training methods are most simply expressed in the process of starting raw horses. Without the use of pain or force, the trainer persuades a raw horse to accept a saddle, bridle and rider. Working in a round pen, one begins Join-Up by making large movements and noise as a predator would and begins driving the horse to run away. She then gives the horse the option to flee or Join-Up. Through body language, the trainer will ask, "Will you pay me the respect due to a herd leader and join and follow me?" The horse will respond with predictable herd behavior: by locking an ear on her, then by licking and chewing and dropping his head in a display of trust. The exchange concludes with the trainer adopting passive body language, turning her back on the horse, and without eye contact, invites him to come close. Join-Up occurs when the animal willingly chooses to be with the human and walks toward her accepting her leadership and protection. This process of communication through behavior and body language and mutual concern and respect, can be a valuable tool to strengthen all other work with horses.

It was really amazing how fast the horses responded to him.

You can find a ton of pictures on my Flickr.

And here are some of the beauties from Waterfall Farms:

Anyway, we had a blast. It was fun spending some time with just hubby and no furry kids. Of course - I missed them every once in while, especially when I didn't trip over a furball on the way to the bathroom during the night. They were happy when we picked them up on Sunday, even when I gave them baths as soon as we got home - they really stank from the kennel. Oh well... What bad parents - neglect the dogs and then baths to boot... So, this is the typical disapproving look you get from Hermione:

Stand by for a knitting related post!!! Coming up!!!

Have a Great Labor Day Weekend!

2006-08-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I are going on a little trip for the weekend. So, I will be off the air until next week. The puppers have to go a doggie hotel and I already feel terribly guilty. You'll think I am crazy - but they are our children. And it's only for three nights... But still...

So where are we going? We'll drive up to Tennessee to stay in the middle of nowhere, Tullahoma, and watch some horse shows. The man I work for owns a breeding farm for Tennessee Walking Horses, Waterfall Farms. It's a beautiful place - you can eat off the floor in the stables - I always call it the Ritz-Carlton for horses. Which is especially funny because my boss also owned the Ritz-Carlton hotels before they were sold to Marriott in the late 90's.

Besides going to the horse shows at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, we have the opportunity to watch a very famous horse whisperer, Monty Roberts, work. He will be at Waterfall Farms to hold a "horse clinic" for troubled horses.

And man, I can't wait to watch him work on Friday. I hope I can take a lot of pictures. So, I think we'll have a blast - this is very exciting. I am not a rider, but I love horses. I think they are wonderful creatures.

Besides the horse business, there is not much going on in Tullahoma. Our hotel is across the street from the main attraction in town, a Wal-Mart Supercenter - woo-hoo! One of my co-workers is staying at the same hotel as hubby and me, and she and I already planned to go check out the local attraction. Hopefully we'll meet a lot of interesting people there, hahaha - like this one:

I wonder what clothes I need to bring to dress up for that occassion. ;-)

So, I am off now - I have to think about what knitting projects to bring. Hubby offered to do all the driving so I can knit - he is such a dear!

See ya next week with hopefully a ton of great stories and pictures!

Let's Intarsia

2006-08-29T14:51:00.000-05:00

It is Sunday morning, 5:44 am, and I am wide awake - the sun is not even out and I am so ready to do something. (Hubby calls that my perky-pill state.) So, I get up very quietly and manage to take the dogs with me out of the bedroom and let hubby sleep a little longer. We have very different internal clocks - hubby is a night owl and I am a morning person.

