A View from Sierra County

WIP Wednesday + FO

Time for a project update!  As you already heard, we made it out the other side of yet another major storm system and resultant power outage, which led to some knitting time, but no hat steaming.  Today was a fabulous spring day, and after working all morning, DD and I took a drive over to the South Fork of the Yuba (flowing high, strong and serpentine green!) and hiked along one of the trails.  I also gathered some oakmoss lichen, which I will be steadily collecting all spring for my CSA shareholders.  So, here's where the major projects stand in my life:

Carnivale and Gone With the Wind

Both hats are languishing, since the power returned just in time for my work week to begin as scheduled.  I expect to spend time with the hand steamer over the weekend, shaping and blocking each, then doing the wiring process.  I posted a photo of the unblocked Carnivale in last week's Wednesday update.

Garter Rib Sock

My sock got lots of attention during the power outage, and then last night at Knit Night.  While chatting away, I started my toe decreases, only to come home and realize the toe was too pointed... I didn't have my usual instructions from Sharon on drawstring toes (which I really like and which have been hole-free for her over the years) and hadn't shifted to decreasing every row at the right point.  I printed off a new copy earlier this evening, quickly re-worked the toe and have one whole sock and the second cast on and ready for knitting.  I am pretty excited about this, as regular readers will probably note that my sock mojo took an extemely long sabbatical, and only returned when I promised to make sport weight and worsted socks before tackling the smaller needles again.

Here's a photo of sock one earlier in the week; we figured out how to keep our phones powered up while the electricity was off, so I did take a few project photos to share.

I wish that I could more easily locate Grayce's wonderful yarns; I want to make more socks in this lovely, soft yet rugged, yarn.  Anyone want to keep an eye out at fiber festivals for me this year?

The garter rib does an excellent job of turning the multi-colored yarn into a tweedy look rather than striping or pooling, and I am quite happy about the whole process.

I have another pair of socks waiting in the wings, a worsted weight kit from Morehouse Merino, gifted to me by dear friend Ruinwin, and will have a few pair of handknitted boot socks to help launch me into the hiking season.  Then, Steph pointed out to me last night that we can get a sock pattern along with our Irish Mystery Shawl KAL (which starts in just a week!!), also done in worsted.  The love story/mystery behind the KAL has our heroine making a pair of men's socks from her beloved's sweater that she unravels.  There is still time to participate in this KAL that Meggie Ryan of the Ravelry Ryan Eejits group has put together.  Besides the KAL excitement, she is matching all the pattern fees collected and donating the funds to victims of the Japan earthquake/tsunami.

Ragtop Mitts

Since the weather was soo nasty and cold, and I had already fallen in love with Margene's warm, high-top mitts, I decided to spend a day and a half of my storm-induced down time making Susan's terrific mitt design.  This is the best-designed mitt I have made to date, with a great, fitted thumb.  I chose to use some lovely Nature's Palette Green Organic worsted (Columbia sheep!) in a cherry red that probably contains cochineal.  I bought this yarn last month at the sale when Fibers was closing the shop, and am pretty excited to be using organic wool naturally dyed by Darlene Hayes less than 100 miles from where I live!  If you get a chance, please support this small, woman-owned yarn company.

I have worn my mitts daily since completing them, as the weather is still frosty-cold in the mornings, but now I can hear birds before dawn, and frogs this evening!  I can't begin to tell you how exciting this is... this year's winter has been long, wet, dark, cold, etc., etc.  I am NOT complaining even one bit, but can say that seeing the light returning and feeling the warmth is wonderful.

Fairwind and Kaellingesjal

Both didn't get much attention in the past week; I did commit to finishing my sweater... sometime this spring, and also managed to put a few rows more in on the shawl, though there's still a lot of stockinette knitting to go.  Last night, Steph and I put our heads together and figured out how to use a Mc Morran yarn balance (calculating whether she had enough of her chosen yarn for the Mystery Shawl) and I realized that I would have plenty of my chosen heather green yarn to help me fill in, if I run out on the K shawl... all will get done in good time.  The only question I really have is why I knit shawls so compulsively!  I am already so excited to see that Romi is teasing us with another new pattern, that I will be pawing through my stash and eager to start on it, later this spring!

