Semper Knits

2012-01-12T23:35:00.001-08:00

Yes! I still walk this planet. No, I haven't fall off the edge and been eaten by the dragonnes. I've just been busy, that's all. Maybe I'll post some pictures on another post.

Finally!.....

2010-03-04T14:09:00.001-08:00

...finished!

The yarn is Kauni, from Denmark, in the colors EQ and ES on US4. Yes, the sleeves are 3/4. It seems that I am always pushing my sleeves up, so making them short means that I can keep them out of the way. I finished on the way home from Stitches West. I found the buttons there, but can't remember the vendor's name: she sells plastic resin hand made buttons that are machine washable and dryable. NOT that this sweater is ever going near a washer and dryer. Anyway, the original pattern is called 'Ruth's Kauni Cardigan', but I used an Alice Starmore pattern called 'Rosemarkie'. Had to do some math, as Ruth's original pattern wasn't big enough for me and to fit in the Starmore patterning. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the finished product and it was a lot of fun to knit.

Holy! Cow!

2010-01-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

....Is it 2010 already!!!!!

Long time, no see. No excuses for being away for so long. But I have been busy, somewhat. I am teaching myself to weave, on a big loom. I know that somewhere in the past I said I wouldn't, but I did and now I have to learn to use the monstrosity that sits in my from living room or it becomes a clothes hanger. Amongst all this is the knitting and spinning and a return to sewing. OH! how I missed the sewing and didn't know it til I returned.

The old dog passed away and the new dog is still here, stealing our hearts every day. I still don't have a career, just have a job. Otherwise its the same ol'stuff, everyday.

Just another day in paradise!

2009-07-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

stage 2: finished!

192 yds of 2 ply, woolen spun, squishy goodness.
'Marie Laveau' from the EnchantedKnoll on etsy

2009-07-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Tour de Fleece

first stage, a bobbin full of "marie laveau" from EnchantedKnoll at etsy

2009-06-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

About time!

I updated a post or two. It seems that time has gotten away from me. I am still looking for a job in my field. The donut shop just doesn't satisfy as rewarding work. It's so brainless to me, that I don't even wake up mentally to go to work. It's all grey. Cleaning a restaurant from stem to stern 4 days a week is physically awakening, but not very mental.

Anyway, here's a picture of Sacramento County Wool Show 2009 Sheep-to-Shawl winners:

(find the picture first, silly. I'll come back and insert it later.)

We won for the second year in a row. It seems that the team to beat, Silverado, uses the May competition as a kinda tune-up for competing at Black Sheep in Oregon and Pleasanton in CA. Have we finally progressed to the point that we are technically beating them? Or are we the default winners cause we don't have any mistakes and finish on time? Last year they had problems with their warp and didn't finish. This year, they where spinning really really fine and lost points because of some extreme take-up in their shawl. In other words, they didn't meet the finished size requirements. Pam and I(she's the weaver of the group) are really thinking hard about how we've won. Winning is nice, don't say that I didn't say so, however, did we win on merit or because we got all our little boxes checked off on the jugdes' list, not because we spun and wove a better object? It's irritating, is what it is. We will see in October at Lambtown. We face off again. Inquiring minds want to know!!!!

feb 2,

2009-02-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

St. Brigid's Day....or....Groundhog Day in the US.

Fiber.
the wheels go round and round.
St. Brigid.

- my attempt at a Haiku for St. Brigid's Day

go see Morgain's post at http://spin-for-peace.com/wordpress/ scroll down to Jan 23rd, to read about the silent blogosphere poetry reading.

2008-11-11T12:09:00.001-08:00

you are violet
#EE82EE

Your dominant hues are red and blue. You're confident and like showing people new ideas. You play well with others and can be very influential if you want to be.

Your saturation level is lower than average - You don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. Finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan.

Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Clean up in aisle 5...

2008-09-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

...Or is it crash on turn 3? Anyway, here is a picture to still the hearts of many a soul who love their wheel as much as Fido/Kitty...maybe...

It seems that one day, this lady went to spin in her family room while her favorite show was on the tube. She noticed that her wheel was spinning 'funny'. Several weeks went by, til darling son #2 happened to mention that him and the dogs where wrastling in said family room and MAY have knocked into the wheel. A few weeks after that, the poor, poor wheel could no longer keep its drive band on(how embarrassing!), so the lady had to break down and do surgery on the poor baby. Here you see the wheel in parts and scraped of old glue so that re-gluing can commence when the appropriate tools come home from darling husbands' work tomorrow.

I feel so lost and lonely, like sitting in the waiting room at the hospital.

ps: the only reason I attempt this is because a replacement wheel has different turnings than this edition. This is a 1970's edition of an Ashford Traditional. I prefer to keep wheels in their respective age groups, silly me.

the Finish Line!

2008-07-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! Hurrah! the finish line!!!! I don't how much of my original goal I've managed to meet. Here is a picture of 2 whole bobbin's, and not showing is about 1/2 of a third. I've used about 4 oz so far of Sassy, the Corrie/Dorset.

I've decided, at the end of the Tour, that although I spun and plied A LOT of yarn, I still didn't meet the goal of spinning 12-1600yds of Sassy.

So.....I'm gonna do the red jersey instead of the yellow jersey. I've accomplished a lot, but not what I wanted to. Sometimes that happens. The red jersey is for when you've fought and played hard, but just couldn't get to first place. I think that's just fine!

Lambtown

2008-07-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here's to Lambtown, Dixon, CA on Saturday, the 19th of July. I was part of the Hangtown Fiber Guild team for
the Sheep to Shawl competition. I have finally figured out how to down-load pictures from my phone, cause my camera batteries where dead.

This first picture of Pam weaving on the loom and Joany on the far right talking to the public.