So, I went to my crafts room and thought - hmmm... I think I am ready for intarsia. What do I need? A copy of the chart, a marking pen, bobbins... And here is what I got done Sunday morning - before the first cup of coffee:

Looks a bit messy - doesn't it? But after a while I got into the groove of untangling the bobbins while knitting with them. I have to say tho' it takes a long time because you gotta read the chart, count your stitches, double-check (remember, I am a math dyslexic...), etc. So, I got 14 of the 61 rows of intarsia done and then I needed a break. This is how much I got done on Sunday:

So, to get a quick knitting fix (and I promise I really didn't know it would go so fast), I started one of the Tipless Gloves with Cable from Holiday Knits. It took me about 4 hours to knit one of them. Even more fascinating is how much yarn I had left over from the ball. Can you see the tail coming off the thumb? That what I call calculated knitting. ;-)

Yarn: Knitpicks Andean Treasure (100% Baby Alpaca)
Color: Lilac
Needles: US #2

Here is the glove on my hand:

I have to say the Baby Alpaca feels super yummy. Since I ordered 4 balls for the one pair I planned for a Christmas gift, I guess I have enough yarn left over for a pair for yours truly.

Let's see - what does the Xmas list look like? Here is the latest update:
11 done
4 more in the works
13 more to start and finish

Not bad, huh?

And I knitted a cozy case with a chunky cable for my cell phone with the handspun yarn from Pixie. Lookie here:

I added a fun cow button that I found a while back at KNITCH.

And while I was knitting on Sunday on our porch, the puppers hung out with mommy. They had a good time because I played ball with them. Of course, Hermione would not give Noah the ball - all the toys are her toys. She actually dropped it in the water bowl while she drank so he wouldn't get it. Little bitch! In her world Noah does not exist unless it serves her purposes. ;-) Poor little fella... I am making up for her lack of attention...Which she hates - payback is bad baby! ;-)

Do You Have a Knitting Addiction?

2006-08-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

I found this on my pal's blog from the International Tote Exchange II .

1. Do you lose time from work due to knitting?
Well... Does reading about knitting, posting on my knitting blog, translating knitting patterns and chatting on IM and AIM with knitting friends count?

2. Is knitting making your home life unhappy?
NO WAY JOSE – just the opposite. Knitting makes me a very happy camper and if I am a happy camper, hubby is a happy camper. No one wants a bitchy wife, right?

3. Is knitting affecting your reputation?
Yup – when I don’t knit people ask me what’s wrong.

4. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of knitting?
Not yet. I try to be good. I have a big stash and tons of needles and books, etc. If you are clever and buy things over the course of years, it’s OK, right? ;-)

5. Does your knitting make you careless of your family's welfare?
No, I still feed hubby and the dogs. I might like a cleaning service tho’.

6. Has your ambition decreased since knitting?
Actually, I have never knitted as much as I do now. And I am learning new things every day. So, no. ;-) Eventually I will learn how to spin, but not yet – you know why... ;-)

7. Do you crave knitting at a definite time daily?
Of course, that’s why I knit during lunch. And in the evenings.

8. Do you want to knit the next morning?
What do you mean? I want to knit all the time. Well, maybe not all the time. But most of the time...

9. Does knitting cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
No. I haven’t figured out tho’ how to knit while I am sleeping.

10. Has your efficiency decreased since knitting?
No again. I am planning my time more carefully. How can I get more knitting done, you know...

11. Do you knit to escape from worries or trouble?
YES – knitting keeps me sane and happy.

12. Do you knit alone?
Yes and no. I love my knitting groups and knitting in public. But sometimes I need to concentrate and then I need my quiet room at home – the one with the padded walls...

13. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of knitting?
Why am I sitting here and typing instead of knitting?

14. Has your physician ever treated you for knitting?
Actually – yes. When I had my little knee accident in April while sorting through my stash, I had to see a doctor and a PT. So there, yes, knitting is a health hazard – beware!

15. Do you knit to build up your self-confidence?
It helps. I like it when people tell me how great my knitting projects look.

16. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of knitting?
Nope – but last weekend hubby told me that he would come visit me at the mental institution. I acted pretty insane while winding yarn when the yarn was very, very, very uncooperative...

So – how about you? Got a knitting addiction – were you nodding while you read this?

Here is what I made for niece on the fly yesterday. My mom told me over the weekend that she is teething real bad and drooling like a dog. So, to ruin all her outfits, good ol’ auntie made her a Petal Bib from One Skein:

Yarn: Patons Bumble Bee Baby Cotton
Color: Apple Blossom
Needles: US #3

I like Friday - Friday is a Good Day!

