What's next? More socks

While I was on my trip to Salt Lake we took a small detour to Ogden and the Needlepoint Joint. Now this was a shop that I have herd about for years and was rather excited to visit, and not just because I was ready for a potty break. If you every get a chance to visit please do. The shop is set up really nicely. Very good lighting so its really easy to see the yarns and the buttons. Wow do they have lots and lots of buttons. As a matter of fact I picked up 6 Paddington Bear ones for some future project. While I was looking around I finally found the perfect sock yarn for my daughter. Her high school colors are green and gold and white. We have been looking for some sock yarn so she can knit some socks. Well it doesn't have gold but the green and white will be perfect. I'm thinking that she can add gold to the top of the cuff and the heels and the toes. I also had on my list to find a sold so that I could make the I love gansey socks from the Six socks yahoo group. I have quiet a bit of sock yarn in my stash but very little sold colors. I first saw the really nice slate green that thought that would be perfect. Then I saw the Rowanspun 4ply and just fell in love with the color. So I had to add that to my stash as well. As a matter of fact, later in the weekend I picked up some roving in just about the same color.

Its kind of funny, for the last year or so I have been trying to get to where I pick other colors besides green. I am noticing that I'm more into jewel tones these days. Or maybe its that fall is just around the corner. As a matter of fact one of the ski lodges locally reported a half an inch of snow yesterday. Can it be that its going to get cooler and become perfect knitting and spinning weather? But I sure hope so, I have so much to do and no time to do it in. I think I will start a sweater, now what colors should I use....

Natures Bounty

Last week, just before I left town I received my Natures Bounty swap box. The directions for this swap was to send 6 or so ounces of fiber and then any other goodies to express fall. Then once you get your box you are to spin up 3 ounces or so and sent that on to another partner. Well I took the weekend to think about what I wanted to do with all the goodies I got. Yes the roving is as soft as it looks and it was really fun to spin up. I first thought about making a three ply, using one of each color, but I also wanted to add the black eyelash. So I went back to the drawing board and thought some more. So this is what I came up with. What I did was spin a rather thick single of each. Starting with the orange I spun about 30 or 40 yards, then stopped the orange and added the grey and spun 30 or 40 yards, then stopped and finally added the brown. So I ended up with a ball that started orange, went to grey and then ended up with brown. I then plied it with the eyelash. I wasn't supposed to use anything other then what was in the box, but rules are made to be broken sometimes. I added a strand of black glitter. I think it came out well and its still really soft. To finish it off I tied the skein with the ribbon that has beads on it. I think it screams fall don't you.

Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair

This past weekend I was able to attend the Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair in Salt Lake City. I went with a friend who what scheduled to teach a class on wool combing. It took us about 6 hours to drive down. When we arrived a storm was beginning to brew. This is a picture of the mountain on the edge of town. This was the start of the storm. It did get much worse. As a matter of fact while we were in out Hotel room for the evening some of the vendors were trying to hold down their tents. A few were not successful. Many had to run out in the morning and buy new tents. One vendor was so upset she just went home. There is no telling what the weather will do.

This was my first visit to Salt Lake. I have to say I really didn't seem much because I was more interested in the fiber and the fair then the city. On Saturday my friend Lynn set up and taught her class. I decided not to take any classes for two reasons. Lynn will be teaching the same class in January here in Boise so I decided to wait until then, the other reason was I wanted to spend my money on fiber. Which I of course did. I do have to say the Wasatch Woolpack Handspinners guild were so much fun to meet and get to know. Also the ladies that planned this event were so welcoming to me a total outsider it made the whole event that much more fun.

One of the fun things of the fair where two guys dressed in Scottish attire and spinning. They were so fun to watch. They brought a great walking wheel which they showed how it worked and then they brought two of the smallest wheels I have every seen. Just a little note The older gentleman spun and then knit his socks.

Because I didn't take any classes I was able to shop and then spin all day. What can be more fun then that? One thing to mention, it was really windy all day. So there were bits of fiber flying through the air but it still was pleasant to sit out side and spin. So you are asking "So what did you buy?" Well the first thing I did was make a list of things that I have been looking for the first on the list was roving to make a pair of enterlac socks. The pattern that I'm planning on using is from the Spin off book called Socks a spin off special. The pattern calls for 100 yards of 6 different colors well I found 8 colors. So my socks will be a bit more colorful. Oh well.

The next thing on the list was some thrums from http://www.spinderellas.com/ . I have bought a couple of thrums before and just love them so of course I just had to add to my collection. The one that looks like its yellow is really chartruse with glitz. This is one that I saw last spring and thought about it all summer so I was really pleased to be able to get one.

I also wanted to add some exotic fibers to my collection. I'm thinking on starting a Spin-A-Long in January. Where each month I plan to spin a specialty fiber. The reason is to get better at spinning different fibers. So on this trip I added some alpaca, llama, pagora, and angora.

