Clone Trooper Hat finished 10/08

I used a basic earflap hat construction and rigged the math (yes… I did math) to work with the repeats of the charts. I lined the inside with fleece for extra softness and warmth.

Charts found here.

This is 8oz of BFL I dyed and spun up on my new Lendrum.

Pattern: Look How Pretty My Yarn is Shawl by my friend Michelle.

I added 3 extra repeats of the *yo,k2tog* repeat at the end for a little more of a lacy effect.

Gifted to my step-mom for her birthday. Happy Birthday Neenie!

photos courtesy of Carole Knits

I dyed this yarn for Carole… you know her. Carole Knits, Carole.

Eye Candy goddess Carole.

Yeah, her. With the inspiring pictures every Friday that make me want to dye more yarn.

She finished these very lovely socks out of her Daffodils colorway. They have gotten such a great response that I put 15 special orders of this limited edition colorway up in the shop.

Get ‘em while you can!!!

I leave you with pictures of our newly planted garden…

Cowboy looks like a jedi gardener, no?

“plant you I will…”

Dillon Beach Pullover: Gregory Courtney (Simply Shetland 4)

that it looks as if I don’t knit anymore.

Au contraire, monfraire! I do. I just can never find all of the components of my camera and batteries… and time….

but here are a few pictures of the current WIP’s:

Sleeve one of FUGL. That is body completed up to the point where the sleeves join…1 sleeve finished… casting on for sleeve two today.

190 yds of worsted weight handspun. Yup… I still spin. And it only took this 6 months to spin and ply (my wheel cries out of loneliness!)

A prototype knitting accessory bag. Or a tampon case… or pencils/pens. I think I will stick to the knitting accessory theory.

Here is the detail.

All very low quality photos… but at least there is evidence I do knit. Ok Michelle?

I hear the clock ticking on the wall… that’s it. Nothing else…
Blissful, peaceful, quiet. I don’t need my AC in the studio… no white noise filling my cluttered brain… thank god.
The past few weeks have been strange… strange news, strange happenings, and a lot of pressure. Computer woes, work headaches, school headaches for the cowboy… just a lot of crap flying around in my little world.
It was so nice to celebrate the cowboy’s birthday with his friends and family. The party was perfect… nice hot (but not too humid) weather for the party… the right number of guests.. I even bought the right amount of food. I have not one picture to share (I was way too busy to snap some) and am waiting for the emails to come in with some. The cowboy was so happy… like the perfect 4 year old happy at your birthday party. I asked him if he wanted anything else for his party and he said “nope”. He really had perma-grin the entire time.

I have him home with me this week… we had to switch school programs on the fly (for none too pleasant reasons) and are waiting for his pre-k program to start. I am really in awe of my little man. He is just so sweet… I can really see that when we spend lots of time together…I am going to try to bring him to the studio tomorrow to do some finishing work. I hope he can hang in there.

In knitting swap news…

My sockpalooza socks came last week! Theresa sent me these gorgeous monkeys, some Burt’s Bee’s foot goodness, and some great notecards. Thanks Theresa!

Funny thing is…. My buddy Michelle made her socks! Crazy coincidence… no?

More socky goodness for me too!

My buddy Sarah made me socks out of my yarn! I love her. I miss her… go tell her to move back to Maryland. OK?

More to come… more yarn news and updates soon! Remember the 20% off coupon to the warehouse is still good for a few more days!

Post a picture.

That is a personal project. Enough yarn for a sweater. Yes, I am hooked on sweater knitting.

My Flair is almost compete. She has been a joy to knit. She is soft and lovely and aching for her block and finish. She will be seaworthy. Seeing as Vancouver and Victoria will be around, oh 50 degrees… I will need her.

This is a modified “red maple” 100% Natural wool. I bought some to test dye for an upcoming class that I am teaching. I think that I will do a little Elizabeth Zimmerman formula to produce a nice seamless raglan. No idea on the neckline… but I am convinced that I need a little seamless action in my life.

On a Warehouse note:

I did a wee update tonight of superwash sock yarn and roving.

I am fortunate enough to have more family than most. I am the child of divorced parents, who each had children with new spouses, and a new family dynamic bloomed in my life.