The second picture is of Barbara on the left and Charlotte-sitting- at the carding table. Not shown is our fearless leader, Nancy. She did all the plying and making sure that Joany, Barbara and I spun to a standard and an evenness that was required for the weaving.

BTW: we won!

Picture Rich Stats.....

2008-07-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

...so far, I've managed to spin approximately 1300 yards of 2 ply, AND NOT ONE INCH OF IT IS THE STUFF FOR THE ORIGINAL CHALLENGE!

from top to bottom, the first picture is 5 20yd/2 ply sample skeins and 1 67 yd/2 ply sample skein of the some of the stuff that we dyed in the previous post.

the second picture is a broken black buffalo/merino 2 ply that I picked up at ebay; 4 oz got me 262 yds of plush softeness. And the purple is the stuff that was in time out for over a year, 'the crash at turn 5' stuff. I thought I wrote it down, but I think I spun about 300+ yds of 2 ply. I'll recount when it's finished drying. It's almost there.

the third picture is of 2 batts from the etsy shop of 'enchanted knoll'. I love her stuff. The orangey looking one is called 'Red Dirt Girl' and the black one is called 'Phoenix'. Both are superwash merino with sari silk and angelina. Red Dirt came in at 92 yds and Phoenix came in at 262 yds.

Last but not least is 462 yds of black shetland from StoneHaven Farms in Oregon. This stuff spun up to a round 19 wpi of 2 ply. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Sorry for the washed out pictures in the sun, its the only way I can even get close to an accurate color with my ancient camera.

Dye Day Pron!

2008-07-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday of this week, instead of spinning for the Tour de Fleece, my friend Charlie and I spent most of the morning-BEFORE it got to be 106F-dyeing 1lb and 2lb lots of fiber with acid dyes. We let them sit in black plastic on the drive way to set, then decanted and rinsed yesterday and today. You can see the riot of shades, tints and hues that we got. What fun!!! We figure that we dyed about 16 lbs worth of a Suffolk/Corriedale cross. A tough, but easy to spin wool that isn't the softest, but not very scratchy and probably have to work at it to get it to felt. Perfect for socks and mittens.

Remember...

2008-07-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

...last year, the crash and burn at turn 5? go here to see the spectacular crash. I was so disappointed with the 'stuff' that I could only bag it in a zip lock with a sprig of lavender and relegate it to the back of the closet for an extended time out. Today I took it out of time out, and carefully unwound the rest and let it rejoin the sibling that behaved. Tomorrow I will ply, I think its learned its lesson. Maybe then I can start the major project of the Tour: 1200-1600 yds of 2 ply.

Today I spun the rest of 'Phoenix' from EnchantedKnoll at etsy. Very nice and shiny and soft. Wonderful! I'll ply it later in the week, when the last bobbin has had a chance to relax and catch up to its sibling. A silky supersoft washable merino with sari silk in red and gold with gold Angelina. Hard to believe that she labels this as MW Sock batts.

I also plyed the last 2 oz of merino/buffalo mix that I dyed a broken black. Very interesting. Very soft!
This is a soft dark grey with red highlights. Interesting.

Sorry for the dark pix: my digital is from the stone age and I was trying to take pix with the flash and a spot with a sunlite bulb. I was hoping that the flash would bounce off the window and provide a little back light. OH! Well! Maybe too much little dog nose on the window???

Let's Roll!!!

2008-07-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

the tour has started!!!!

I am slightly non-plussed that the only bobbin that I have empty is the one that needs to be glued back together. Everything else needs to be finished spinning for the single and/or plied to clear the bobbins. How's that for planning?

Ah! well! will try to post pictures today or tomorrow.

goals

2008-07-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

for the tour: to try to spin a little bit every day. The big goal is to spin enough of a suffolk/corrie fleece to have 1200-1600 yds of 2 ply for a dyeing demo in August at the guild dye day.

Tour de Fleece 2008

2008-07-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece 2008

the challenge this year is to spin from stash. we'll see how it goes.

Summer of Lace '08

2008-06-25T20:31:00.001-07:00

Friday nite I started the charting/math for the Fine Framed Unst Shawl from Sharon Miller's 'Heirloom Knitting'. It's a combinations of the Unst Stole center and the frame from the Fine Framed Shawl in the book. The cool thing is, that you can rearrange the stuff in her books and patterns any way you want.

I was knitting along, got near the end of the row, and promptly found that I had dropped a stitch or two or three right in the middle of the spider cluster in the border. No hope for it but to ladder down, pin everything out in order and knit back up.

You can see that I was successful!!! You can see the first spider of the next cluster in the next picture. I got to the top/bottom of the trees before I had to quit today. So maybe pix in a few days.

too much to do....

2008-04-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

and not enough time to do it all in!!!!

I've been knocked out of Sock Madness. I didn't finish this round before the 21st knitter. In self defense, I can plead illness: not mine tho. A shepherdess friend twisted her ankle and put herself in a cast two weeks ago, so I have been doing the heavy walking for her and reporting back to her in her chair. Another shepherdess friend had her shearing canceled 4 weeks ago because of bad weather. She has no building big enough to shear in, so we had it yesterday. Not enough people showed up to help, so I got to do lots and lots of sheep wrangling and skirting/note taking of fleeces. On top of it all, my hayfever is trying to turn into something else, and it feels like I'm trying to hack up a lung! What fun!!!!

The green sock picture is as far as I got in this round of Sock Madness. I finished the heel and am on the foot of the 2nd sock. the yarn is some kool-aid dyed knitpicks bare in berry blue, lemon-lime and mango. not too bad for a microwave sock yarn.

The picture of the tiny sock is from my 'Wee Tiny Sock Swap' pal: Tilladare on Ravelry. Isn't it pretty?!!!!!!!!!

what to do....