When I got to a fiber show and sale my plan is to first walk around and take a look at everything that is there, then go back and buy what really strikes me. Well I went to my second booth which happened to be Woolly Wonka fibers. The first thing I saw I just had to buy on the spot. I bought all she had in the dark blue colorway. Its alpaca, silk and glitz. I also bought a few ounces of grey pagora/wool.

While I was in Salt Lake I did have a bit of an adventure. I was able to meet and get to know the owners of http://www.greensleevesspindles.com/ at 3 AM. You see we were staying at the same Hotel and at 3 AM the fire alarms when off. So we got know each other as we waited for the fire department to give us the all clean. I'm not sure what happened but there was no fire and no yarn or fiber was lost. But they were so fun to talk with while we waited. I have to say not a word was said about my mohawk hair style. I did take time to dress but not comb my hair. Anyway on Sunday I stopped by and pick up some fiber.

I really don't like to spin on spindles so I bought fiber instead. But who knows I just might pick one up next time I see them after all there were a couple of gals out side waiting for the fire department spin on a spindle. After all you never know when you have to wait out side in the middle of the night for the fire department to let you back in to your hotel.

And the world just keeps on spinning

It seems that I have recently had the privilege and joy to do several spinning demonstrations. I first started at the local state fair in August. Then I did an all day demo at my church. Each year we have whats called Round Up Sunday. This is an all day kick off for the fall and winter activities. First I brought my wheel and spun during services and then in a tent after. We usually have around 1000 to 1500 people attend that day. I'm not sure what the final number was but I do know I had lots of questions. I did learn that its best to spin a very colorful roving when you are demonstrating, it helps to get people excited about spinning. So the first skein below was the skein I did at church. I the roving what one I got from Spunky fiber in the fiber a month subscription. I can't remember what the wool is but I have to say I really like how it turned out.
The second skein is 4 ounces of superwash that I also got from Spunky fiber. I spun the majority of it at the Great Basin Fiber Festival in Salt Lake City last weekend. I will talk more about that soon. Anyway the real exciting thing is that I came up with 360 yards. Enough to knit a pair of socks. I have never spun superwash, I didn't find it much different then regular wool. I can't wait to knit this up.

Sock it to swap parnter really did sock it to me!

Yesterday in the mail I got the very coolest box. My Sock it to me partner really knows how to spoil a person. In the picture you can see all the great goodies. Let me tell you about them. First there are two skein of Louet Gems in the prettiest shade of lavender, along with that there was some lavender soap, some lotion to pamper me with, monogram stickers that match the lavender theme of this box ,the neatest thread cutter ( its the small wooden disc on the book) and finally a sock book I have been wanting for along time but just never picked up. Nancy Bush's Folk Socks. Wow I just can't wait to get started on a pair of socks with this yarn. I think I will look through the book as see what I can come up with. Thanks so much for all the great goodies , I can't wait to see the next box with the sock in it.

A surprise Sock

Even though there is only one sock in this picture I did knit them both. My daughter is painting her bedroom and she is storing all her stuff in my yarn room so I can't find the other one at the moment but its in there. This pair of socks is for a swap partner but I'm not going to tell you who in chase you are a partner of mine. I will tell you that the yarn is Reynolds Whiskey and the pattern comes from Interweave Holiday special. They were so much fun to knit I really like the lace/cable pattern I'm thinking of putting it on a cuff of a sweater some time in the future. Also the toe was really fun. Once you get the foot to the point you want to start the decreasing what I did was on all four needles I knit 1 purl 1, knit to the last two stitches on the needle and purled them together. On the next round I just knit. On the third round I knit 2 sts, purl 1, knit to last 2 sts and p2tog. I repeated in the same manor until I had 8 stitches left and the closed up the hole with a darning needle. It kind of looks like a flower on the toe and it does fit nicely.

Spinning at the fair

During the fair I had the great fun of doing a couple of spinning demos. I have so much fun doing this because is so neat to educate people about spinning. I am always asked why I would waist so much time spinning when I could buy it cheaper at Walmart. Yes its sad there are so many out there who are so uneducated in the fibers. My answer is always the same. "It may be cheaper to buy yarn at Walmart but if you add in the cost of seeing a psychologist, or alcohol, spinning wool is much cheaper, plus I do end up with some to show for all my money instead of a huge bill or a handover." below are the skiens I spun while at the fair. The pink are thrums that I bought at a show a few months back. I added some glitter when I plyed them together for a bit more glitz. The green was some alpaca/wool I bought at a local fiber store. I ended up with enough of the green to make the cabled socks that are in the current issue of Interweave Knits, which of course is my plan.

