In the Wool of the Night

I have never ordered anything from The Loopy Ewe. Not for a lack of fabulous things to buy and not because I haven't wanted to. I first started looking aroud at their place because of Susie. When she started selling her stuff through The Loopy Ewe, I started looking. So much fun stuff. I do a lot (a lot!) of window shopping there but thus far, that's all.

I have wanted to try needle felting for a long time. In fact, I have a needle felting tool that I got and used for putting eyes on hedgehogs last Christmas, but that is the extent of my experience with needle felting. I really want to do more but I haven't worked up the courage to try. (I hate when I suck at something and I worry that I am going to suck at the needle felting.)

Imagine my surprise when I was at TLE, innocently shopping around for a sock blocker keychain kit (which they were out of, by the way, and I finally found at Diva Knitting) when I happen upon this little guy.

(picture from The Loopy Ewe product page.)

I think I'm going to have to have this kit. I think I'm in love. Is $22 crazy for a felting kit? It doesn't say how big the finished ewe is, but from the pictures I'm guessing he's about 3 or 4 inches tall. He is modeled after THE loopy ewe in their logo. (actually....she, huh? Ewe. She. Anyway....)
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I was thinking I would order this for myself but I didn't.... Instead of the felted sheep kit, I made a donation to Oliver's Fund. Did ya'll know that Michaela is putting together a blanket of donated 4" sock yarn squares and then raffling the blanket off? I have read Emma's blog for a long time and have such a soft spot for her Oliver. You don't have to knit a square to get in on the raffle. The raffle tickets are extremely affordable: £1 GB or about $2 US. You can pay via PayPal (that's the link above). I know there are at least a few of you who might be reading this who live outside both the US and UK so I'm providing you with this chart:

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Raffle Ticket Costs in Currencies Other than GB Pounds or US Dollars.


Australian Dollar: 2.25
Canadian Dollar: 1.93
Euro: 1.43
Hong Kong Dollar: 16.19
New Zealand Dollar: 2.69
Norwegian Kroner: 11.16
Swedish Krona: 13.25



If none of those currencies apply to you, there are currency converters all over the internet and it is a small number. Barely more than a bottled water.

Why am I telling you all of this? Basically, because it is a cause that matters to me and I hate that they are having a slow time of selling raffle tickets. (As of last Thursday, only 17 sold.) If you feel compelled to buy a raffle ticket by making a donation to Oliver's Fund, click here and do it. I'll wait here. Then leave me a comment saying you did and I'll send beaded stitch markers or earrings (recipient's choice) handmade by me to the first five commenters to tell me they've purchased a raffle ticket. It only takes one to get in the drawing and get something from me but if you buy 10 tickets or more, I'll send you stitch markers and earrings.



A Bouncing Baby Skein

The new Raven Clan of colorways over at Blue Moon are very beautiful and did not disappoint. They are striking, actually. I love the usual beauties of Socks That Rock - the Cockamamie, the Loch Ness, the Fire On The Mountain - but I was struggling with finding the right yarn to knit socks for my sister-in-law (who has a birthday today.) I want to knit her socks that she will like but, more importantly, I want to knit her socks that she will actually wear. And the Raven yarns? They fit that bill perfectly. Beautiful, special yarn in colors with depth and dimension, but also suitable to wear to her office job. I decided on Korpii for her
and the Count Cluckula for me. (I'm short and therefore my pants are all long so I don't have to worry as much about loud socks. 5'2" has its advantages.)


So maybe I will knit socks while I am laid up. I have well and truly fallen in love with the sock knitting and the last few days of knitting sweaters, I have been longing for those tiny needles and the socks. Funny how our preferences as knitters change, huh?
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I also want to knit this No Tie Hat that RC recently finished. The hat is cute and I love the nifty construction. There is a new baby that joins us frequently for Wednesday night knitting. Surely she needs a hat.


Today's Quote:

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, / Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." -Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven

Walk Like an Egyptian

Wow! Both Dorothy and RC dubbed me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. Who would have imagined? Gosh - I'm blushing. Thank you both! It is amazing how many wonderful, amazing, kind, talented women I've "met" in blogland. You both ROCK, too, and I would so peg each of you if you hadn't already been anointed.