2008-03-27T12:10:00.001-07:00

.....while waiting for the next round of SockMadness:

i'm doing this: Wee Tiny Sock Swap

knit and swap a tiny sock, about the size of an ornament.
I don't know how to link stuff together so here's the address
http://weetiny2008.yarnmiracle.com/

this wee tiny sock is the one I knit to send to Jen at

http://knittinglikecrazy.blogspot.com

it is knit of Socks That Rock 'flower power'. too cute!!!

Zombiezzzzzzzz......

2008-03-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

are alive!!!!!! Sock MadnessII is alive and kicking. Here is my entry: the Zombies in Blue Jeans. Actually its Lana Grossa Meilenweit cotton/wool on US1's.

FO sunday #2

2008-02-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

the Lisa Souza BFL that I spun and knit into socks. Just delicious!!!!

FO Sunday

2008-02-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

Who knew! two posts in one weekend.

Anyway, finished my 'Monkey' socks for a KAL on Ravelry. Made of unknown Opal, I lost the band, and size US #3, #2 and #1's to get something that fits.
Here's the breakdown for top down:

3's for the ribbing and the first repeat
2's for the leg and the heel flap, and
1's for the gusset/foot/toe.

I had originally made another pair in trekking according to the pattern, using 2's through out and couldn't get them on my feet let alone up my leg. The only thing that fit was the toe and it was too roomy. So I modified by changing size of needles and number of heel stitches and gusset pickups.

when life gives you lemons...

2008-02-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

...make marmalade! My dad's neighbor has a Meyer Lemon tree. If you've never tried one, you are in for a treat. It's a cross between a lemon and an orange. The taste is indescribable: sweet and tart and orangey and lemoney, and, and, all at the same time.

So I got a sink full: sliced em thin, peel and all, simmer in a little water for 45 min, add the right amount of sugar and boil til the iced plate test says done. Pour into sterile jars, seal and do a water bath boil for 5 min. Remove and cool. Yum!

I went through a 10lb bag of sugar to get:
4 pints,
one 12oz jar,
twelve 1/2 pints and
6 1/4 pints.

This should keep me for a while.

best laugh...

2008-02-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

...of the day:

You can only be eccentric over the age of 50.
Below that, you are either weird or insane.
With age, comes privileges.

as quoted by Fleegle in the Ravelry group 'the Princess Diaries 2.0'

Hello?!...

2008-01-08T11:48:00.001-08:00

...2008.

things here at Casa Knits are winding down after the holidays. And no, I didn't make any resolutions. No Diets! yarn or otherwise. No lists! No looking back in doubt or disbelief or relief, no wondering what the future will bring either. Just being in the moment.......being in the now!

altho, the Nov-December season was rather eventful: thanksgiving dinner, my birthday, 3 christmas parties hosted for various and assorted groups, my graduation reception, and the family christmas for all the relatives. Now its the seemingly never-ending "do you have a job yet?" and then the endless litany of 'helpful' suggestions for finding a job that have been gone over and over and over and.... you get the idea.

On the happy front: I did manage to finish some projects that I started earlier in the year. these projects also helped me to maintain my temper/sanity and gave a place to go 'timeout' myself. Both are from roving purchased
at Stitches West in 2007; both are blue faced Leicester-a pleasure to spin and knit, in my opinion. Lisa Souza at Lisa Knits does some of the most wonderful colors and combinations that it is my pleasure to purchase. and she's local to my area, another bonus. The blue/orange/red/purple skeins are the colorway 'Mardi Gras' and I managed to spin a nice 282 yards of 2 ply from the 4 oz roving. The green/blue socks are knit from my own handspun. This is one of my early efforts at spinning to a standard and for a project: this was a 4 oz BFL roving that spun to 210 yds of 2 ply in the color way of 'Spring Greens'. I have one roving left and somehow manage to go out of way my to pet it everytime I'm in the same room with it. I'm thinking that I will get me some more when Stitches rolls around again this year. sorry for the lousy pictures, camera is ancient.

A Short Note....

2007-12-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

...to let you know that things here at Chez Knits is/are moving along mightily. Finals are next week. Hallelujah!!!!! and the open house/graduation party is too. I've been spinning and knitting and sewing and cooking up a storm for the ensuing festivities(trying to, anyway). For some out-of-focus frivolity, imagine a man in his late 40's, wearing moose antlers decorated with lights. What fun! Scroll down to see what you missed.

Norway Rocks!!!!

2007-11-07T12:06:00.001-08:00

My fiber and frenzy friend Nina from Norway sent the most wonderful thank you gift. She is a wonderfully talented crafter, mom and nursing student. I guess that those of us that want to do it all usually find our way to connect with each other. This time through the online magazine 'Spindle and Wheel', Alena the editor and founder of the magazine organized a fiber exchange. It's been fun to see what everybody is sending to each other. Anyway, I attended a fiber event on Saturday, this past, that I had been looking forward to for along long time. Nina's package arrived, via post, as I was leaving. I set it aside to give it it's proper consideration. I am completely in awe! This is much more than I expected.

The packaged contained three pamphlets containing children's knitwear and ethnic stockings, gloves and hats for adults, a wrist distaff in shades of blue with beads, a hand-wrapped crystal necklace, three bags of fiber: some black alpaca and two bags of hand washed and carded by herself Norwegian lambswool! and last but not least, a bar of Norwegian style chocolate. The best!!! By sheer will power I have managed to keep the bar intact til pictures today.

There's a story about the chocolate: When my family was stationed in Europe, we went on a family driving vacation through northern Europe. My mom and I where supposed to be collecting chocolate for presents. But none of the Norwegian chocolate made it home to the air base. I wonder........