Its 101 degree out side it must be fall

Yes its 101 here in Boise on the 3rd of September. Well I can't believe its September already. August just seemed to fly by, but it usually does with all the things we have to do for fair and then getting everyone ready for school. So we are all finished with fair. It went really well and we all had lots of fun. But I do have to tell you that I'm glad its over. As I talked about before I did enter a few things and did pretty well, OK I did really well. I won the Needle Arts sweepstakes award. I have already started on plans to win both the Needle arts and the grand Sweepstakes award next year. I will have to step up my knitting and crocheting to win however. I will also have to add some needle work too. I'm thinking of doing some needlepoint, cross stitch, candlewicking and maybe even design a couple of things. My plan is to work on something each month for the next year to show at the fair next August. So please keep checking back on my progress. I do have a funny story for all you tatters out there. I made the rounds last week to all the fabric stores in the area to look for candlewicking supplies. For those who don't know what that is, its a type of embroidery where you make designs with french Knots or colonial knots. Anyway I bought some muslin at ones store and the clerk asked me what I was going to do with just a half yard. I told her I was going to do some candlewicking. She said "Wow that's more of a dying art then tatting."

A day at the fair

So today our local fair started. I'm not really sure what you would call it. Its not really a county fair and its not a total state fair. The title is the Western Idaho fair, so I guess I would have to say its more of a regional fair. There are entries from several county in the area. Well years ago when I first moved to Boise I started to enter crocheted items because at the time Super yarnmart would award 5,10 and 15 dollar gift certificates to the winners. So that was my way of adding to my stash. By the way don't you just miss that store? Well now days the local knitting guild will give out special prizes but for the most part the fair pays the premium money. So for the past few years I have entered a few things, mostly knitting but some times other things like tatting, crochet and even some hand sewn mini bears. For the past 20 or so years I have been wanting to win the Sweepstakes award. There are two one for just needle arts and the other is called the Grand Sweepstakes, the way you win these is by gathering the most points from the wining items that you entered. Well this year I just ran out of time to get enough items to enter or so I thought. Today as my husband and I were looking to see how I did I couldn't find any of my stuff. Well it turns out that I did win the Needle Arts Sweepstakes. So in a week I will get to bring home a really cool plague. I was so floored. I would have won the Grand Sweepstakes if I had entered items in 5 or more categories, I only entered in 3. The neat thing was I was just really wanting to win first with my Journey shawl, which I did by the way along with three of the sweaters, some yarn,and a couple of other things that are shown in the picture below . OK so I'm done bragging about my big win. I will say one more thing I think I will get started right away and try for the Grand Sweepstakes next year.

Life is a Journey what road are you on

Life is a journey. Some days you are riding on a smooth freeway and other days you are on what some would call a trail; but if you look closer, it's a trail that is covered with rocks to trip you as you go along. Well, for the last couple of years, I seem to be stepping on lots of rocks. I sometimes think I'm Charlie Brown( "...All I got was a rock.") At the beginning of the summer, a friend of mine started a blog called a Journey to a Shawl. The idea was to spend the summer spinning and then knitting a shawl. Well, I just loved the idea, but I took mine a bit further. My journey took me to a different path. This year I turned 40 and in a couple of days I will celebrate my 20th anniversary. As I began to think about this shawl, I also thought about my life. Somewhere along the way I seemed to have lost my joy. A couple of years ago I had a couple of friends hurt me pretty badly, but they didn't just stop at causing me pain, but they made sure others were involved and in the end it really hurt me and my family. Well, I got to thinking back in June that I really had had enough. So my journey started with some time of reflection on what was causing my pain, self doubt and just general feelings of gloom. I have spent lots and lots of time reading the Bible, praying and also reading a very life changing books called "Get out of that Pit" by Beth Moore. By the way, I highly recommend the book. Now I'm not all put together (not sure if I every will be) but like a journey, you haven't arrived until you are done. So I'm still working on a lot of the areas in my life that need help, but I am getting there. So as I was working several areas in my life, I worked on this shawl. I first set some goals. Now I have not reached them all, but I do feel that I'm at a place to do so. My goals that I set, in no particular order, were: 1. find my joy again. 2. have fun with the girls. 3. grow in Christ. 4. find a place of service. 5. loose 40 pounds, and finally 6. spin and knit the shawl. Like I have said, I haven't reached all of them, but I think I am ready. First, I think my joy is coming back. This summer my two youngest daughters painted their room, we had such fun with that. My oldest is planning a girls weekend soon to paint hers. Third, if you spend any time reading the Bible you will get closer to Christ, so I did. Now for the hardest one. I learned this summer in all of this heat that we have been having, I just can't loose weight. My plan is to get going in earnest in September when the girls are back in school, so I can work out with out passing out from the heat. Now for the shawl, I first had to choose a fiber that would suit the project. I chose a three tone purple with bits of olive green. The color was a very important part of the shawl I chose purple because when you feel like a failure in life you need to remember that if you are in Christ then you are part of royalty. What a better color than purple to remind myself that I am of value and that God loves me. Once you get that not only in your heart but in your head too, your joy will come back. After I chose the fiber, I had to choose the pattern so that I could figure out how much yarn I needed. I chose Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy. I first saw this pattern on Cat Bordi. She wears the scarf version just about everyday. She called it her comfort blanket, so I knew this was the pattern for me. I started to spin for the shawl, the pattern calls for sport weight at about 750 yards. Well after about a month of spinning (had to stop when it was really hot), I ended up with 695 yards. Not having enough I decided to knit until I ran out. I ended up knitting 8 repeats instead of 10. When I blocked out it ended up being 37 inches long anyway, so I'm happy. I have knit and spun many many projects, but I have say this ones really holds my heart. The spinning isn't perfect, there are thin spots and thick spots, but life isn't perfect either, so I think this shawl is a true reflection of life and all its trails that we take. Some are smooth and others are full of rocks, but really the journey is beautiful. By the way, the yellow dots in the picture are pins not beads. Enjoy your journey; stop and look at the view once in a while and you just might find it's beautiful too!