There are so many fabulous Rockin' Girl Bloggers and it is tough to pick just 5....so I didn't. I decided 7 is better so here you go. Seven Rockin' Girl Bloggers:

Kim - My lovely and talented ISE3 pal who I was so blessed to meet - and so perfectly matched with. It was Kim (along with RC) who finally coaxed me over to the world of sock knitting. I really should thank them both more often.

Marit - With the amazing photos of both her family farm and her beautiful Norwegian scenery, it was easy to fall head-over-heels for both Marit and her blog. As if that wasn't enough, she knits beautiful things right there in the midst of her very own sheep AND she has real live hedgehogs in her backyard.

Dr. B - what can be said about the lovely and talented Dr. B that you don't already know? She is very chic and cool and, as I have told her before, I would feel like a rhinestone studded loafer at a Jimmy Choo convention if we were ever to meet in person. She knits, she sews, she quilts, she is hilarious. The epitome of Rockin' Girl Blogger.

Robyn - Robyn was a shu in when you consider that I have a soft spot for both Canadians (which Robyn is by birth) and Southerners (which Robyn is by residence). I have been reading Robyn's blog since its infancy and it has been fun to watch her blog and her blog style develop over the last - wow! It has been nearly a year already.

Jessica - Yes I do realize that Jessica is almost exclusively a hooker (sorry, crocheter?...) and only very rarely knits but I like her very much anyway. She, too, is a fabulous photographer and does, indeed, make wonderful, beautiful handmade items from yarn...with nary a knitting needle in sight. Jessica is another blogger who I've had the privilege of reading from very early on.

EnnaVic - A brief mention of my Christmas ornament sweaters lead EnnaVic to me and I have been so glad I posted those pictures ever since. One of my most favorite things about blogging is the opportunity to meet knitters (and non-knitters, too) from all over the world. I am a newly minted, heart-felted admirer of New Zealand, owing almost exclusively due to the lovely EnnaVic.

Charity - So calm, cool and collected, Knitting in the North is always a joy to read and if I inadvertently miss a post, I always feel like I've missed out. Charity does beautiful work - her hand knits never cease to impress me - and she is a stellar example of the even-keeled, subtly hilarious Canadians I've come to know and love in blogland...and in general.

Ahhhh....I could list on and on. Really. The knitters, the bloggers...ya'll all rock. Now, you seven, go forth and spread the Rockin' Girl Blogger goodness.

Now I really must get back to watching Cities of the Underworld on the History Channel. We are talking about Vlad the Impaler tonight...one of my favorite historical figures. (Yes, yes, I know how twisted that is. I'm fairly keen on Caligula, too. There, you know my dark secrets.)

I delivered the socks today and had the ankle checked up on...more on that later.

Today's Quote:

"As a woman, I find it very embarrassing to be in a meeting and realize I'm the only one in the room with balls." -Rita Mae Brown

The Sock and the Fury

For once in my blogging life, I have more pictures than words. I have been taking pictures like a fiend the last week and a half but haven't managed to write a post. (The lack of posting may well have something to do with the bronchitis, etc. I had last week, too.) The mammoth black widow spider and the massive stash organization undertaking will have to wait for another day. For today, we have gift yarn and a minor sock nightmare to discuss instead.

First the Good News

I went to check the mail late on Friday night and discovered no bills, no credit card offers, no magazines, no grocery store coupons...Just a package from the lovely and talented Kiwi knitblogger Ennavic.410 meters of absolutely stunningly gorgeous New Zealand wool. Seriously. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is black and deep purple and blue and green and dark red and pink and orange and yellow....the colors are all so strikingly beautiful. I took several pictures and never did quite capture how remarkable it is. The transitions between the colors are lost but take my word for it: they are cool. These colors could not be more perfectly suited for me if I had personally selected each and every one. When I emailed her to tell her the package had arrived, I said that as soon as I saw the yarn, I immediately thought it would be perfect for a felted bag and EnnaVic said that she had had the same thought. Apparenly this yarn knows what it wants to be! Thank you, thank you!