No. 251

2007-11-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

I was person number 251 yesterday, as the Camella City Stockin'ettes Knitting Guild hosted the venerable Franklin Habit of the blog "the panopticon" * here in Sacramento, California for a shoot of his "1000 Faces of Knitting" project. A really wonderful and well spoken, genteel sort of guy who is seems really good at his job of getting people to relax under the bright lights for their five seconds of fame.

He had mentioned that the visit to California was a trip into the unknown for him. These women from the far coast could be a far cry from the women of the mid west. Fear not, because a good majority of us are from somewhere else. Natives are hard to find and even harder to pin down.

I was able to get one of the ladies hosting the event to take my picture with Franklin, but in the joy and exuberance of the event, forgot to ask if it was OK of me to post his picture, so I won't. I will make mention that Dolores was nowhere to be seen and if the rumors from the 'green room' are to be believed, she may have made a bee-line for the Castro District in SF! Being the gentleman that he is, Franklin demurred.

*the address for Franklin's blog is in the side bar under Links.
**ed. note: if you go and read the entry for Wed, Nov 7 at Franklin's blog you will read about the full story of the adventures of the Habit's and the Von Hoofen's......and Harry/.

Fiber Art Trade

2007-10-03T10:31:00.001-07:00

I made these in response to a call for a trade for fiber charms. These are angelina over angelina and other snibbles from the snibble bowl on my sewing table. I fuzed down the cover layer of angelina with misty fuze, and then did some stitching with some rayon thread. I scanned them cause my clunky camera does not do closeups. So they look kinda like shell. How cool is that!??

Long time...

2007-09-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

...no see! Things here are at their normal pace: slow to non-bloggable. School is back in session. I am in my last semester! Halleleuah! I am only taking one class. My second class I was dropped, kicked out, asked to leave- in other words, because I knew too much and asked too many hard questions! This was a painting class at State! The teacher couldn't hang!!!!!!!!!!!!!! According to her, I didn't paint the correct way, had the wrong equipment and the wrong attitude. Every other class I have taken at either the community or state level I have never had a problem with equipment or knowing too much/not enough. Go figure?!?! The other class is fine. Chinese Philosophy.

In other news, I heard from my Fiber Frenzy Pal over at the www.spindleandwheel.com ezine. Anna Banana is a really cool pal. She had an illness and death in her family, so I sent my prayers and a note to do whatever she thought she could do-or not. I would not expect her to complete a swap under those conditions. However...this is what she sent:

8 oz of blue and yellow fiber,
2 oz of pinky-mauve silk roving,
a deep blue silk hankie,
some lime green mohair curls,
a handful of silk cocoons,
some tea for the inside of me,
and some for the outside of me.

This is way outside the call of swapping and much, much more than I ever anticipated. You spoil me, girl. Thank You!!!!

Can't tell...............yet!!!

2007-09-05T11:09:00.001-07:00

I can't say much except to say that I was experimenting with food dye and making myself a color card of the colors I was able to obtain. In the muffin tin was the colors dyed cold, and on the clothes line are the same colors dyed hot, in the microwave. I wanted to see the differences. However, my camera, being from the stone age, only gave me good shots of the processes at the very beginning and the end. Oh! Well!

On a side note, thanks to all of you who requested and are trying my attempts at sock pattern writing. It's not as easy as it looks. The 'mad to dance' pattern below was a fun and excruciating look at how I, personally knit socks. What an eye-opener! Just to let you know, I am submitting another design for SockMadness2. I can only hope that the ladies there like my design as well as the first one. I'll keep ya posted.

spinning

2007-08-22T17:06:00.001-07:00

Here is an accumulation of spinning that had been occupying my bobbins this summer. On the left is the colorway "mardi gras" from Lisa Souza, half of a soft BFL roving spun 2-spy for socks. In the middle is half of the purple from Cross Patch Creations, a silk and wool blend 2-ply. And the brown on the right is from Shadow, a ramboullet friend of mine, spun woolen and a 3-ply; soft and bouncy. All drying in the shade of a 100F day in sunny and HOT California.

SOCKS!!!!!

2007-08-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

...........from Sweden!!!! YAAAAA! my Sockapalooza4 pal Anna-Karin (pansarknitting-dot-typepad-dot-com) sent me a wonderful pair of socks knit in the "monkey" pattern from Knitty.com How.Did.She.Know? that that's what I was thinking of doing for myself sometime this summer/fall. Anna did her's in a wonderful Opal colorway 1433. I would really like to have tried them on, but it's 100F here in California today, so pictures on hangers in the shade will have to do. So, I go to look at her site and I find out that she's a molecular biology student. YAAA! another scientist that likes to knit! The instructor I had for microbiology is a knitter, she had me teach her how to do socks.

On a side note, This. IS. My. Last. Semester!!!!!! I graduate on the 22nd of December. I started back to school in September of 1996, with one art class while the boys where in school all day. I wonder what it's like to have a real job instead of being in school all the time or at a part time job that won't last???????????

mad to dance, cont....

2007-08-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

I forgot, for a while, that I was gonna post this, or was the ladies at the SockMadness site gonna do it?????? anyway, between full time college and trying to parent teenagers, I got lost in the madness and never posted the pattern. so here it is:

Mad to Dance

2007-08-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Mad to Dance!

The working title of this pattern was “let’s dance!” Aran meet Lace, Lace meet Aran. Now go dance!” the little lacy bit interweaves with the cabled aran part in ribs that dance up and down the leg and foot.

This sock was knit with Cherry Tree Hill Superwash Merino Supersock yarn in color Loden, 4oz =420yards on US size 1 Inox 24 inch circular needle in the ‘Magic Loop’ method. I also used 4 stitch markers, 3 the same and 1 different for marking the start of a round

Recommended gauge: 7 1/2 to 8 stitches to the inch on needles in that get you gauge.
33 stitches in pattern = 4 inches lightly stretched.