WIP Wednesday

I haven't written much lately about what I am working on... that tends to happen when I can't get good photos of my WIPs.  It has been a long, dark and stormy month here at Slate Range Camp, and indoor photos in low light just turn out so un-inspiring!   Here's the current, and mostly picture-less list:

Carnivale

This hat is the one that I have finished to date, at least the knitting portion.  I have only rave reviews for my knitted millinery class, and if you are interested in expanding your knitting skills, and know some basic sewing, you can succeed at this too.  The class site is very well organized, the videos clear and so helpful, and Annie is a witty and encouraging teacher.  I hope to meet her in person one day!

I was going along great guns on my other hat (see below), when I ran into a snag and gauge challenges.  In true procrastinator's fashion, I pulled out the 2nd Time Cotton I had purchased when I first started working for Fibers, back three years ago, and got the first edition of Annie Modisett's Knitting Millinery book, and started a second hat.  Carnivale is done in worsted weight and just about flew off the needles.  In fact, the hat laid around the house for a week while I waited for millinery wire ordered online to arrive.  Then, I stumbled upon a small, hand-held steamer at the thrift store last Friday, and trialed it over the weekend. 

The first time I plugged it in, I was pretty sure it didn't work, and struggled to shake all the water back out... I did decide to give the steamer a second chance, which was good.  I plugged it into a bathroom outlet, and left for over a half hour to return to steam wafting out!  I was shocked, and am not certain I shouldn't just keep the new model I had ordered earlier in the week, a larger Conair steamer with a bigger water tank.

However, I don't intend to make that many brimmed hats per year, and believe in being frugal, re-using things, etc, etc.  So, I probably can just be patient enough to wait for the steaming element to warm up on my cute little travel steamer when I have the rare finished hat to steam.

This photo is a bit dark, but it does show the stitch detail of the Cable and Horseshoe pattern.  The hat is sitting on my faux hatblock, described in the millinery book, though I still need to fully steam the hat, turning over a second bowl to make a stand and elevate the hatblock.  I also might need to add more padding (several kitchen towels stuffed into a pillowcase) to the soft portion of the block, which you can see peeking through the hat, to get the proper head circumference.  I hope to be able to show you a wired hat by next week!

Gone With the Wind

This is the 'class' pattern, and my variation is a solid pink, to match an outfit I wear to officiate weddings.  I don't have an updated photo, but am almost done with the knitting, only needing to finish the patterned tip (that portion on top of the crown where the decreasing takes place).  Knitting should finish tonight and hat-steaming should be in full swing later this week, followed by hat wiring.  It is a great, intriguing process, and I am loving the connection to milliners of past generations.

Kaellingesjal

This is a pretty darn big shawl... I have completed the bottom borders, which are each as long as my wingspan, picked up and knitted the intriguing stockinette and reverse stockinette borders that are in the initial decreased shaping of the shawl and moved on to the long stretch of simple stockinette.  I am finding it much easier to be decreasing towards a point of the last five stitches, rather than steadily increasing and seeing each row grow longer and longer.  However, I began to be worried about running out of yarn!  The pattern calls for approximately 900 yards of DK weight... I am using a light fingering, and decided to add an interesting stripe pattern to the middle section of the shawl, which will appear as chevrons when worn, since the fabric is diagonal because of the steady center back decreases, and save the last 100 or so yards of my deep green for the top border.  I have a feeling this shawl has a long, long ways yet to go.  It has been accompanying me to meetings and Knit Nights since plain stockinette, even with a striping pattern is so easy to keep track of, but there's a lot of other knitting to be done, so the poor shawl only sees part of my attention.  I am sure I can have it finished by next fall's Celtic Festival to wear with my costume, but that is the only deadline for it.

Garter Rib Sock

I know you won't believe it, but there is a sock on the needles!  I got some lovely Grace's Yarn several years ago, and actually cast this sock on last year around this time, but took it up this week and have about 5 inches on the leg of the first sock done.  It will probably be a travel-along project until completed.  I am using the formulas from Sensational Knitted Socks for the pattern.  Photo to follow!

Fairwind

This cardi is our Knit Night's knit-along... I haven't touched mine in several weeks.  This really IS a beautiful sweater, and my group is planning to have a fashion show of our efforts in June, so I better get to it!  To make matters even worse, Stephanie sucked me into another KAL, which will start in early April, to make the Irish Mystery Shawl.