One of the strongest pieces of that dynamic is my step-mom. She comes from this amazingly graceful, and big Irish Catholic family. That family is made up of 7 sisters and her one brother.

Each sister has touched my life in profound ways. They have walked 60 miles with me to raise money for the Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day, they stood behind me when I delivered the eulogy at my father’s funeral, they have taught me to love your family in the face of imperfection, and they have taught me that a good laugh is always the best medicine.

So, to honor each sister, I have decided to make a lace piece for everyone of them this year.

Now, I am a beginner lace knitter. I am trying like crazy to steady myself to read a chart (umm… I was reading them wrong until recently), to knit slowly, and move my lifeline up with each repeat.

But, I thought, if I wanted to improve my lace-knitting skills I better love the projects (or at least the people that they are intended for).

This piece is intended for Aunt Beanie. She gave the blessing at my wedding, held my hand while delivering my dad’s eulogy, and walked 60 miles with no complaints and BAD blisters.

The yarn is Claudia’s Handpaints, “Walk in the Woods” colorway. And the question that inevitably follows is….” Why not use your own yarn? ”

Well…. I am pretty fond of yarn in general. When something is beautiful, it is beautiful. I don’t need to always use my own yarn. Don’t get me wrong… there are some of my colorways that I love and covet. Some you never get to see. I am all about the art of the material. Claudia makes some beautiful stuff.

So…. sister number 1 is under way. I hope I get through my little project by Christmas. I would love to hand deliver each piece with a card to tell them how much they mean to me.

Not really. But I saw a play about it.

My dear friend Coleen asked me to be her date to a play called “Altar Boyz” .

I realized how much of a knit blogging dork I am when the first thing I ask her after I got in the car was “Do you have your knitting? What about your camera?” Ummm.. we both had them.

Here is our evening at the theatre for your enjoyment.

We pulled up to the historic Hippodrome theater early and headed here for dinner:

Maggie Moore’s: Two nice Irish girls in an Irish Pub. Drinking these:

Yummy!

a Half and Half… yum.

A Harp for Herself.

We headed to the play a little toastier on a chilly night and made friends with the ushers. Dave, Bob, Dorothy, and Mary are fine volunteer folk! I even knit a little in the lobby before the show:

Take notice of the chick in the background…. I have a story about her for later.

The show was fantastically hilarious. It is the story of 4 altar boys and one Jewish guy who form a Christian boy band. If you have any history with catholicism or Judiasim… you will be rolling in your seat the entire time. Really, really funny. They are a Christian N’Sync.

So… the show ends and we go to the stage door because Coleen has a friend in the show. I pull out my knitting while waiting for the cast to come out.

Sister girl:

Is in this tiny lobby with us. And her friend…. Crazy sister girl #2.

At the time I thought she may be crew… or family…. but NO!

She is what is called an “Alter-holic”. She has seen the show like 30 times in NYC and is following the tour up and down the East Coast. She was also HIGHLY annoying….

Bombarding the cast… giving them presents and taking pictures…. these 5 guys just WORKED THEIR ASSES OFF on stage and sister girl is requiring them to pose for her pink digital breast -cancer supporting camera and to act like they love it because GOD forbid they don’t comply and get the reputation for being difficult or what not. They are actors for God sake.
Crazy. Crazy……… ummmm….. then I got to thinking. I had my camera. I had my knitting. I have been known to get a little flustered around knit designers and folks who are well known in this community. And I have seen the craziness at the blogger meet-ups and the folks that throw themselves at really well known knitters….. I DOCUMENTED my date with Coleen for all to see….. am I different from crazy sister girl ? Ummm….. yes and no.

Although knitting and the fiber arts community (virtual and live and up close) has become a HUGE part of my life, it does not make up the whole. There is a lot more to each and every one of us than what we lead on in our blogging. I am just hoping that when you all meet me in real life that I am not too boring for you (if you hand me a beer I can liven it up a bit!)

I am hoping that sister girl has some really good stuff in her life besides the show. Because the play is only 90 minutes long and I am sure that it is a really long time between shows.

project that is!

In all of his 3.5 yars I have never made him socks. Bad mommy!

I used Plymouth Encore (very washable, very durable for boy feet wear). Maybe I will make D a matching pair..

Have a great rest of your weekend!