NOTES:
•To change the size of the sock: work on a different size needle for the leg and a smaller needle for the entire foot or just the sole of the foot. For example, if you have a very narrow foot or want to make a pair for a young lady, then decrease 1 purl stitch between each rib. Or use a smaller needle and finer yarn.

•The circumference of the sock is 7 to 71/2 inches around unstretched or very lightly stretched. Length is up to you. This particular pattern is for a woman’s size 8 or 9 foot of normal width. On the other hand, if you have wide feet, then use a needle size larger than your usual or work an extra repeat on your standard needle or both. This pattern is really stretchy because of the lace, so going down a size pulls in the extra so there is no slop in the foot,(important if wearing to a dance!) the cables pull in some also, but not enough.

•I work my socks with the “Magic Loop” method, I pay no attention to what goes where for what needle if doing a pattern that calls for double points. Half of the stitches are for the instep and half are for the heel. I only pay attention to where the round starts and stops.

•If the heel is too deep, then decrease a purl stitch between the 2 outside rows of ribbing, one on each end of the back and forth, just between the first and second rib and between the fourth and fifth rib, NOT on the purl stitch on the outer side of the first and fifth rib, you need that purl there to pickup gusset stitches later. You can decrease 4 purls, one between each rib, leaving 2 purls each at the beginning and end and one in between each rib.

•The heel is a continuation of the cables, but not the lace. The heel cables follow the direction that was used previously in the rib, every 4^th row til the turn for the heel, chart to follow. If that doesn’t work for you, then slip every other row on the knit side, maintaining the rib.(Meaning that on the public side you slip the knits and purl the purls, and on the private side you purl the entire row.

K = Knit
SSK(\) = slip, slip, knit together
K2tog(/) = knit2 together
P = Purl
YO(O) = yarn over
P2tog = purl 2 together
C2F: place the next 2 stitches on a cable needle and hold to the front of your knitting while you knit the next 2 stitches, then the knit the 2 from the cable needle.
C2B: place the next 2 stitches on a cable needle and hold to the back of your knitting, knit the next 2 stitches, then knit the 2 from the cable needle.

PATTERN: Using the Norwegian Cast On/backwards thumb loop, cast on 60(72) stitches over both needles, not too snug or too loose. Pull out one needle, leaving the stitches on the other needle. Join, place marker, being careful not to twist, purl 3 rows.

Row 1: k4, p2, repeat to marker
Row 2: k, yo, k, yo, k2tog, p2, k4, p2, repeat to marker. Now you will have 65(78) stitches.
Row 3: Knit the knits/yo’s and purl the purls
Row 4: k, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, p2, k4, p2, repeat to marker.
Row 5: k5, p2, C2B, p2, repeat to marker.
Row 6: k, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, p2, k4, p2, repeat to marker.
Row 7: Knit the knits/yo’s and purl the purls!
Row 8: k, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, p2, k4, p2, repeat to marker.
Row 9: k5, p2, C2B, p2, repeat to marker.
Row 10: k, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, p2, k4, p2, repeat to marker.
Row 11: Knit the knits/yo’s and purl the purls!
Row 12: k, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, p2, k4, p2, repeat to marker.
Row 13: k2tog, k3, p2, k4, p2, repeat to marker
Row 14: k4, p2, ssk, yo, k, yo, k, p2, repeat to marker
Row 15: Knit the knits/yo’s and purl the purls!
Row 16: k4, p2, ssk, yo, ssk, yo, k, p2, repeat to marker
Row 17: C2F, p2, k5, p2, repeat to marker
Row 18: k4, p2, ssk, yo, k, yo, k, p2, repeat to marker
Row 19: Knit the knits/yo’s and purl the purls!
Row 20: k4, p2, ssk, yo, ssk, yo, k, p2, repeat to marker
Row 21: C2F, p2, k5, p2, repeat to marker
Row 22: k4, p2, ssk, yo, k, yo, k, p2, repeat to marker
Row 23: Knit the knits/yo’s and purl the purls!
Row 24: k4, p2, ssk, yo, k, yo, k, p2, repeat to marker (end of repeat)
Row 25: Knit the knits/yo’s and purl the purls! (row 1)
Row 26: k, yo, k, yo, k2tog, p2, ssk, k3, p2, repeat to marker (row 2, etc)

Repeat rows 3 through 26 for the pattern on the leg 4 or more times for the length you want.

Do however many repeats of the pattern are necessary to get the length you require. I decreased all the lace ribs at the beginning of the heel to p1, (k4, p2)*, k4, p1, so that I could do the cables.

PATTERN CHART:

A blank square means to knit that stitch. A black square means that there is no stitch there, you do not count it!

HEEL CHART: for example, if you are going to do this pattern, then you would start the cables as a continuation or replacement of row 25 of the pattern above. See the graph for a representation of how this works. The first and last purl stitch is staying with the instep(top of the foot) stitches.

Working back and forth on heel stitches, I continued the cable pattern down the heel for a ‘Birkenstock’, ‘walking away’ or clog heel. I worked 27 rows from the end of the repeat at row 25. On the 28^th, I started the heel turn.

P	C	2	B	P	P				P
P				P	P				P
P				P	P	C	2	F	P
P				P	P				P
P	C	2	B	P	P				P
P				P	P				P
P				P	P	C	2	F	P
P				P	P				P
P	C	2	B	P	P				P
P				P	P				P
P				P	P	C	2	F	P
P				P	P				P
P	C	2	B	P	P				P
P				P	P				P
P				P	P	C	2	F	P
P				P	P				P

sorry for the sideway's picture, I forgot to turn it, and then, once in, I decided on the better part of valor and left it there. Pms, ya know!? But it is the best picture of how the cables flow from the lacey ribbing. They just keep going...and going....