There are a few other items in my queue, including this cute pattern for my dear granddaughter.  I actually have some Frog Tree Picoboo to make it up in, and expect I will cast on and make it in April, once the hats are finished.  I also want to make a sleeveless top for when warm weather finally, finally gets here.  I already have appropriate yarn for this tank, but favor this design a bit more.... decisions, decisions.  What are you up to?

WIP Friday

I seem to always be running on my own, not-quite-parallel track, to other knit bloggers, so why not offer up my WIP update today?  I am happy to say that knitting is happening, and crocheting, and even some jewelry-making.  I have an order to fill later today, and Friday has become a 'work for myself' day in my life, maybe permanently as an entrepreneur, or at least until I can obtain more hours at my present job or a different one.  Sigh, the woes of the economy.  OK, that was the limit of my self-pity!  I am excited to have an order for three Tree of Life pendants to fill, as well as a sample of one to make up and send out to a fellow crafter to take with her to fairs in another part of the country.  A fifth pendant will end up on Etsy by the end of a month, also as a display model.

Sweetheart Mittens

I have talked about these a few times on the blog, which means they aren't getting done!  I have to admit that I fell in love with Kristen's pattern when I saw her one red mitten on display at the LYS, and even knowing that crochet hurts my hands more than knitting, had to buy some Frog Tree alpaca sport weight to start a pair.  I can't remember where I heard the phrase, "you can tell a knitter by what she's wearing... none of her accessories match", but it has been haunting me the past six months or more.  I decided to choose this lovely, natural medium brown shade mainly because it matches my favorite winter hat!  How novel of me, eh?  Well, alpaca will also make for very toasty-warm mittens, however the yarn is rather splitty, and the pointy tip of my Brittany birchwood hook is catching on at least a fourth of the stitches each row!  The going is a bit slow, but as you can tell, the mitten is carefully designed to fit well.  Mitten #1 can be finished this coming weekend and #2 started!

Fairwind Cardi

My Knit NIght group meets every two weeks and we started this lovely sweater as a KAL, with most of us participating.  Of course (in the 'what were we thinking' department) we started in November, just as we were all getting geared up for gifting, and a few were busy doing shows to sell their crafty wares!

I haven't felt that bad tabout what little progress has been made, after all I was busy!  Except when I pulled the sweater out of my basket to photograph it this morning, I had one of those aha moments... I have been deferring this because I am all through the yoke and in my first repeat on the lace, which I messed up big-time.  It all started with talking and knitting (and a bit of tea-drinking) and getting to the too tired point.  Then, when I realized the next time I sat down with the sweater what the problem was, my repair efforts just made things worse!  I am a patient person with lace, one of my great loves in knitting, however, an entire evening didn't fix the problem and major ripping back and re-working will need to take place to get through those first few repeats.  This is not a particularly complicated pattern, but it can be when you miss your mistake and then try to repair it from a few rows above.  Look for a more positive update soon!  The yarn is Classic Elite Magnolia, and is just beautiful... the color has been hard to capture, either photographing too orange-y or too pinkilish (one of my chlldrens' invented words, which has stuck in our family's culture!).  It is actually a very lovely warm shell pink.  I know I will adore wearing this sweater through the spring, which will come sooner than we think, so plan to spend some time tonight fixing my mistake and getting back on track.

Kaellingesjal Shawl

I have a small tradition of staring a shawl on New Year's Day, and this year was no exception.  It may not really count as a tradition until I have lived a few more decades, but at least a few of the ones I have made in recent years were started as part of bringing in the new, and this year's choice is a re-construction of a historical piece, the pattern unearthed on Ravelry after having been lovingly deciphered by Mette Rorbech.  The original was made in 1897, and lives now at the Vendsyssel Museum in Denmark.  Isn't this world at this time such an amazing place for us fiber-loving fanatics?  I will probably never make it to Denmark to the Vendsyssel Museum to view this shawl in this lifetime, and the odds would have been against my stumbling on an article in a print magazine two or three decades even describing it, or offering a pattern!

Luckily for me, this wonderful shawl is now available to me, a lover of all things Victorian and Elizabethan, who can now create something to wear with the costumes I end up donning several times a year for re-enactment events. 

I am using a heavier laceweight from my stash, from the Wooly Wonka lace club a few years back.  I loved the deep green color and always wanted to save it for this purpose.  I also adore how this shawl was designed to be tied in the back, a true working woman's shawl!  The pattern is a bit more of a recipe, but having been a big fan of Elizabeth Zimmerman's work over the past few decades, that does not appear too daunting, at least not yet.  So far, the bottom edging I am working is only a foot and a half, and needs to be my wingspan, then a corner for the bottom shawl point knitted, and then another wingspan's worth for the other side!  I believe this will be a long, leisurely and loving knit!