Want to see it again? The Damned Sock

Have you ever had a project that was nothing but trouble? A project that seems to fight you every step of the way?

That's how these socks-for-the-doctor are. Words like "wicked" and "demon-possessed" and "stupid" and "&#$!>+(#" keep coming to mind. These socks should be simple. They are a generic vanilla sock pattern. Even for this barely experienced sock knitter, these socks should not be this much trouble. (Sidenote: I need to stop reading blogs where people knit socks with wild abandon...you know who you are. The ones who cast on a pair of complex, intricate socks on Monday and ***wham, bam, thank you ma'am*** on Wednesday they are posting finished socks. I do not begrudge them their fast knitting of socks. It is jealousy, pure and simple.)

I readily acknowledge that the first problem is that I haven't had much time to knit lately so I have been knitting bits and pieces here and there. This sort of knitting means progress happens but not lots of progress. Last week, during the fever/coughing, I did a bit of knitting. [Sick knitting time is seriously hampered by a) sleeping; b) cough syrup with codiene c) "Prime Time in the Daytime" on TNT. The do, in fact, know drama; d) coughing; e) sleeping.]

I was quite pleased, then, when I finished the heel and gusset of one sock and traded off to pick up the gusset stitches of the second sock. After picking up the second sock gussets, I stretched out the heel a bit to take a look and make sure it was nice and even. That's when I saw this:Do you see what I saw? Some very normal, generic spaces between nice little even heel stitches....and one gimongous hole.

What's a knitter to do? First, I laid it down. I knit a couple of nice even rounds on the foot of the other sock. I looked at the hole again. I took my antibiotics. I said dirty words. I took a nap. Then I picked up the offending sock. I knit a round. Then my inner knit-picker (ha) got the better of me and I, woefully, ripped out the heel. All the way to the point that I split for the heel in the first place. Then I took a shower.

So now I am working on the heel again. I don't know how that hole happened. I looked and looked and LOOKED at it and never figured out exactly what I did wrong. This whole hole business has included a reprehensible amount of make-a-sailor-blush language.

At this point, there is a part of me sitting quietly in the corner, angry and frustrated, saying, "Screw it. He doesn't need handknit socks." There is also a more determined, more ill-tempered part of me that could care less about the finished product and just doesn't want to lose this grudge match style battle between knitter and knitting.

Soothing My Spirits

Last weekend, I was online and happened over to Jimmy Bean's Wool to pick up a little something for my Secret Pal. I wanted something special for her last package and I thought some Lorna's Laces would be a good pick. I accidentally bought some for me, too. Oops. Unfortunately for me, the Jimmy Bean's site didn't indicate that it takes two skeins of LL to make a pair of socks. (Not that this is JB's fault. I should have checked the yardage.) Luckily, I had ordered each of us a skein of two different colors so it worked out in the end. Except for one that I only ordered one skein of....Do ya'll have any experience with the Lorna's Laces? I have never used it. Obviously. That's the reason I bought 5 skeins of it.

Today's Quote:

"CATAPULTAM HABEO. NISI PECUNIAM OMNEM MIHI DABIS, AD CAPUT TUUM SAXUM IMMANE MITTAM" (I have a catapult. Give me all the money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.)

For the Love of Local Yarn

Hip-Hip Hurray

Hip-Hip Hurray! Hip-Hip Hurray!! That's three cheers for Hooks & Needles, my lovely new LYS. I went to the Knit Night last night and it was so nice. Kallee, the owner, is kind and funny and very welcoming. They have an excellent yarn selection and a respectable stock of needles - including Brittanys, which I had never before seen in person and Addi-Turbos, my well established favorites. I was thrilled to see she even has the new Addi lace needles - I don't knit lace and yet I was so pleased to see this. Go figure.

It is so nice to have found this place. I will definitely be going back. You'll be pleased to know, as well, that no one was shocked by my giddiness or even batted an eye when I was caught sniffing the Trekking Pro Natura.

I resisted the very real urge to take pictures of the shop and the knitters. I wasn't sure if anyone there would be keen on my particular brand of slightly kooky. Maybe I'll take pictures next week.