Monkey Sock -why not swap

OK so as you all know I am on a sock kick this summer. One pattern I have really wanted to try but just haven't gotten to yet is Cookie A.'s Monkey sock from Knitty.com. Well I came across a monkey swap blog and I just had to sign up. Not only will I get to make up this pattern but I will make it for someone else and someone will be making me a pair, sooooooooo I can't wait to get started. If this sounds like fun to you why not check out the the blog.http://monkey-sock-swap.blogspot.com but hurry sign up end on the 31st of August.
Below are my answers to my monkey questionnaire.
Monkey Sock Swap THREE Questionnaire
The basics:
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? In my sleep
The measurements:
Shoe Size: Foot circumference: 8 inches
Foot length: 9 inches ( I wear a size 6 1/2 to 7 shoe)
Yarn Preferences:What colors do you love? green, purple, most jewel tones
Do you prefer solids or variegated? both
Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? wool ( hate acrylic)
What colors would you never wear? orange
What are your favorite brands of yarn? online, Koigu, JaWoll
Are there any new brands you would like to try? Cherry Tree Hill, and Socks that rock
Cookie A. Patterns: Which of her patterns have you already knit? Twinkle toes
Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own? Twisted flower
Other pertinent information:
Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US? US
Do you have any allergies? walnuts
Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? dogs
Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name? not yet but I'm on the list

Off and running on my next project a shawl

My next big project has really been one that I have been working for a most of the summer. I first spun the yarn. It seemed to take me forever. The main reason was the heat. It has been so hot that I haven't been able to spin as much as I would like. The yarn came out at about a sport weight and I have 695 yards. You can't really see it very well but the purple yarn has three shades of purple and then some olive green. I got started on the knitting last night. The pattern is called Diamond Fantasy and is designed by Sivia Harding you can purchase a copy at http://www.siviaharding.com

The pattern called for you to do ten repeats for a shawl. I don't quite have enough so I'm hoping for 8 or 9, but we will see.

NOT ANOTHER PAIR OF SOCKS!

Yes the sock kick is still going. I this make 7 pairs this summer. Which is huge for me considering I usually only make one or two pair a year normally. These aer my second pair of knee highs in as many weeks. I do have to say they were fun to knit. I chose these because of the fair isle heel. The pattern came from Interweave Sock! a Spin off special publication. I use Silky wool and some odds and ends from my stash. These were knit with size 3 dps. I know its kind of hard to see but the colors are light denim blue, green, red, white and dark blue. I couldn't get a closer shot and still show the total sock. I do plan to wear these this winter with a long denim skirt that I have and my berks. I wouldn't want to hide the heel in a regular shoe after going through all that work. By the way my next project is a shawl. I think I will give socks a rest for a day or so.

What's better then Chocolate and Fiber?

So at some point in a persons life the question will come up..
What is better than Chocolate and Fiber? The answer is I fiber and Chocolate swap. Today I received my goodie box from Dee. Oh what a box. I received three different fibers The white is from a giant angora, the pink is alpaca and the grey is mohair. There is enough to spin for socks, but I think I will wait until is gets a bit cooler. Also in the box was some stitch holders, yarn threaders, and mini sock blocker and least but not least some really and I mean really good chocolates. Thanks so much Dee what a fun swap.

felting oh what fun

I really enjoy felting but it has been a long time sense I have made something to felt. Last weekend I taught a class on needle felting and I thought I would knit up and then needle felt the sheep on this bag. The pattern comes from Fiber Trends. When I felt, or I should say the correct term is fulling. When you knit a object and then wash it to make it smaller its called fulling. When you use roving or wool bats and wash it to shrink it its called felting. Anyway when I knit a bag, hat or any other item that I want to full I love to use Renyolds Lopi or Lope lite. It is the very best for felting. So the blue is lopi and the sheep is made from some roving that I have in my stash. I really love this bag mostly because of the pockets. There are two on the sides and then two on the front and back. This bag fits just perfect between the seats in my car so that I can have knitting with me while I wait at lights or in traffic.