Lastly, an update on the Flora dolly, from my DDIL, who interpreted FO as follow-up, providing a new view of how Flora is faring at their house:

"Ok, heres my own FO! lol. Odessa LOVES her dolly now!!! She totes her all around the house. I keep her in her toy hanger on her crib and every morning when I go in to get her she has pulled her out and has her in the crib with her! So don't... worry, your efforts are very much appreciated! It just took awhile or her to bond with Flora, thats all! Hehe. Also, I have worn my necklace like 4 times already since Xmas...and considering what a ridiculous amount of jewelry I own, thats HUGE!!! I love it soooo much!!! As for the "precious metal firing," are you referring to art-clay?? This is something I am HUGELY interested in, so if thats the same thing you're referring to please feel free to foward me any info you find!" 

Now don't you just bet that MADE my day?!

Fairwind Knitalong Start-up

Last night, our Knit Along group met for the first time at the Willow Springs studio, and we really liked our new digs.  A few people with other crafty interests joined us, along with Penny, who has a pottery studio on the site.  It was a rowdy and fun time, and several of us kicked off our Fairwind Knitalong.  Rhodi, who was under the weather and couldn't join last night, will be making the cardi with us, bringing our total up to six!  We just tripled the Ravelry stats for this project, LOL.  We also decided we might need to be the errata testers as we pored over the directions together, finding a few typos and a missed asterisk.  It is wonderful how multiple minds can help get through a new project!

First, off... here's Rowen, casting on her version.

Rowen is using a beautiful merino/silk yarn she found on sale at the Webs tent sale last year.   I didn't write down the name of it, but I love the high sheen that the silk and the multi-ply gives to the color.  I picked Classic Elite Magnolia for my version, another merino/silk blend.  However, since that yarn is a single ply, it too has sheen but doesn't reflect back as much light.

Of course, I forgot to get a photo of mine.

We sat side by side throughout the evening, comparing notes about the instructions, and trying out the unusual increases used in this top-down sweater.  Cecily has you do a lifted increase using the stitch in the row below, then knit the one above it (on your needles), which makes for an interesting double-v look as you work them... I practiced several times on another piece I had with me, and we agreed it was a rather pretty-looking increase.  That's where we discovered a bit of dyslexia in abbreviation-typing.

 

Stephanie (Wooly Daisy to some of you Bloglanders) was the one who found this pattern, while 'window shopping' on Ravelry.  We all had a few choice comments about whether she had read it first... however, we all agreed it is very elegant, and we liked many features:  the offset front closure, the delicate ribbing on either side, the nice edging you get from slipping the first stitch of each row, and the lace pattern.

This next photo shows Claudia (left) and Stephanie casting on... Stephanie is using Cascade 220, but she is happy with her gauge and fabric, so we all agreed she should go forth and prosper.  Plus, we are here for her if she stops feeling that it's working.

Claudia is using a lighter-weight yarn, probably closer to fingering than sport, but we helped her decide how to approach that problem as well... and will keep you posted on her results and outlook.  She is making her sweater as a gift!

 

Note that Claudia is still smiling here - it's early in the evening.  Things got much quieter as more concentration became involved in getting a new pattern set up.

The next picture pretty closely captures the lovely gold that Stephanie has chosen, along with her very cute tin for holding markers.

One of the comments that brought the most laughter during the evening came when Claudia told us she had cast on a second time because she hadn't realized she was supposed to leave the markers in place... knitting together is so much more fun!

The last photo is Barbara Sue, who is also using Cascade 220 (and of course a different needle size than Steph, to get the same gauge!)... she chose a lovely beige, though that is hard to tell in this photo.  We loved how she wore her 'jeweler's eyes' to work last night... Barbara Sue works at one of the gold shops in our 'mountain mining' region... the irony being that few mines remain open, though amazing gold has been found in this region.  B Sue's employer, Terry, is a very creative goldsmith.

I promise frequent updates, including some pictures of my own version, as all six of us produce our sweaters together.