A Quick Bit of Sock Talk

I have approximately 1/4" more (about 4 rows) of leg knitting to do before starting the heel of this sock. I really want to try the short row heel but the more I have considered it, the more I think I am going to do the short row heel on the green ribbed destined-for-Dulaan socks and stick with the traditional heel flap on these socks. It seems to me that the flap heel would wear better. Any thoughts?

I should be finished up with those last few rows and ready to start the heel this evening but I may ruminate on it a bit more and delay the decision making by casting on the second sock.

Knitters on Tour

Thursday, June 7, the Yarn Harlot will be visiting the Copperfield's Books in Petaluma, CA. Petaluma is about a 2.5 hour drive from my house and I would really love to go see her. (I've already asked my boss for the time off and I can take it if I decide to. It would be nice to actually take a day off to do something fun for me.) I don't know anyone who is going and I don't know any knitters who live nearby and would want to make the trip together. (Anyone interested in $3.49 a gallon for gas?) It is a strange dilemma. As a rule, I am not at all shy and yet contemplating making this trip by myself makes me feeling as nervous as a 16-year-old virgin on prom night.

I did find out that Jenn, my SP10 hostess, and her mother are going. It would be nice to meet them. Are any of you planning to attend this event? Have any of you attended one of her events in the past?

Books on CD

Audiobooks go with knitting like coconut rum goes with pineapple juice. I've been fortunate to discover that a local used book store has an excellent and varied selection of Audiobooks. Last week I was in there and ended up leaving with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I read this book ages ago and enjoyed it then but it is interesting what a difference a bit of distance makes. There are things I notice now that I had completely forgotten (or missed) at the time of the first reading and there were things I remembered about this book that were wholly inaccurate.

In a perfect world, what book do you want to listen to while knitting?

Today's Quote:

"Never trust a woman who wears mauve, whatever her age may be, or a woman over thirty-five who is fond of pink ribbons. It always means they have a history." - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Tapping the Collective Wisdom

First and Foremost: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to the super fabulous RC, who emailed me a couple of weeks ago saying she was headed to MDSW and did I want anything. After she explained to me that MDSW is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I responded with a resounding YES!! and here is what she sent me...Superwash Lace, 100% merino from Tess' Designer Yarns in the palest of pale greens (celadon, perhaps?). She remembered that I mentioned wanting to try lace knitting. She also sent along a lace shawl pattern (that I forgot to photograph). Thanks again, RC, so much. I keep fondling it and touching it to my face. I love it! Though it isn't very flattering to the yarn, I like this picture.

Going to the Birds

Our neighborhood, particularly our little street, is basically a peacefully little corner of the universe. Lately, though, there must be something in the air. The weather has been heating up but the late evenings/nights have still been pretty cool so we have been sleeping with the windows open and apparently we have some birds in our neighborhood who missed out on that day at Bird College where they taught the rule "Thou shalt not chirp and squawk at 2:00 a.m." I first heard them last Friday morning, when I was trying to go to sleep. Friday night they were quiet but then Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights, they chirped and chirped and chirped. They chirped so loudly that the chirping showed up in my dreams. I'm not even sure where these birds are living, as I know they aren't in the one tree in our front yard. Maybe in the bushes...I need to find out which of the neighbors spiked their bird feeder.

Also, while I am an enthusiastic supporter of young people embracing instrumental music, I am somewhat less than keen on the boy across the street practicing his trumpet in the front yard at 6:30 on Sunday morning.

On the other hand, I think I may have frightened the neighbors two doors down yesterday afternoon. I was out in the front yard, laying in the grass (I had to get just the right angle), posing my yarn and socks (for ya'll) and the neighbor man, who is probably in his early sixties, was out front working on his truck. When his wife came out, she was across the driveway from him and he said, in a loudish voice, "Dear? What is that girl doing?" They were staring at me so I waved and said, "I'm taking pictures of my new yarn." The awkward smiles and half waves suggest to me that they are not knitters.

Let's Talk Socks

I am making actual progress on the Dr. Doctor socks. As I'm sure you are aware, the progress on this sock has been slow going but I think we (me and the sock) have hit our stride now. Recently we entered the knitting vortex, in which I started knitting on a sock that was 5.25" from the cuff and after nearly 2 hours of knitting, it was . . . yes, 5.25" from the cuff.