And the socks keep coming

It has been so hot here in Idaho this month. We had only 2 days in the month of July that were below 90 degrees. Most days have been in the upper 90's and 100's. So I have spent a lot of time in the house trying to stay cool. Of course if you are knitting crazy like I am I have still been knitting. So here are a few of the things I have been working on. The first pair of socks are made with Hempothy and the pattern was a free one from Nancy Bush's web site. The other pair have a bit of a funny story to them. You see I have the issue when it comes to things matching. Well its more of an obsession. I just have to have everything match. So every Saturday when I walk into work I am asked to show my socks because they always match my outfit of the day. Well I chose then self striping yarn because I thought the colors were really neat. As I was knitting them I got a bit disappointed with how they were turning out. The yarn looked better in the ball then as socks. Well every month or so in the summer I take a couple of minutes and check on my wool sweaters to make sure there are no little critters having lunch. Well as I was looking through them I found a turtle neck sweater that I have and forgot about. Well they are a total match with the socks I have been working on. Yippee I can't wait to wear them this winter.

Still on a sock kick- two more pair

Well I know I have said before that I'm not a big sock knitter. Well I think my opinion has changed some what, well Ok its changed a lot. Think there are three factors in my change of mind. First, I have a complete set of Rosewood dps from Reynolds, they are the 5 1/2 inch size and I have to say I just love working with them. I have sizes 0 -5. I have a set of Lantern moon too but the Reynolds are so much better so if you are looking for a great set of needles for socks you might want to check them out.

Secondly socks are so portable. I have been able to pack my socks around where ever I go. The pattern is so easy to memorize that I don't need to carry a pattern so that also helps.

Third. Its so hot here in Idaho this summer so far that it has been great to knit on something that I don't have to have sitting on my lap.

So now I will talk a bit about these socks. The first pair I knit for a Harry Potter socks swap. I have to say they were so much fun to knit. What I did was look through my stash and choose the colors for the Ravenclaw house,( my partners favorite colors). In these socks there is wool, cotton, angora, mohair, silk and even some eyelash for texture. My partner just loved them and even more importantly they fit perfectly.

My second pair is my first attempt at knitting with self striping yarns. I knit them on size 1 needles so I could see if the needles would bend. If you have ever knit with size 1 bamboo you know they well bend way out of shape. Well the rosewoods didn't. I have to say that the fabric is rather firm too. I think its at 8 sts to the inch. I chose a fall color way as I am hopeful that cooler temps will be coming soon. Well one can dream. So now what am I working on. Another pair of socks of course. But I will talk about that later.

So why did I start to knit

Ok so I have been asked " why I started to knit", well I have been crocheting for about 20 years. I taught myself to crochet on a car trip from Oregon to Idaho,which is a 10 hour trip. I decided to learn to crochet as a way of making gifts for family that would be less expensive. Well after crocheting for years I began to find more knitting patterns that I liked than crochet ones. Plus if you have ever crocheted a sweater then you know how heavy they are. By the way knitting takes about 30 % less yarn then crochet. So I decided to take a class through a community ed. program. Our first project were these little slippers. Well I made one and totally hated it so I never did finish the other one. So instead I made this little romper for my then 3 month old daughter, She is now just about 9. I take this romper to my beginning knitting classes to show what not to do. There are twisted stitches, the seams are terrible and it was for a size 6 month old and my daughter wore it until she was 4. Oh the lessons in knitting.