 

Muddling Through May

I almost typed "March" and if I hadn't been so busy lately planting my food garden, I would honestly think I was still back in March.  Putting a major grant proposal together is one of the big time-gobblers this month.  I submitted it last week and have to wait until the end of next to see if I was successful.  Since our program budget hinges on getting the funding, I wouldn't mind if y'all thought really good thoughts for me and the 123 Grow program.  Then, I got a bit wrapped up in creating a Facebook presence for our non-profit; you can view it through this link if you are a Facebook member, and become one of our fans. If you haven't bought into FB, that's ok too --- the other person of our two-member committee to create this web presence lovingly calls it "Facecrack" for the addicting, time-sucking qualities.

Then, as I intimated, gardening has really risen to the top of the priority list this month, including helping the parents in my program as we contributed a big presence at last weekend's community plant sale, where the temps got really close to 100!  We made $275 in sales, and the temps are back to normal for this time of year in the Sierras, so life is very, very good!  I have soybeans, bush beans, snow peas, eggplant, five kinds of heirloom tomatoes, yacon, strawberries, dill, bronze fennel (for dyeing wool), calendula (also for dyeing), two kinds of basil (the Opal variety may end up in the dyepot as well), red peppers, lemon cucumber, Jerusalem artichokes, mixed greens, rhubarb chard, sorrel, and corn all in the ground, along with several flowering plants, including a bush lupine about to burst into bloom.  This year's spring weather has blest me with the prettiest blooming of roses in ten years, and my raspberries are flowering as well.  There are blueberries, cherries, pears, and apples all setting fruit, but it all adds up to a lot of time outside instead of in front of the computer.  I know... excuses, excuses.

It is the height of spring where I live, and I promise to take lots of photos over the weekend.  We have the old Slate Range Camp in sparkling shape for the annual family reunion we will be hosting.

I have been knitting and crocheting, though all of my projects seem to have made slow progress through this month.  It looks like a handful will reach completion in rapid succession, with my five potholders for the Potholder Swap arriving at the finish line first.  They are pentagonal, a variation of the Granny Square stitch, and double thickness, using basic washcloth cotton.  I will be sending them off in the mail tomorrow, but am basking in the sense of accomplishment.  Crocheting is much harder on my hands than knitting, I had to make ten to get five, and they won't lay flat, but I do know from past experience that they will wear well and do a great job for their intended purpose -curving around the handle of a hot pot and protecting your hands.  I suspect that the baby blankie will be the next FO.  Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Spring Summary

After working diligently for over an hour, battling with my browser quitting, the second time I returned to Typepad, it tantalizingly claimed to have autoarchived my (lengthy at that point) post only to refuse to open it.  I had to leave the computer for a good cry... I really had written all those brilliant things I mean to say.  I really had, finally, enough time to slog through putting a post together using my tediously slow dial-up.  There's a new rumor floating around my town that we can finally get high speed internet through Digital Path, but only if you have a clear line-of-sight to Oregon Peak, the high point where the new tower is located.  There's also a good chance that if I call first thing tomorrow and they say I can't get it, I will hang up my blogging shoes (guess it should really be thumbs?).  The level of frustration I go through is just too hard... I realized when creating posts at a few other locations in the past several months that the rest of you sit down and breezily whip something out while I could have knitted a washcloth (believe me, I have!) in the time it takes to write one post.  I can't even be content with 'just reading' other peoples' blogs as it takes so long to load each and every one that I really only circulate through my dearest blog-friends in a week and miss out on finding new friends.  I do apologize for whining... I am feeling disconnected from the knit blogging community I used to be such an active part of, and maybe the technology fix will allow me to get back on board the community train.

One of the things I had told you about is that I finished my Mouse and His Cookie last night... here he is in all his cuteness.  He was a lot of fun to make.  He took a bit longer than the other crocheted animals I have made to date... needed to make a lot of parts, including overalls with embroidered straps, and line his little ears with felt, which add to their ability to stand up.  He also got a sweet little chocolate chip cookie, with embroidered 'chips', to complete the picture of the mouse in the story, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" (link to Lafayette Bookstore, where my SIL manages the brick and mortar store; maybe you would like to use them for online ordering instead of the big box ones).

He is standing in an antique faucet handle, which makes a good stand for a soft toy, which is meant to be held rather than stiffly stand at attention.... right now he is living on the mantle next to an antique 'Happy Buddha" statue. I am not sure where these amigurumi critters will end up, but there are a few more on the list waiting to be brought to life. Crochet is a bit harder on my hands than knitting, but I have been enjoying it and also finished a gift hat last night... no photos until the recipient has gotten it. I decided to join the Potholder Swap I read about in Margene's Friday post, sponsored by Adrian and Maritza. I love to pick up these vintage treasures at thrift and antique stores and think it will be fun making several with the patterns they have compiled on the swap blog.