(I call this picture Six Glorious Inches Frolicking in the Grass)


At long last, I'm ready for the heel now. All the socks I've ever knit (total: 2) used the basic heel flap method of turning a heel. I was quite happy with those socks and will absolutely do that vanilla sock again. I am, however, feeling that twitchy, restless desire of wanting to try something new. The other day, I saw this short-row heel over at FiberJinx, which I found via Cara. I love that heel, love the way it looks. I think I want to use that heel method for these socks. But I am afraid.

I know that several (well most) of you are more experienced sock knitters than I, so I am asking for your help/advice/guidance. She references these three links with short-row heel tutorials. Can anyone tell me which one is best? Do you know of a better way? I am eager to get going on this heel.

Today's Quote:

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you do not try.” -Beverly Sill

Random Facts

RC tagged me so here goes.

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

Here are my facts:

1. Like RC, I had Lasik eye surgery three years ago. I can't think of anything I've done in my life that I have been quite so glad I've done. It is wonderful. No contacts! No glasses! I can see, I can see, I can see!!!

2. I have a nearly freakish ability to remember numbers, particularly phone numbers. I have always been this way.

3. I have never been thin and, while I would not object to losing some weight, I have no aspirations to be what anyone would ever call "skinny". Contrary to popular perception, not all fat women are secretly crying in their Rocky Road, longing to look like Calista Flockhart. (Though I wouldn't mind keeping company with Harrison Ford.)

4. Like RC and Trish before her, I love to read but my reading has been on a serious downward spiral ever since I learned to knit.

5. My car once broke down on the side of the road. This was before I had a cell phone so I had to repair my car by myself. I used Fimo clay that I had in the trunk.

6. I once hit an owl with my car. More accurately, an owl flew into my car while I was driving down the road. (This is the same car that was involved in the incident in #5)

7. I love sushi, particularly yellowtail (hamachi).

Those I'm tagging:

1. Lori
2. Cindi
3. Robyn
4. Kim
5. Jessi
6. Anne
7. Dr. B

There you have it!

Don't wander too far . . . I have another post. With pictures! Yarn in the mail! Sock progress! Need some sock advice!

Thrilling stuff, I tell ya.

Today's Quote:

"Sometimes sushi is just superb, and other times there's nothing like a great big steak. It depends where your taste buds are at the time." -Francesca Annis

Assume the Position

Today I went to the drive-thru teller at the bank. She was working on something apparently quite complicated when I first pulled up so I put my papers in the tray and waited patiently. When she was finished whatever it was she was doing, she said a pleasant hello, followed by, "What are you doooiiinnnnggg?" By the tone of her voice, you might have suspected I was pummeling a baby seal or building a rocket in my car. I was, in fact, doing neither of these things, and I was a little offended by her tone.

What was I doing?? I was
knitting a sock. When I told her what I was doing she said, "Oh." (pause) "Wow." In a very even tone, with raised eyebrows and weak smile. I just smiled, a little smug, knowing that she has no idea what she is missing.

The pictures in this recent Yarn Harlot post have been on my mind. I love to see knitter's hands knitting. Will you show me yours? email me a picture or post it to your blog and leave me a comment and I will compile a list of links for a post next week. (Surely over the weekend you will be knitting and you can find a volunteer photographer or do some sort of contortionist maneuvers and take your own.) I'm going to try to round up a better picture of my own, as this yarn is very dark and the needles are very small. (Thanks for trying, Lori.)


Oh, also, I got yarn in the mail!! I participated in All Things Heather's recent fundraiser and (like magic) yarn arrived to me in the mail. It is beautiful and soft and happy yarn and the colors couldn't be more perfect if I had picked them out myself. It is resting in the glass bowl with my pretty sock yarns and I am ruminating over what it will be. I am thinking it needs to be knit up for a good cause, considering its altruistic upbringing...maybe baby hats for the hospital? We'll see. Thanks, Heather!