Sock it to me swap -questions

What are your foot measurements? (Please give shoe size, length and circumference.) shoe size 6 ½ - 7, 9 inches long, circ. 8 1/2
How long have you been knitting? How would you rate your experience? (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.) I have been knitting for about 9 years. I would say I am more on the advanced side of knitting
What is your favorite color? Greens, purples, blues. Most jewel tones are fine with me.
Your least favorite color? Even though I live in Boise Idaho home of the Boise State Broncos I really don’t like the color orange.
Do you have a favorite fiber? I love natural fibers What type. Wool, alpaca, angora, etc
Do you have any allergies to certain fibers? No but I really hate acrylic does that count . LOL
Do you have an Amazon, or other type of, wishlist? (If so, provide the link.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/ref=sv_wl_4/002-8810084-5843251
What techniques, if any, would you like to learn? Well I’m not sure I really do enjoy all types of knitting, from lace to fair isle to all parts in between.
Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes What are your favorite snacks? I love dark chocolate, but I mostly only eat low sugar or sugar free types
What is your family situation? (Children, Husband, Pets...etc.) I will be married for 20 years on Aug 15, we have three daughters 16,13,and 9 of course they all knit.
Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Metal, plastic or wood? I have an allergy to metal so I only use plastic ( the old grey Susan Bates nylon ones are my all time favorites but really hard to find these days)if I can’t find a good nylon needle then I will use bamboo. I only use circulars for knitting anything but socks. For socks I am a traditionalist I know how to do and have taught the magic loop, and 2 circulars, but I would rather knit socks with dps.
Besides socks, what are your favorite items to knit? I love to knit Top down sweaters, I usually knit 3 or 4 a year. I also love to knit lace shawls
Is there a pattern, (sock or otherwise), that you are dying to try? The rogue sweater. I have looked at the pattern on line but have yet to buy and try it.
Do you like to read? What are you reading currently? Yes I’m a huge reader. Right now I’m waiting for Harry Potter book 7, then I have a Debbie Macomber series to read next. But I really love to read a good mystery.
Do you collect music? (On an iPod or MP3 player.) No I don’t have one yet.
What kind of music do you listen to? Oh boy I really like all kinds of music ( of course I don’t consider Rap music) but I would say my favorite is classical guitar.
Is there anything you collect? Sheep, Paddington bear
What are your hobbies, aside from knitting? I hand spin and crochet and tat
Are you participating in any other swaps or knit alongs? Not at the moment
Do you have a favorite scent? lavender
When is your birthday? (You don't have to add the year if you don't want to, LOL.)April 26

One among thousands

Yes I am one among thousands that began work on the mystery stole 3 project this last week. When I signed up for this , which was the second day that it was sign ups were beginning, who knew that so many people all over the world would join in. Right now there are over 3 thousand people working on this same stole. It took me a couple of weeks to decided on what color to use. Melanie suggested that either black or white would be best, but that this stole would not be a good idea for a bride. Well having no clue as to what this stole will look like I played it safe and when with Knit Picks lace weight blank. This yarn is designed to be dyed but I decided to keep it the natural cream. This stole as and added bonus. Beads. You think it was hard to pick what color yarn to use. The beads were a nightmare. I when to the bead store down the street three times to look at beads. When I did buy the beads I still came home with three different colors, I just couldn't make up my mind. That my friends is why I'm not a beader. Any way after several swatches it took my daughter to say "yes mom those are the right ones" for me to choose an antique cream seed bead.

Now as for the knitting the pattern can be found at a yahoo group called mysterystole3. Each Friday there will be posted a part of the pattern to work on. Be warned that the email list is huge so huge that I had to go to special notices because I just couldn't keep up with all the email. Anyway I have so far found that Melanie ( the designer) has done a wonderful job with the pattern, I have not had any problems following along with the chart. I can't wait for Friday to see what comes next.

Socks in one Day

Have you ever tried to knit a pair of socks in one day? Well today I did. I finished too! Now for the confession. This are baby socks. The cast on was only 32 stitches on size 2 needles. If you have not had the chance to see or buy ( which I highly recommend you do) Sensational Knitted socks by Charlene Schurch this is where the pattern came from. Its the sample sock towards the front of the book. Like I said it only has a 32 stitch cast on so they come out at about the right size for a baby. The yarn is new to the shop I work at and I wanted to try it out to see how the color change worked out. The yarn is elle Mexican Wave, the color way is black swing. Now if you have read my blog for any amount of time you know I'm a total yarn snob. I HATE acrylic yarn. I have been known to tell my knitting students that when it comes to picking yarn buy the best you can afford, but keep in mind that when you use acyclic its made from plastic so its kind of like putting a plastic bag on and wearing that around town. Anyway this acrylic is not so bad. Its very soft and it doesn't have that plastic feel to it. As you can see there is a subtle color change in the yarn.

Christmas in July

Yes its already July I can hardly believe that the year is half over already. Well when July comes around thoughts of Christmas come to mind. Now I would be totally lying if I said in July I start working on Christmas gifts and then get them all done with plenty of time to spare. I do think about Christmas gifts durning the month of July but I usually don't do much about it until November or even December. Well this year is a bit different. You see I have had these Christmas buttons for about 6 years. Most of my yarn stash its as old as these buttons are. The picture does show the snowman all that well, but there is a reindeer, Christmas tree, and present and then a snowman. This is the first project that I have ever knit that I did the sweater around the buttons. I am well known to wear a cardigan for a couple of years before I finally decided on the right buttons. So this time I thought I would do things a bit backwards. I had the buttons before I started the sweater. Of course I used a top down cardigan from Knittingpureandsimple.com . The yarn is a wool/angora blend from Berrocco called pleasure. This yarn is no longer being made so it would be really hard to find. This yarn was also a recycle. I had made a sweater from this year a few years back when I was much much larger, so I knew I would have plenty for this one. The color in the picture is not the same in real life its more of a dark red instead of a bright one.I think it will be great to wear over a cute Christmas mock turtle neck .