While working on this post (and having Firefox crash again, leading me to save and restart the computer), I decided to eat lunch and try and forge ahead.... I do have knitting content to share.  I got inspired reading about Knitnana joining Rainy's Basket O' Shame KAL, and decided to take stock of my own basket.  There are three four (let's be honest here) long-languishing items in there... the one that has waited the longest to be finished is DH's vest-to-be-felted(Rav link).  I started this project four years ago, worked at in seasonally and finally finished the knitting a year ago... next steps were to use cotton yarn to knit temporary edgings, felt it in the washer, remove those temporary edgings and finish with nice rolled wool ones.  Sounds tedious, eh?  That's what I thought, which is partly why it languishes still... I also can't find the Felted Knits book with instructions, or remember who I lent it to!  Of course, I could check it out from the library, which may be the only way the thing will get done.

The next project, equally close to the finish line is my Haori Vest, which has been knitted, fabric lining sewn together, and even partly hand-sewn in place... so what's the problem?  

If you look closely at this not-so-great photo, you will notice that there is a gap in the lining, just below the padded hanger (made by my granny, long ago!).  I used the knitted vest as my pattern, but somehow still ended up short on the back neck, and will need to 'sister' a piece of fabric in there... could happen today since I am inside while it snows, or I could go on to an easier project instead.  I really DO need to finish this up, though.

Third is my Circle Vest (another Rav link), which still needs about two ounces of yarn spun, then dyed, in order to finish.  I have thought of this as a long-term project all along, so it might not count as part of the 'basket o' shame', but then I am only an unofficial participant!  I have a self-imposed deadline to finish this project by summer in order to enter it into the county fair.  Our fiber guild volunteers to keep the fiber building going, and I do feel an obligation to help by providing an entry.  I just haven't felt like spinning the past few months and am waiting for my spinning mojo to return with spring.  At least that's what I hope.

Fourth is my Flutter Scarf, which has been a carry-along from the beginning, is only half-done, and has been shoved aside by pushier carry-alongs since before Christmas.  Many got completed, and hopefully it will once again be Flutter's turn.  One such item, that I haven't yet posted a photo of, are these mitts made last month for a gift. 

They are a pair of Chevron mitts (Rav link), using STR, which was so lovely to work with.  A second pair, for me, are in progress with the first hand done except the thumb... that has been this month's carry-along.  Must have been to less meetings, as there has been slower progress than on the first pair, made while attending a conference in Berkeley for three days.

Unfortunately, the odds are against Flutter today, as there is clamoring to make another little animal, work on my Mendocino vest, finish the second of my Chevron wristwarmers, make a quick crocheted mohair scarf for spring, or start a pair of socks.  Yes, odd as that sounds coming from me, sock mojo has been knocking on the door here, asking to be let in... Brigid is one of the patterns under consideration, as I have some lovely Grace's yarn in my stash that has been patiently waiting its turn.

Chemo Cap Knitalong

It's only a few weeks until the start of October, which is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so time to recruit some of you to join in our venture at Fibers, the LYS where I work and teach.  I will be offering a basic hat class on Saturday, October 4th from 2-4 PM, to launch a month-long Chemo Cap Knitalong, and want to encourage my Blogland friends to join in the effort.  While you are welcome to come to Grass Valley one of the Saturday afternoons in October, and sit around and knit a hat with us, you can also just stay right where you are and make one, or three, or five.... then, look around in your local community and decide where to donate it.

I would like to ask all of you to spread the word, design a button, let me know your results, etc., and will be putting together a blog-style contest (and accepting donations for said contest), with each hat you make equaling a ticket into the drawing to be held at the end of October... all you have to do is send me a message, or link to a photo on your blog or Ravelry site, etc. as you finish each hat!

So, dig through your stash this weekend, visit the Berroco website for a few nice Chinchilla patterns, and comment to let me konw you're in!

Have a great weekend.

A Little Less Talk... A Lot More Action!

This weekend, I devoted part of my knitting time to getting my Knit Unto Others projects lined up for the next two weeks (and beyond, since I always think I can accomplish more than actually happens).