Today's Quote:

"Sometimes you do take your life in your hands going in certain places and it's very unpredictable, but that's thrill of it, the excitement of it all. I do like a little danger in life!" -Marc Almond

Hither and Thither

Thank you for all of your comments and compliments on the Sophie bag. I am really happy with the way it turned out. I saw Lori carrying it earlier today and it gave me such a happy feeling. I'm thinking of making another Sophie bag one of these days. Maybe in August.

This has been a strangely busy week. Work has been hectic, yes, but the evenings, too. And not for any particular reason. (Read: I haven't been doing anything fun or particularly productive in the evenings.) It's weird. There must be some sort of strange time warp going on. Maybe April is suffering from the same affliction that Dr. B experienced in March....

Last week, RC posted about this shoe cabinet that she got from Home Decorators. When I first saw it, I thought, "Umm, how strange that they are calling that perfectly lovely yarn storage unit a 'shoe cabinet'." Then the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to me that my yarn could do with some new digs and that I really actually need one of these beautiful cabinets. (Thanks a lot, RC!) I showed it to my husband and told him I need him to build me one. We will see how that goes.

This week has seen only tidbits of knitting here and there and certainly nothing worth photographing. I have worked on the baby blanket and the socks, depending on where I am knitting. So far so good on the F13 Resolution. Thus far (a whooping 5 days in) I haven't felt any temptation to stray. 87 days to go.

I need to send out another package to my Secret Pal. I sent her her first package right after we got names and I've had her next batch of goodies - sock yarn and a sock book and needles - for about 3 weeks. I keep thinking I want to add one more thing but I haven't done it. Hopefully this weekend.

Maybe I am the last to discover this (though I did discover it several weeks ago and just haven't said anything) but Ruth is brillant. I found her via Cara and I am completely hooked. Ruth's posts on Playing with Color are fascinating. Anyone who has ever thought about color and putting together unique and/or striking combinations should spend a little while over at Ruth's. (Jessica, I think you would really enjoy this.)

Speaking of Jessica, she is new to the blogging world. If you have a few spare minutes, stop by her place and show her some blogger/knitter love. We all know how nice the comments are - especially in the early days of blogging. Be forewarned, though: She is a Crocheter. :)

Writing posts like this always leaves me thinking maybe I just shouldn't have posted right now because maybe I really didn't have anything to say. Maybe I am just babbling. It is easy to post when I have something noteworthy to write about - a finished project, new yarn, hail - but sometimes I worry a little that my blogging is just chatter and that if I were actually having this conversation with someone, they would be tuning me out about now....of course, if we were actually having this conversation, we would probably be knitting. And maybe having some wine. And you could turn the TV on to drown me out...

Today's Quote:

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - e. e. cummings

Miscellanea

Knitters & Good Causes

If you aren't a regular reader of Dorothy's blog, go over for a visit and consider supporting her Relay for Life plans. She is selling seeds from her beautiful sunflowers as well as some stitch markers made by me. I so wanted to show ya'll what I ended up doing with the beading but I wanted to let Dorothy post them first for the sale. So go - visit Dorothy! Buy some seeds and/or stitch markers. It is all for an excellent cause.

Apropos of Nothing

Thursday evening I went to the grocery store. I had to do some significant shopping and so the young man who bagged my groceries helped me out to the car. (I know this is a very common occurance and generally not blogworthy but it is something that has been stuck in my mind.)

Every time I go to the store and buy enough groceries that someone ends up helping me to the car, I want to tip the guy. I have even tried on occassion over the years to slip them a dollar or two, unthinkingly, and been told that they can't accept tips. I don't know why I do this - or even think to do this. There has not been a time in my adult life (at least in my major grocery shopping years) when it was expected that I should tip the bag boy so I am not sure why it feels like a habit to me. I remember when I was growing up, my mother would always tip the person (usually boy/young man) who carried out our groceries. It was always the appropriate thing to do. I've been told that, at least here, all of the grocery store employees are unionized and they aren't allowed to accept tips - Still, I just feel like I should. I seldom let anyone help me out with the groceries because, in the end, I feel guilty that I didn't tip them. (I know - it is completely irrational, but still true.) What about you? Do you tip the bag boy?