TURNING THE HEEL: starting on the public or knit side of the heel:
k17,k2tog, k1, turn
slip the first stitch, p6, p2tog, p1, turn
slip the first st, k to the last st, k2tog, k1, turn
slip the first, p across to the last st, p2tog, p1,turn
repeat this till you run out of stitches to purl or knit together.

PICKING UP THE GUSSETS:
•Ideally, you will want to be on the public side of the sock when you do this, i.e. the knit side. I picked up 14 stitches on the side of the heel, knit in pattern across the top of the foot, picked up 14 on the opposite side, and then knit stockinette across the heel.
•You will have more than 65(77) stitches on your needles.
•I placed markers at both ends of the extra gusset stitches, 1 before the decrease and 1 at the other end by the heel ON EACH SIDE, so that that extra stitches will be decreased and the markers will come together. When I finish decreasing I will have 66 stitches on my needles, 33 on each side.•The Pattern across the top of the foot has lost 2 purl stitches: the first and last stitch across the top of the foot has been used by the gusset. The next row to knit across the top of the sock would be row 26, minus the first and last purls: p1, k, yo, k, yo, k2tog, p2, ssk, k3, p2, repeat to the end of the top of the foot, p1, pass the 1^st marker, ssk, k across(past the 2^nd and 3^rd markers) to the last 2 st before the 4^th marker, k2tog, etc. Knit the next row plain. Now continue with row 3 of the chart across the top of the foot, at the same time alternating a decrease row and a plain row on the gusset stitches.

KNITTING THE FOOT:
•When you have decreased away the extra stitches, you will not need the markers any more, because of the pattern on the top and the stockinette on the bottom will tell you where you are.
•work the pattern across the top of the foot and stockinette on the bottom, till you are about 2 inches from the end of your toes. Hopefully the pattern repeats will stop at a place that matches –or nearly matches- where your toe will start.
•If you have to stop a few rows early, that’s ok, a few rows of stockinette will not affect the wearing or the look of your sock. If you have to stop in the middle of a repeat, try to stop on rows 13, 14 or 15, in the middle where the plain stuff is.
•Knit at least 1 row plain, all the way around. If you need a few more rows, then do a few more.

TOE DECREASES:
•At the start of the round, k2, ssk, knit across to the last 4 stitches on the needle, k2tog, k2, change to next needle, k2, ssk, knit across the bottom to the last 4 stitches on the bottom needle, k2tog, k2 change to the next needle. Knit the next row plain. Repeat these 2 rows til there are 12 stitches on each needle, ending with a plain knit row. Cut the yarn, leaving a 10 or 12 inch tail.
•Kitchener stitch the toe stitches using a darning needle. Weave your ends in. Enjoy! the madness that is dancing up and down your sock. Now…….you have the make the other one!

sorry for the lousy looking post, Blogger is PMS'ing today.

Sockapalooza 4/End of the Tour de Fleece update

2007-08-02T18:35:00.001-07:00

These are the socks and goodies that I am mailing to my Sockapalooza Pal today. The socks are 'Rolling Thunder' from Knitty, Winter'06 knit in Panda Wool Basil Curry color; a journal and pen; stitch markers sized for knitting socks made of red agate and silver; and 4 oz of hand dyed Blue Face Leicester, that I dyed my self using acid dyes at a dying afternoon hosted by a lady in the spinning guild last month. The fleece was dyed dry, because I wanted large amounts of white to be mixed with the color and I didn't want the colors to blend too much. Red, green and yellow where primary dyes, while the purple was a secondary dye. My sockpal is Amanda at www craftymands at wordpress dot com.

As for the end of the Tour de Fleece, I bombed big time on the participation quotient. Although, I did get back into a creative frame of mind because of it. Here's the update:

on the 26th/thursday, I had a quilt meeting of my small neighborhood group, so finished some projects and worked on the round robins going around.
on the 27th/friday, went to the American Sewing Guild Convention in Sacramento. I'm not a member, but I went to the vendors hall and did some window shopping and fondled the merchandise. Found some really nice-and expensive-stuff to drool over and some ideas to ponder.
on the 28th/saturday, played teamster and mover and helped 2 of the shepherdess ladies in the spinning guild transport and set up/take down their whares at the Dixon Lambtown Festival here in California.
on the 29th/sunday, hid in the closet, the darkest room in the house with a major migrain, even after taking rescue medication, it was bad, sick bad. I'll say no more.
on monday, recovered from sunday. on tuesday, sent out more job applications. on wednesday, loafed around the house, and today, mailed the sokpal stuff. I guess I can add these to the summer adventures of 'off for the summer from school stay-at-home-mom'. HAH!

absent with cause

2007-07-22T22:31:00.002-07:00

Thursday and Friday-I sorted through more of my stuff and moved part of it into my work room and then, on Friday, rearranged my living room. Don't know why, just felt the need.

Saturday-I was invited to a dying day by a friend from another guild in the next town over. A one hour drive and then all day playing with color and fiber! The top row L-R is Jacob roving dyed green and blue(hard to see), BFL dyed dry with red, blue, yellow and green acid dyes, and cotton dyed with MX(?) dye in lapis to spin a variegated yarn. The skeins in the bottom row where all spun by me since my first lesson in Feb and are L-R: a grey Romney dyed with silver-dollar eucalyptus and then over-dyed with indigo to get a dusty turquoise; some more of the Romney dyed with Queen Anne's Lace, some light Shetland dyed with acid purple, indigo on the grey Romney, Queen Anne's Lace on the light shetland, and some of the silver-dollar eucalyptus on the grey Romney. What a wonderful day, there was a pot-luck table groaning with food, a pool to swim in when the heat got oppressive, and an Irish wolfhound with an appetite for rum cake! What fun!