My first project is also my November UFO Resurrection (don't you just love how I can multi-task?!).  I started this blanket back a year ago, when I found Lion Boucle at the Dollar Tree for a $1 a ball...

One of my friends who runs the North San Juan Family Resource Center where I offer Adult Ed GED Prep classes each week had decided to try and start a handwork group, with Project Linus as one possible recipient of the efforts... however, she and I were the only people to turn up and we weren't able to keep up our spirits, or the schedule she originally chose, and my blanket languished.  Then, this fall I met the director of a very special program here in my area, called the Kare Crisis Nursery, that offers round-the-clock, drop-in respite care for parents in emergencies or crisis.  She and one of the many volunteers who make this program possible were enrolled in the infant/toddler development class I and a co-worker both needed to take this fall... turns out, he has also volunteered there, doing carpentry work for them during his summer off from directing our Headstart preschool program.  I decided to finish my blanket for them during KUTO... and as you can see, I am about halfway there.  I am aiming for a 40-inch square blanket, and making great progress.  The blanket may end up bigger, or I may divide my ten skeins into two, depending on the yardage I get.

Margene and Carole have picked 'little things' as their focus this year, so I am also making sure that I have several small squares ready to mail by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend for Oliver's American Blanket.  Most of you already know that Kay of Mason-Dixon fame has offered to be the American hostess/seamstress for squares added to this raffle.

These little four inch squares make up quickly from leftover sock yarn, and though the ones I am making this week will be mailed off to Kay, I had the inspiration this afternoon to keep on making squares, with some help from my friends.  You see, though the Kare Crisis Nursery said they would happily accept knitted blankets, but what they really want is quilts.  So, having a background in both arts, I have decided that my primary knitting for peace endeavor for 2008 will be to continue making squares and to arrange them in quilt patterns based on the four-inch square.  This is where I need some help from my friends... I would love your left-over sock yarn (if it is superwash wool) and would welcome your help. 

My four-inch squares are based on the basic warshrag pattern (same as the directions for Oliver's raffle).  I am also leaving a long tail at the start and end to help with the sewing-up, which I will do (see, Allison, I really DO love the mattress stitch now).  Many of you who are contributing to Kay's efforts will be tired of squares (for a while), but keep in mind that I will be doing this indefinitely.  Just leave a comment or email me (burrobird AT gmail DOT com).

There is a third knitting for peace project that will not even get off the ground until after KUTO is through, and that is a group blanket, made from superwash worsted weight squares that Stephanie has initiated, for all of our Knit Night group to join together in producing.  We will be finding a local charity for that as well.

I did spend some time on personal knitting as well, but will show you what I am working on for myself later in the week, as I am really trying to be less selfish and give a little this week... our fiber guild is also working hard to get items together to donate to the Nevada County foster care program by our annual Christmas party in mid-December and I do have two items already set aside for that, but will be trying to make a few more hats by then.

I have not been keeping you all up-to-date on my Ravelry progress... I became a group moderator a few weeks ago for a fun forum our shop is sponsoring; you may have already gotten my invite to our 'fibers grass valley' group, but if not, drop on by and invite yourself! This week's conversation has been trying to find out which knitting magazines REALLY help and inspire you, and I would love to have your responses!

August Resurrection

August has almost come and gone and I really don't have much in the way of knitting to show for it... several projects in various stages of completion or anticipation.  However, finally, after languishing all winter, Bianca gets her turn at the top again.

Faithful readers will recall that I started Bianca last fall with high hopes of finishing and wearing her through the fall and winter seasons and into early spring.  She was the perfect little jacket, and I was doing her up in a nice little nubbly tea-colored Henry's Attic Inca Cotton that I could wear with anything.
 

I knew I would just love her, that is until I realized while swatching that the gauge my substitution was giving me would require recalculating the numbers for the entire pattern.  I used to do all of my knitting this way, calculating to use the yarn I had for a design I liked, but nowadays I hate the fuss...

I managed to make it all the way up the back, but not without tons of enticing distractions.  I checked back over my blog entries from last fall and was reminded about how I was lured away to make not one, but two Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawls, both exquisite and much prettier than the jacket.  Then there were the Anna socks, a purse, a few gifts, and some charity knitting.  Somehow, I just never got around to making those calculations needed to knit the curved front pieces, so now it is onward and upward to get to the pretty little lace yokes.  I was reviewing where I left off in my math project (yup, that is what a promising knit gone bad has turned into for me) and decided to proceed differently.  After all, one definition of crazy is to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results.  My re-start is to do all of the math in one sitting, in effect re-writing the yarn for the fabric I want to get with this yarn, and then jump back in, pattern in hand and charge forward.  This really would be the perfect jacket, after all!