Baby Blanket

The yarn for the baby blanket has been ordered and should be here...soon. I don't have a shipping schedule from Web's yet. I'm eager to get my hands on it. I am not taking odds, though, on whether it will get done in a timely manner or if, when it is all said and done, it will look anything like the Moderne Baby Blanket from MDK....Ya'll know how it goes.


Knitting, Barely

The only knitting I got done this weekend was a bit of work on Lori's bookmark. (I've made considerable progress since this picture was taken.)It is almost done. I am going to have to figure something out about a border. I was hoping (the stupid kind of hope - the hope that is not based in any sort of fact or reality) that this little slip of a thing (stockinette from top to bottom) wouldn't curl too bad and I could just gently block it. Why do we dilute ourselves? I am considering - GASP! - some sort of little crocheted edge. I will have to get out the books, though, as I have little to no idea where/how to start such an undertaking. Any words of wisdom - quicky edges that work well and aren't too fussy?


Today's Quote:

"If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl." - H.L. Mencken

In Hoc Signo Vinces

Susie's Brilliant Sunset

A visit to a good yarn store is like salve for a knitter's tender soul.

Babetta's Yarn in Fair Oaks (near Sacramento) was exactly what I needed. It was a warm, friendly shop where a bunch of ladies were gathered in the back knitting and chattering and admiring each other's work and, the first thing I saw after I came in the door was a hedgehog. I knew I'd found the right spot. Hurray to Caitlyn for the recommendation!

It was so wonderful to see and feel and admire so many yarns that I have only seen before online. Lori was a very good sport, looking around with me and pointing out yarns that sounded familiar to her - and some scary novelty yarns. Luckily, she came to her sense before we left the store and decided she didn't want a scarf from some scary ladder yarn.

What she did want (and how can you deny a women who only rarely mocks your knitting and supports your habits so enthusiastically) was a knitted bookmark. So I got some Misti Alpaca laceweight.

In my enthusiasm, I took off the labels and started knitting in the car. Then when I got home, I wound the skeins into center pull balls and and now have no idea what the names of these colors are so I am calling them (amazingly) dark purple and light blue

Babetta's had a great selection of Cascade 220 and I picked out these two darlings for a little project that has been milling around in my head. I like the brown and red (garnet) together.I picked up a little something for my Secret Pal.

I don't think she knows who I am but just in case...

Last but most certainly not least, I brought home this fabulous, beautiful skein of Trekking XXL.Trekking is another one of those yarns that I have heard knitters talking about (well, blog about) but never met in person. I am eager to knit with it. I'm sorry, I am a lazy blogger...I can't remember the name of the colorway and I am not getting up to look. It is very pretty. Feeding my weird green cravings that seem to continue unabated.

That was all from Babetta's but today (oh, hurray for today!) I got a package in the mail from the always super duper uber fabulous Susie. It was some handpainted merino and a book she was destashing.Susie's beautiful handpainted yarn in the Pastel Rainbow Black.

And the book is The Knitter's Template. Kim recommended this book a while back and I've heard several other's say it is very useful in learning about garment construction. There is some very enthusiastic and (in my opinion) misguided use of novelty yarns in this book but after just a casual first flip through, I can see why so many tout the virtues of it.

So I am feeling all yarned up and happy. I was reading the Yarn Harlot's posts from the last several days about the big get together in New York and all the nice knitters and the hats and the socks and the gathering togehter...that combined with my latest yarn acquisitions... it all just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy and proud about being a knitter. (ahhhh....)

Today's Quote:

“In hoc signo vinces. (Under this standard shalt thou conquer.)” - Emperor Constantine, motto assumed by him, AD 312

Spring has Sprung

I apologize in advance to anyone whose internet connection objects to this many pictures in one post. It was hard to decide which ones to include so I included a bunch.

It's no secret: I am not a fan of Spring. March and April generally leave me feeling bitter and resentful, mourning the passing of winter, poor excuse for winter though it may be.

Blatantly disregarding my own feelings about Spring, I ventured out this weekend with Lori and my camera with the purpose of documenting the sunshine and green grass and blue skies.

This post is dedicated to Dorothy, who has so unselfishly shared her Canadian winter with me - well, with all of us but that includes me. Also, this is for Kim, who is quite tired of her Michigan winter and in need of a dash of sunshine and flowers.