Today-I went back to town near where I was yesterday and cleaned my spinning teacher's house to work off a debt. I put parts for my wheel on layaway, she needed her house cleaned because of a lot of having to be in two places at once = equitable exchange.

Even though I didn't blog this week, I feel like I have fulfilled my part of the quest for the TdeF: to work with, around or think about fiber. I have to take pictures of the quilts that I finished on monday and tuesday, so that I can say that almost the whole week was involved with fiber. I just need to get out of my work chair to the computer to blog about it, THEN maybe it will count for more than just good thoughts.

Did a little...

2007-07-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

.....spinning of the shetland today. Only got about 15 or 20 minutes, but I guess its the thought that matters. Would like to get more, but the finishitis virus is coursing thru my innards and I must make use of it while I can.

Out of the Race

2007-07-15T20:25:00.001-07:00

for not blogging these past three days-thur, fri, and sat. What can I say? I let the team down. But I didn't not do anything with yarn, if its any consolation. I have developed a case of finishitis, which for me, is unusual. Very Unusual! I have been trying to finish my Sockapalooza4 socks, the Irish shawl from Folk shawls, a quilt started in 1998 and my block of the month for the round robin quilt from a neighborhood quilt group I belong to. Pictures to follow, some day. I did work some more on unraveling the wonder of the purple bobbin, if it helps any?????
Soooo....my spinning for today consisted of the above mentioned purple and organizing my work room so that I could be more efficient in getting this round of finishitis out of my system. Since most of my work room is wool and spinning related, I guess that this activity barely qualifies as being tour material, for today anyway.

Crash and Burn...

2007-07-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

...on turn five!!!!! Talk about road rash!!!!! I just spent the last 3 hours unwinding -by hand- the remains of one of the bobbins of the purple single spun. I finished spinning the other bobbin and went to get the full one from where it was, in the travel bag, and I found the bobbin in pieces and the stuff half on and half off of the center. I tried to put it back on, but a large slug of middle just pushed out. You see the remains on the right. Above is what is plyed. I think that there is half of the total left to ply.

early and tired!

2007-07-10T19:50:00.001-07:00

I said that I would post a picture of yesterdays' plying session, and here it is: four hundred and something yards of yarny goodness. From left to right is 2 skeins of grey romney, an orange gold/brown of 'wool' and a smidge of blue-green BFL.

For the second picture, here is a picture of what I have been learning over the past two days: weaving. This picture is of a borrowed Shacht Baby Wolf in the back of the van with two! seats belts(baby wolf's get rowdy, ya know!) and a length of teal and white twill woven at 10epi approximately 10 inches wide and about a yard long. The pattern structure is a zigzag twill of random design. It's a table runner made of cotton and silk.

missed! aw nuts!

2007-07-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

today was a busy day: lets argue all day with a teenager about doing their house work BEFORE they can go anywhere, weaving lessons today and tomorrow from 9 to 430, traffic was awful getting home from lessons, and then plyed a total of 423yds, trying to clean off some bobbins for the wheel. I finished about 1205am. Pictures tomorrow.

HAH! under the wire!

2007-07-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

Here's today's spinning: I tried to finish filling the last remaining part of the bobbin. Here is one good picture and one lousy picture. The flash refused to cooperate. The lighter picture is only from the lamp light, no flash. Not quite enough to match for a plying session. OH! Well, maybe tomorrow.

Let the tour begin!

2007-07-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today starts the 'tour de fleece'. the object is to try to spin something or do something spinning related every day that the riders of the tour de france ride. There is the notion of having a plan, if you like, or a challenge, of some sort during the tour. My plan is to a) try to spin every day, or do something spinning related; b) finish the spinning already started: the wool/silk, the romney fleece, and a 5 lb box of mixed colors shetland from StoneHaven Farms in Oregon.

Sooooo....for today, I washed some romney, two pan-fulls of which you can see one here in my not clear picture. The bobbins are included to show what the blended color looks like and that I need to finish the 2nd bobbin so that I can ply. Two bobbins, spun fine will get me about 200yds of a 2ply that gets 5 or 6 stitches to the inch on size 5US needles. Not too bad for a beginner.

This picture is of a batt that got shuffled to the side during finals week, back in May. This is silk and wool blend that I purchased from Carolina Homespun by Crosspatch Creations.

This last picture, for today, is of Thermal, from the Spring '07 Knitty, This was my sanity knitting during the last month of school and finals. I finished knitting the pieces, but never assembled them, and I still haven't put on the buttons. I did alter the fit some, I made the body a slight bit shorter and made the sleeves 3/4 length. Here in sunny central California, we generally don't need full coverage in the winter. Mind you, I know that I will be eating those words, sometime this coming winter or the next.

long time, no see.....

2007-07-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

well now, where to start. I suppose that some ramblings are in order to make up for the lack of posting......

since last we met, I have finished the semester and received my grades: C's in biology and spanish, and B's in ethics and economics. The spanish and economics had me worried as they are problematic of a mild learning disability(see post dated May 26, 2006).

finished Thermal from the spring Knitty '07. I suppose I will have to get the back hoe out and dig a trench in DS#2 room for the digital to take a picture.

finished spinning lessons and have been processing fleece and spinning like crazy. Processing involves unrolling a fleece and separating out the various types of fiber and then bagging and marking for use later. But first, must wash.

I have unofficially, of course, been trying to do some spinning at least one day a week, every week, must really get some pictures of the finished product, if nothing else.