2006-08-25T08:01:00.000-05:00

This week is over - I had a ton of things going on. Not all nice – blecch...

No big plans for this weekend, thankfully. I feel the weeks are zooming by at the moment, and I come up for air on Sundays, take a deep breath and plunge into the next week - like a swimmer in a race... Well, Labor Day weekend is coming up and my boss decided to be very very very nice and close the office Friday and Monday - WOO-HOO! And hubby and I have travel plans - WOO-HOO to that, too. We usually stay home, enjoy our house and hang out with the dogs, since I am such a busy bee most of the times. So, the upcoming trip is very exciting. More about it in a little bit.

I think I am going to visit Pixie more often – hehehe... We hung out last night - went to dinner (yummy sushi), knitted, watched a movie - Signs - and I went home with lovely goodies:

Pixie spun this - SHE IS SO GOOD. This is Merino/Silk/Angora - Navajo Ply 50 yards. I can't believe she gave this to me. She said she does not want to knit it - so I am the happy receiver. I'll have to think of something cute - a little purse maybe?

And that's not all - she also gave me this:

That was 2 ounces of hand-dyed 100% wool from LHF Designs. Pixie bought it at The Plying the Arts 2006 Festival. A very cool variegation of greens - maybe for a cell phone case? Pixie said I could felt it. But I would never do that - that would ruin the nice look of the handspun yarn.

I also got another FO - finally both of the kid's socks are done:

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Socketta and Fun Fur (for the cuff)
Color: No. 30 - blue, yellow, pink, lime
Needles: US #1

And I started the Harry Potter sweater - another one of the Xmas gifts. I am using the same yarn as for the HP scarf - gee - I guess it's for the same person. ;-) I started with the back this week, actually on Tuesday. OK, go ahead - give me some more grief because I sometimes knit fast... It is plain Stockinette stitch (perfect for mindless knitting sessions) and I need approx. 3 more inches.

Yarn: Knitpicks Crayon
Color: Red and Yellow
Needles: US #4

Once I got the back done, I have an idea where to center the Gryffindor on the front. And I was thinking about knitting the sleeves together on one needle to get them done at the same time. I am looking forward to the intarsia on the front - I haven't done an intarsia project in a really long time.

Alrighty - that's it for now. Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!

Life's To Do List

2006-08-22T08:10:00.000-05:00

This is neat - I found it at Katey's blog.
My completed items are in bold.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen an eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces or all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake Dead River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in aisles at Rocky Horror
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Already Ready for Halloween ;-)

2006-08-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

I was a good girl and finished the Hallowig this weekend - it took me about 6 hours. I figured since I started a KAL for the wig, I should also post that I made one. ;-)

So, there...

And I finished the Ruffle Scarf from Holiday Knits:

It turned out real pretty and the Knitpicks Shine makes it very soft.

And during lunch today I finished the second sock of the kid's socks. No pic yet - sorry, don't have the camera at work.

So, here is another update on the Xmas list statistics (total of 28 - counted each sock and glove):
9 done
2 more in the works
17 more to start and finish

Hubby had to tell me I'm 1/3 done. I am so terrible at math. That's why I have a calculator with my knitting tools...

WHEW - so, I am getting there. I got the new issue of VERENA (German knitting magazine) and I am drooling over a bunch of nice tops and sweaters... Mom already told me that I need to pick one for my Christmas gift. YAY!

Y'all have a great week - more later!

More Adventures!

2006-08-17T11:20:00.000-05:00

OK - because I don't already enough knitting on my plate, I started a Hallowig Knit-A-Long this morning. Go check it out!!!

Pixie had this great idea yesterday for the two of us to knit a fun wig for Halloween and I thought why not try a Knit-A-Long for this. So, if you feel like knitting something for Halloween, come join us. Maybe I'll make a bunch of different colors for bad hair days... Oh boy, I can already see hubby rolling his eyes... Such a crazy knitter he is married to. Well, better than roaming the streets and getting into trouble, right?