Socks!

Now I'm not a huge sock knitter per-say but once in a while I get in the mood to knit socks. Well I'm right in the middle of that feeling. So these are the first pair in this sock knitting mood. The yarn is Mountain Colors Mountain goat. I decided to try the toe up sock pattern that Cookie A. did on a episode of Knitty Gritty. You can find this pattern and many others at diynet.com. I usually don't like toe up socks because of the fit, but this pattern worked up rather fast and it also fits really nicely.

Back on Blossom Street Shawl

Well I was able to finish up my take on Alix's shawl from the new book Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. This is the third one of these that I have made. One will be going to a mother for Christmas. I'm not tell which one as she will just have to wait. If you have not read this series of books, they are just a fun read. I was talking with a gal that reads all the time and she reads serious things. Well as a mother of two teen daughters and another one that thinks she is. I find it really fun to end my day reading some light hearted fiction. How about you. I really don't enjoy romance as a rule, I ready mostly mysteries, but I have found that some of Debbie's books are not so much romance but more about friendships. What is your favorite type of book to read and who are your favorite authors?
Now for the stats on the shawl. It about 32 inches long and 60 inches wide as its widest. I used Lorna's Laces lace weight mohair. I'm not sure the color way as its been in a ball for years. I'm sure it was dyed by Lorna herself, that's how long I have had the yarn in waiting in my stash.

Its just about time for Harry

Well its just about July and that means its just about time for Harry Potter. For those who are not into the whole Harry Potter thing, in July the 5th movies comes out and the 7th and final book. So in the spirit of things I have knit a couple of things from the new book Charmed Knits. Now if you really hate the idea of the Whole Harry Potter thing because of religious convictions, that's fine with me. We as a family really talked and prayed about and fell that its just fiction and if you look you can see some Christian lessons with in its pages. Anyway even if you don't like the idea of it all you might still want to check out the book Charmed Knits. There are several things that can be done in other colors so that they wouldn't look like they came from the book. There are a couple of sweaters that I really like and I might end up making at some point. I also love the cabled hat and mitten set.

I am a spoiled Brat!

I am a spoiled brat and I refuse treatment. OK so I"m not as spoiled as Paris Hilton but I'm not in jail either. But I am spoiled, especially by Bette my Secret Knitting Pal for this round. I received her box this afternoon and all I can say is WOW! She made this a lavender themed box and boy is it. First there was a lavender tea pot,( which I collect) lavender soap and candles and incense. Purple yarn to make the yarn from the pattern shown. A wild Fibers magazine. I have always wanted to get a subscription to Wild Fibers but haven't had the extra money as if yet. So its going to be great to read this issue while I'm at the YMCA exercising tonight. Last but not least Bette also sent the cutes sheep shawl pin that I just can't wait to wear with my shawl that will be added to my To Do list. Thanks so much for spoiling me so.
Speaking of shawls this is going to be the summer of the shawl. So far this year I have knit 3 and I have plans for 5 more, including this new purple one. I will talk a bit more about this coming shawl in future post, so be on the look out. I am beginning to work on Fair entries so be on the look out for those as well.

Its really hot outside so why not crochet a hat

Its hot outside so why not crochet a hat. Yes I know that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but when has that ever stopped me before. This pattern comes from the book crocheted accessories by Helen Ardley. I used handspun yarns. The fiber was Wensleydale. The green was some that I bought off of ebay a while back and the dark blue is some that I indego dyed last summer. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Bring on winter!

Look what came in the mail

Look what I got in the mail! Yes I received my bingo prize from a online party that I was at a couple of weeks ago. Its kind of hard to see, but the knitting needles are the coolest. The stoppers are beaded, but the best part is the dangling beads are really stitch markers that you can remove and use. I can't wait to try these needles out on the next dishcloth. Plus I have three new skeins of cotton yarn to chose from. Thanks Kim for the wonderful prize. If you would like to join in on the fun of the great email list its http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Love2Knit_Dishcloths/

The latest Sweater

Today it reached the temperature of 100 degrees. So what do you think I did this afternoon in the heat? I finished up my latest sweater that's what. And yes it was a wool sweater at that. Well, to be honest it was a wool/cotton blend, but wool was involved. While at church this morning I finished knitting the last sleeve cap so when I got home and after I ate lunch I was able to sew in the sleeves and weave in the ends, add the collar and there you have it. The pattern comes from Marks& Kattens pattern number 02018. The yarn is called Bom-Ull and is sage green. I knit this up now for display at Knit Wits in Boise. This pattern will be a class in the fall. If you have not seen or more importantly felt this yarn you are in for a treat. It is just wonderful to knit with and has a nice feel to the fabric. Now I think I will look for some smaller projects to work on in this heat.