Here's to all of you who are longing for a little dose of Springtime.

Springtime in California's Capitol City

The view from our hotel window. I think this is an Episcopal Church (the domed building). There were so many crosses on the rooftops. It is a beautiful church.

Except as noted, these pictures were taken in Capitol Park, at the corner of 15th & L Streets in Sacramento, California this past Saturday. Both the California Firefighter's Memorial

and the California Veterans Memorial

are located in Capitol Park. The Capitol Park website has better pictures of the memorials. (I was focusing on "Spring" pictures not "memorial" pictures.)

For the macabre among you - and I know there are those among you - this is not very far from the house at 1426 F Street where, in the 1980's, Dorothea Puente murdered several of her boarding house residents and buried them in her yard. Though she was only convicted of three murders, 7 bodies were found in the yard. We didn't go looking for the house on this visit. Which is a good thing, I guess, because I had it in my head that it was on 17th Street instead of F Street. Actually, I'm not really even sure if the house is still there. I will have to find out one of these days.

It was mostly clear on Saturday, a few wispy clouds, as you can see and and the temperature was in the upper 60s or maybe 70 degrees. All in all, just a perfectly pleasant day. These pictures are a mere fraction of the bazillion pictures I took. I was going for artsy in some of them but mostly, I was just taking pictures of whatever caught my eye.

Before our visit to Capitol Park, we went yarn shopping in Fair Oaks (more on that tomorrow or the next day) and then to Old Town Sacramento. It has been a long time since I had visit Old Sac and it has become much more touristy since my last visit. We had a decent lunch but aside from that, it was by far the least interesting/entertaining part of our day. I took a few pictures there including this one of

the Gold Rush History Center building. (I mostly took it because of the flag - you can see how windy it was.)

These are the old buildings next to the Gold Rush center.

Then we went to the park....

We parked across the street from our hotel and entered the park from the L Street side, where we were greeted by these camellias.

From a distance, I saw this craggity looking treeJust begging to have its picture taken.

On the way to craggity tree, we came across the bamboo.

I stood very close to the bamboo.

Then I looked up toward the sky through the bamboo. Once I got close enough to the craggity tree, I discovered that you could see our hotel just across the street.

Walking a little further, there was this very tall tree.

Here is the first purple tree we came across in the park.

The flowers were beautiful up close.

Have you ever seen a black and white St. Bernard? I hadn't before Saturday.

There was a great deal of squirrel frolicking going on in the park.

Walking along this path,

and off to the right, we saw this

one of the bell towers of this mission.

(If I were to do a little searching, I'm sure I could find out which mission this is but for now, I don't know. It might be just a plain old church but California has lots and lots of missions and this is consistent with the style.)

This is the second purple tree of the day. This tree was swarming with bees. Bees be damned, I took my life into my own hands and stood under this tree to take a shot from underneath the tree.

This park is just covered with great big trees.

A view from the park bench where I sat a did a little knitting.

This is probably my favorite picture of the day, sitting on the ground looking up at the sky from underneath the cool tree shown at the top of this post.

The last picture I took as we left the park was of this tree, all full of white flowers.

SUNDAY, SUNDAY

I took these while out at my parents' house Sunday afternoon. The sky was crystal clear and the flowers were all showing off.

This tree is just starting to bloom.

See?

My blossom pictures are a little fuzzy; even the camera was more interested in the blue sky above.

The pansies are particularly vibrant this yearMama and Daddy have lots of varieties, including these that make me think of those close up pictures you sometimes see of the sun.

These two colors grow from the same plant. I thought there were two separate pansies planted close together but I got down and inspected and, indeed, it was two different colored flowers coming out of the same plant.

My sister Carrie referred to this as the fluffy pink bush. I don't know what sort of plant it is but fluffy pink bush will suffice.
Here's its neighbor, the not so fluffy purple ground cover.

I leave you with this cheery little lot. This is the parade of pansies that leads up to my parents front door.
Dorothy and Kim, I hope these will tide you over until Spring makes it's way to Sioux Lookout and Flushing.

Today's Quote:

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!" - Sitting Bull