Ah - and while I am speaking of my knitting buddy Pixie... I spent last evening at her house. We had dinner, knitted a bunch and listen to a fun podcast. I have never listened to Lime & Violet before. These girls are funny. They talk about their knitting adventures with a focus on socks and their lives in general. And - hey - they mentioned Pixie's Knit-A-Long for the Stitch Diva Simple Knitted Bodice. It is a great pattern. Maybe I'll have time for it after my Xmas knitting. Do I sound like a broken record to you??? SORRY...

And then I left Pixie's house with this:

She got the roving at Knitch - and spun yarn for me!!! The first time ever I got handspun yarn from a friend. SHE IS A SWEETIE!!! This is some awesome yarn. 4 oz of Luxe Handpainted Superwash Merino and she tied it with silky wool. YUMMY - I will knit a wonderful hat for myself!!! THANK YOU PIXIE!!!

Got Another Package!

2006-08-15T09:32:00.000-05:00

Well, August sure has been a great month so far. If you completely overlook the heat in Georgia. But staying inside with the a/c running helps a bunch with that problem.

I got a package yesterday from Coarine. She sent me a lovely dishcloth and some candles with a fridge magnet. Very cool - l@@kie here:

And she included the pattern for Seamore the seahorse as well. Thank you Coarine!

On another note - besides the three pairs of socks I am working on currently, I also started another one of the Xmas gifts, the Ruffle Scarf from Holiday Knits:

Yarn: Knitpicks Shine
Color: Blush
Needles: US #5 and 6 (I am actually using my new Knitpicks needles - very nice pointy metal circulars)

Oh, in case you are wondering what that browinsh edge is... I had to make a provisionial cast-on because I have to pick up 250 stitches on this edge for the ruffle. And then, get this - I knit 6 rows and every other row I add stitches. I end with 997 stitches to bind off. UGH!!!

So, here is the update on the Xmas list statistics (total of 28 - counted each sock and glove):
7 done
4 more in the works
17 more to start and finish

And here are the poochies watching a movie with Mommy - one on each end of the sofa. Too cute!

And speaking of poochies, here is a fun quiz I found:

You Are a Dalmatian Puppy

Kind, bright, and very energetic.
Firemen love to pat your little head.

Who's What Breed of Puppy Are You?

And of course I had to do this one, too:

Your Inner European Is Italian

Passionate and colorful.
You show the world what culture really is.

Who's Your Inner European?

So, I am an Italian Dalmatian??? Mamma Mia - not a German Shepherd?

I Am Dyeing Over Here ;-)

2006-08-14T10:12:00.000-05:00

Well - it happened this weekend. I embarked on my first dyeing adventure on Sunday. It was a lot of fun - I felt very creative.

It was especially fun because - since I had never dyed yarn before - I went on the internet and got tons of information, which sometimes was a bit contradictory. So I picked the tips and tricks that made the most sense to me and plunged right in.

First, I made a batch of Indigo and dyed two hanks of yarn:

Knitpicks Bare - Superwash/Nylon/Donegal Fingering Weight
(with bits of tweed)
Content: 65% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon, 10% Donegal
Amount: 462 yards/100 gram hank
Gauge: 7-8 sts=1" on #1-3 needles

and

Knitpicks Bare - Peruvian Wool Bulky Weight
Content: 100% Peruvian Wool
Amount: 137 yards/100 gram hank
Gauge: 3-3.75 sts=1" on #10-11 needles

I made a so-called one-day-use of the Indigo dye. You mix a gallon of cold tap water with 2 Tbsp of the pre-reduced Indigo. And that's it - you're ready to dye. You have to wet the wool first and then enter it into the dye pot. I had to be very careful because I experimented with the Indigo in our kitchen. Hubby had somewhat raised eyebrows... but he is a good sport. OK - so, I left the first hank in the Indigo dye for about 2-3 minutes.