While I had the dye stuff out

While I had my dye stuff out. I decided to also dye some roving for another project that I have coming up. I have been asked to knit a Toque for my Father in Law and he wants one in blue. So instead of painting the roving I just made up a dye pot and this is the result. The picture looks like its light blue but really its more like a royal.

What do you do when its 90 degrees?

What do you do when its 90 degrees for the first time this year? Dye roving! I have a swap project coming up that I needed to get some roving ready for. The theme of the swap is Why I have Pride in my Country. So I decided to dye 8 ounces of Corridale that I picked up today at my local fiber store. If you have never painted roving I will talk you through it. This method will also work for yarn as well. As far as dyes go you can use Kool-aid, Easter egg dye, Wilton cake dye, or you can use acid dyes that can be found on web sites or catalogs. I suggest you start with a cheaper dye like Kool-aid. I dissolve the powder or paste in warm water before I begin to paint. I usually make a batch in a 32 ounce plastic bottle. I like to use Snapple bottles, because they have a large mouth.
Step 1: Soak your roving or yarn in warm water and about 1/4cup of white vinegar for about 30 minutes. Then lay the roving out in a top of new paper that has plastic wrap on top. Hint buy the best plastic wrap that you can find.


Step 2: Using a sponge pain brush place the dye in whatever pattern you chose. I chose to put navy blue on one end and a deep red on the other end, leaving the middle white.
Step 3: Tightly wrap the the roving in plastic wrap, making sure that there is no way that air can escape. I then place the log shaped bundle in a plastic dish, and then cook it in the microwave for about 10-15 minutes. You want to see that most of the dye has been absorbed into the roving.

Step 4: I let the roving cool. This can take several hours. For me this is the hardest part. I hate to wait.
Step 5: After the roving has cooled I then rinse the roving in cool water and place the roving in my washer at turn it on the final spin to remove as much water as I can. Then I hang it outside to dry.


My plan for this roving is to make a 2 ply and add a strand of glitter to the final plying process. I will let you know how it turns out.

Practicing what I have learned.

Now that I am back from the Snake River Fiber Festival, its been time to practice some of what I learned. First let me talk about the ball of yarn that my hand is showing the yarn. This is the May fiber of the month from Spunky Fibers. If you have not signed up for this, its a must in my book. For $15 a month you will receive from 2 oz 0 4oz of a fiber that is hand dyed. This month Amy King did a bit of a departure. The colorway is called Nightshade the fiber is 4 ounces of Coopwoth. Amy usually dyes bright colors so this one was a surprised. I love it. Its kind of hard to see but there are shades of blue, green purple and browns along with black. I have about 230 yards. My plan is to make socks. I will get started on them when the weather gets a bit hotter here.

My second skein is some wool, I can't remember what, that I hand dyed. I took about 10 hanks of roving to the festival to sell and this is one that did sell so I decided to spin it up. I use the havajo plying method, I have known how to do this for a long time but have never done much with it. I'm really happy with the result. I think I will try this on a larger project in the near future.

May mid-moth KAL

I have been having some issues with my computer so I have not been able to add pictures to my blog until today. Here is my version of the monthly dishcloth KAL for May. I love this pattern, but of course I say that for everyone we have done so far. I used Sugar and Cream and color is swimming pool. There has been some talk about what to do with all the dishcloths we have been making. I have mine in a large bag in my yarn room. With three daughters there seems to always be a birthday party to attend so my girls know that they can go pick a cloth or two and then grab a lotion, soap or any other bath products that are in out linen cupboard to make up a quick gift. Also at Christmas my husband is always looking for small gifts to give out to the ladies at work so I have a supply for him already to go with out having to stress out about making something up.

I have yarn every where

One problem with being a spinner and working in a yarn store is, I have yarn everywhere! I know you might be thinking 'what the heck does she have to complain about.' Well I'm not really complaining but I do have a lot of yarn that needs to move from the skein stage and into the becoming something stage. Because I think of myself more as a learning spinner, I try to take some time each day or so to spin. Well I have hanks of yarn all over the place. I did sell a few skeins at the Fiber Festival last weekend but not enough to make a dent in my stash. So I thought it was time that I make something up. This is the result. They are crochet fingerless mitts. The pattern comes from the SRK leaflet by Kertzer. The leaflet is number 141 and you can find the pattern at www.kertzer.com. The pattern calls for two stands of Kid mohair called ovation, or about 115 yards and a size I hook. Well I used some wool/mohair blend that I spun up a while ago. To get the right gauge and to fit my cute little hand I had to go down to a G hook. I did have quite a bit left over so I may use that to make some cuffs or something.