While I was re-starting myself on Bianca and felting up my denim clogs earlier this week, I got to thinking about what it is that gets me to set aside a project and neglect it for a long period of time or even abandon it entirely.  My commitment to participate in the UFO Resurrection all year has really helped me to get back to several very worthy projects, but also led to ripping and reclaiming the yarn from two failed ones.  The red yarns I reclaimed back in January have only partially been re-purposed, but that means I have a few wonderful items still waiting for me in my stash (did you notice that Knitnana is promoting a new kind of 401K plan?).  I transformed CeCe into Lutea, with very happy results and have made slow but steady progress on Seraphim.  I was disappointed with the fact that CeCe's pattern stitch, which had seemed so easy going into it, had turned out to be a fussy one for me, not an enjoyable knit.  Would I go back and try again?  Probably not.  On the other hand, Seraphim had been neglected because she had grown large and complicated enough that I could no longer carry her around and work in a distracted environment... currently she has only about 16 rows to go, but each row takes something like 20 minutes and is over 300 stitches, so I am getting a few rows done a night, on the nights that something doesn't call me away from her.  I hope to have her off the needles before September ends.  I also managed to finish up a purse that was sitting around simply because the final details were daunting me, and learned that finish work is something to be proud of rather than shirk!  I even decided to take on a friend's UFO with my new-found appreciation of finishing skills. 

My denim clogs, July's UFO Resurrection, are now drying, though I am still thinking I may need to go back and felt them further to get the fit I want... the water and suds both cooled down in the lengthy period to get them felted to this point, and I opted to let them dry and try them on with a pair of winter socks to further check and adjust the fit, as well as be willing to go through the felting cycle again, if needed.

That vest is the lingering, nagging project, reminding me that sometimes a finished object might be a great idea, but the knitting thereof a real drag... choose your battles, wisely!

Coincidentally (or not, depending on your worldview), I listened to a great discussion about the value of making and writing goals and life lists for yourself on Talk of the Nation yesterday while driving to town for my first physical therapy appointment (it went well, but I was pretty sore afterwards).  I realized that I have done many of the things I wanted to do with my life, and that I have also been willing to change direction and abandon some of them in favor of new goals that better suit me as I am now.  I think projects can sometimes end up the same way, no longer suiting me, either as a knitter or an end-user.  Why do you let some of your projects, beloved at their beginnings, become UFOs?

Friday Sunset Instead

I am in a bit of a funk tonight.  I wanted to start a new pair of socks for Summer of Socks and had the perfect sunset color, Wooly Wonka yarn in the Harvest colorway.  I had a lacy pattern that I thought would work, cast on in the early evening, sitting on my lovely back porch and enjoying summer.  I breezed through the first few rib rows, then ground to a halt.  The pattern was too fussy for my liking (or maybe I should say for my hands' liking).  It took way too long to trial that first fancy row and I thought to myself "These socks wouldn't get finished this summer!"  I was a bit disgusted and chided myself about my attitude.  I was more than a bit depressed; my hands have been getting much better but this just wasn't going to help.  Was I ever going to be able to return to making socks?

As the time approached to stop knitting and make food (we had yummy BBQed lamb ribs... dry spicy rub in case you are curious), I threw the whole mess down and thought I would cast about for another pattern.  I do want to join the fun!

Still in a state of rebellion after dinner, I decided that this awesome view shouldn't  have to wait till it was officially Saturday evening...

The glow of the setting sun reminded me that tomorrow is another day.  Hopefully one in which I start a friendly-to-knit pair of socks!

You might also have noticed that I added the Tour De Fleece button to my sidebar on the right... yup, I'm signing on for the non-race.  I have been a TDF fan for years, even as cycling goes through the latest doping crises... I love the enduring quality of this event, and will be enjoying some daily spinning time next month.  That one's an easy KAL.  I haven't even selected a knitting project of Spun Stitches and was about to start something this afternoon, but heck, what about all those other objects on the needles?  I feel a little too scattered... maybe it is from spending all that time in the air.  Happy Summer Weekend, everyone.