After that I removed it quickly and squeezed out the excess dye. I put the hank into the adjacent sink to rinse it with cold water. You are not supposed to drip into the Indigo dye because the drips introduce oxygen and I guess that is bad for your dye. Sorry, I have no clue about chemisty and am not shy to admit it. I just followed the instructions and they don't tell you why either. I did the same thing with the second hank, and hung them both outside to dry. After they dried I washed them in hot soapy water and hung them up again. UGH - and of course I had to scrub the sink and the counters, but luckily we don't have a blue kitchen now. ;-)

After the Indigo dye, I experimented with some Kool Aid. Actually I used the Wal-Mart store brand, Great Value. Worked just as well. Hubby got me a very nice selection to start with: Lemonade, Cherry and Grape (and some other color, I can't remember now, I think it's Strawberry or Rasberry but, anyway, I did not use it yesterday).

So, I made two pots - one with a mix of Plum and Grape and the other one with Lemonade.

I used 3/4 gallons of water and 1/4 gallon of vinegar. You could not smell the vinegar at all over the Kool Aid smell - too funny. And you have to match the weight of your yarn with the weight of the Kool Aid. I used four packages of Kool Aid for one hank of 100 grams of wool. I had put the yarn in a pot with hot water to soak for about 20 minutes.

Nice spaghetti, huh? High fiber content... In the meantime I heated the dye solution to just below boiling. Here is my little dye workshop on our back porch. Hubby bought all the equipment for me - 3 hot plates and 3 huge pots and cooking spoons and and and... Such a great guy! ;-) And a great shopper, when he's in the mood.

For these two dyes I used the following yarns:

Knitpicks Bare - Peruvian Wool Bulky Weight
Content: 100% Peruvian Wool
Amount: 137 yards/100 gram hank
Gauge: 3-3.75 sts=1" on #10-11 needles

and

Knitpicks Bare - Superwash/Nylon Fingering Weight
Content: 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon
Amount: 462 yards/100 gram hank
Gauge: 7-8 sts=1" on #1-3 needles

So, I put two hanks of the Bare Bulky Wool in the Cherry/Grape dye and one hank of the Bare Superwash/Nylon in the Lemonade dye. And something very intersting happened. The portion of the yarn that hit the Lemonade dye first absorbed almost all of the color immediately. So, very unintentional I got varigated yarn. Which I didn't really want this time. But, oh well.

So, while the yarn absorbed the colors, I sat on the porch and finished the Four Corner Hat.

And then I remembered that I read somewhere that you can use a turkey baster to apply colors to your yarn to create some color patterns. So, I mixed one more package of Cherry with water and vinegar and got to work with the tool on the boring yellowish yarn. HAH - and it turned into something funky. I have to come up with a name for that color.

And these are the results of my first dyeing adventures. I am pretty pleased:

I'll probably make something felted with the thicker yarn and some socks with the fingering weight. I can't wait to see how the funky red/yellow/natural colored sock yarn knits up.

And of course I had to get some knitting done, too. As mentioned earlier, I finished the Four Corner Hat. It is a little big but I think it'll fit the recipient just fine:

And I also finished the first sock of the Stitch 'N Pitch sock. No. 2 is already on the needles. Need to be on a roll here. Time is a little pressing...

I was worried that the plain Stockinette Stitch would bore me out of my mind but it is actually quite relaxing - very pleasant, nothing to screw up while knitting with a group.

And here is best picture ever of the poopers - hubby and I were quite shocked that we got such a good picture with the both of them. Hermione usually has no tolerance for photos and she does not want to get caught dead with Noah. She is so funny. Not that she is mean to him, she just ignores him. Hubby and I always think they are like a married couple. He is a good fella, very patient and loving and she is just the little bitchy busy-bee. Not that this is an reflection of me and hubby. ;-) OK, I can be bitchy if I want to and you exceed your tolerance level with me... But usually I am pretty good-natured.

Off ya go - enjoy your week!

Lalalalalalala... I can't hear you!

2006-08-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

If you click on the cartoon, you get to a bigger picture for better reading. The cartoon is from Lion Brand Yarn Company, and they, of course, have the copyrights.

BUT - I gotta make me some earplugs! These spinners at my SNB meetings keep tempting me. They are all so sweet and want to teach me how to spin but I am not ready yet. So far I have been strong and resisted because I want to get through with my insane Xmas list. Next year I might just switch to gift certificates. But this year I started and I'll finish! No matter what. ;-)

Have a great week! I am off to find that earplug pattern now. ;-)

YOU JUST MIGHT BE A YANKEE IF...

2006-08-11T12:55:00.000-05:00

1. You think barbecue is a verb meaning "to cook outside."
2. You think Heinz Ketchup is really SPICY!
3. You don't have any problems pronouncing "Worcestershire sauce" correctly.
4. For breakfast, you would prefer potatoes au gratin to grits.
5. You don't know what a moon pie is.
6. You've never had an RC cola.
7. You've never, ever, eaten okra, fried or boiled.
8. You eat fried chicken with a knife and fork.
9. You've never seen a live chicken, and the only cows you've seen are on road trips.
10. You have no idea what a polecat is.
11. You don't see anything wrong with putting a sweater on a poodle.
12. You don't have bangs.
13. You would rather vacation at Martha's Vineyard than Six Flags.
14. More than two generations of your family have been kicked out of the same prep school in Connecticut.
15. You would rather have your son become a lawyer than grow up to get his own TV fishing show.
16. Instead of referring to two or more people as "y'all," you call them "you guys," even if both of them are women.
17. You don't think Ted Kennedy has an accent.
18. You have never planned your summer vacation around a gun-n-knife show.
19. You think more money should go to important scientific research at your university than to pay the salary of the head football coach.
20. You don't have at least one can of WD-40 somewhere around the house.
21. The last time you smiled was when you prevented someone from getting on an on-ramp to the highway.
22. You don't have any hats in your closet that advertise feed stores.
23. The farthest south you've ever been is the perfume counter at Neiman Marcus.
24. You call binoculars opera glasses.
25. You can't spit out the car window without pulling over to the side of the road and stopping.
26. You would never wear pink or an applique sweatshirt.
27. You don't know what applique is.
28. You don't know anyone with at least two first names (i.e., Joe Bob, Faye Ellen, Billy Ray, Mary Jo, Bubba Dean, Joe Dan, Mary Alice, et al).
29. You don't have doilies, and you certainly don't know how to make one.
30. You've never been to a craft show.
31. You get freaked out when people on the subway talk to you.
32. You can do your laundry without quarters.
33. None of your fur coats are homemade.

This is dedicated to hubby, who is a Yankee but could tell me what a polecat is.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND - I'll be knitting a bunch ;-)

Never Say Never

2006-08-10T06:48:00.000-05:00

I never won anything until yesterday. I am still in shock! ;-) In the past, I've played the lottery, bought tickets for raffles, etc., but never ever won anything. So at some point I stopped because it's a waste of money and energy. On the other hand, I get picked for stupid things on stage - you know, you go to some show and they need a volunteer for some silly trick. I ALWAYS get picked for that. Like I have a flashing sign over my head that says "Pick me, pick me..."

So what happened yesterday? At the Plying the Arts Festival last weekend, everyone got a raffle ticket with their package when they signed up for a class. That package also had some other goodies from several vendors at the show and a bunch of catalogs. And it came in a nice nylon sack you could carry around like a little backpack.

Anyway, there were two tables with all kinds of really cool stuff being raffled off. So, before we went to class, Pixie and I entered our raffle tickets for one of the door prizes. I, of course, was thinking that I'll never get it anyway. WELL - GUESS AGAIN!!!

Yesterday I got a package from the a festival person - hubby called and jokingly asked if I forgot anything at the festival. (I have a tendency to forget or lose things...) I said no, not that I could think of. He opened the package and it was the door prize. I WON!!!

I got a cute little bag, gorgeous yarn and a pattern for a hat and mittens. I love the yarn - it is one skein of Mountain Colors Mogul and one skein of Mountain Colors 4/8's Wool. It is handpainted and the name of the color is "Crazy Woman". What a perfect fit for me! It is a combination of blues, reds and purples. I love it!

Well - I am a happy crazy woman now! ;-)