....AND.... because of this, I signed up for the Tour de Fleece at wabisabi's place. The address is www.tourdefleece.com/ I am posting the weblob button here in the comments becuase I don't know how to activate the button in the side bar yet. BUT I do know how to make a list of words that will get you there.
and for my Sockapalooza 4 pals, I am at work on your stuff!!!Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

Do not,,,

2007-05-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

...believe in anything because you have heard it;
...believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many;
...believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books;
...believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders;
...believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and analysis,
when you find that anything agrees with reason, and
is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all,
then accept it and live up to it.
-Buddha

I found the above at KniftyRed's blog on blogger the other day, a day or two after DS#2 confided the reason why he didn't want to go to church any more. Talk about syncronicity in action! It seems that the pastor there is teaching that global warming is a myth and that women should be seen and not heard, etc. Not-so-DH and I go to separate church/temple because I believe that every person carries the truth of light and darkess inside them, and to discover it fully requires a deep conviction that you need to, not because somebody told you that you could be saved by doing-or believing-certain things. The reason I go to a buddhist temple is because of the compassion principle, as I call it. To nourish and entertain and cultivate compassion for every living thing on this planet is the guiding principle of every religion I have ever studied, but buddhism is the only one that teaches this principle everyday, with no strings attached. I'll probably start an uproar with this, but it seems to me that everytime somebody tells me that I should look outside of my self for salvation and validation of such, I run in the other direction, because, to me, salvation is something that was included in the matrix of our souls by whichever gods you believe in and needs to be discovered inside us. It can't be handed to us after uttering certain words or doing certain deeds or somebody getting in my face screaming about whatever.
I taught both of our boys to question authority-look at where the information is coming from, the context of the information and who the deliverer is; and that if the fit is not for you, to walk away. Just walk away. The problem is that DS#2 is in trouble with the local authorities for some pretty standard teenaged juvenile stuff, and as I see it: dad's reaction is to drag the boy to church to be saved and to mend the error of his ways. Meanwhile, in reaction to the style and content of preaching at church the boy wants to walk away from the flow of information he doesn't believe suits.

Sometimes, compassion is a hard path to follow and an even harder one to teach.

ps-for what it's worth, I am an envrionmental studies major and the jobs I have been interviewing for have been changing precisly because of global warming! Besides, women belong in the House AND the Senate!

Stuff.....

2007-05-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

to think about and to do! Go see Jane LaFazio at www.JaneVille.blogspot.com and look at her wonderful sketchbooks. and see the pix posted thru her site at flickr. Just wonderful. I can only hope that my stuff will be as wonderful someday. I carry a sketch book and all the trimmings(!), but haven't been as prolific and capable as Jane and some of the others I see when I surf around in blogland every once in a while.

And the YarnHarlot's "Spinning Tuesday" sounds like a good thing !!! I just finished lessons from the local instructor and spinner extraordinare. I want to keep up and get better. I think I am gonna join the Y'arlot this evening.

DS#1 is home on leave from tech school in the Navy. Here's a picture in his uniform. Who knew that kids would grow up and do this? let alone look like this????

STR for May

2007-05-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Received my STR for May, or was it April???? anyway, I was in the middle of midterms and could not adequately express my awe and pleasure at the sock yarn recieved. Colors-WOW! Softness-AAAHHHHH!!!!! the yarn is marinating on my coffee table while I try to survive til finals week and give the yarn due consideration for a pattern that is suitable.

TAA! DAAAAH!!!

2007-05-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my second ever handspun sock yarn. I purchased the roving from Liza Souza at Stitches West this year in February, had spinning lessons in March and April, and here ya are.....

220yds of a 2 ply BFL named "Spring Greens". Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I have an ancient digital. You can find her dyed stuffs here at http://www.lisaknit.com .

finals? ALREADY?????...

2007-04-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

...she squeaked!

Finals are in 3 weeks, DS#1 comes home on leave from the Navy in 2 weeks and I have a dr's appt, a dentist appt, a job interview and a Spanishon Tuesday. How's that for fun!!!???? NOT!!!!!!

anyway, see the side bar about the Sockapalooza Four event. Sign-ups have closed, but there could be useful information, either here or on the blog for my secret partner. I just need to discover the info I need so I can do my secret 'palooza pal' justice.

Mad to Dance

2007-04-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

My very first pattern for human consumption is being used over at the sockmadnes competition on wordpress. I would link you there, but with midterms and my limited computing skills, you'll have to get there yourself. I can show you a picture of the pattern. It will be posted on the blog later when all the remaining participants have completed this round. Enjoy!

2007-04-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Marchioness Theresa the Infinite of Walk upon Water
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

YAHOOOO!!!!!

2007-03-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

this week has been a good week!!! No pictures cause the camera has migrated to DS#2 room and you need a herd of yak and a platoon of sherpa to navigate the mounds in his room. I just close the door.

Any way..........Yesterday I finally received my STR in the mail, and while I could say that I would have never considered these colors for myself, I am certainly happy to work with them.

Any way #2........I heard back from the organizers of the group at www.sockmadness.wordpress.com They have accepted a design from me for their competition.

Any way #3.......I passed my spanish test last week. YAAAA!!!

who needs more than that???????

winter blah's

2007-03-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

Since my last post, I took my last final on the 22nd of December, then had the all the folks over for the holidays from the24th to the 2nd of January. By then, I had full blown case of a cold trying to become bronchitits that sidelined me for the month. I did pass all my finals(yaaa) but have had no energy for all of January and most of February to do anything but spin and knit. I signed up and paid for wheel lessons last fall for this spring. I have been a self-taught spindle spinner, so must unlearn a lot of things and relearn how to do them on the wheel.

I just have the blah's......
... don't wanna finish my last semester of school!
...don't wanna start my garden!
...don't wanna sew!
...don't wanna read the latest from my favorite author(s)!

...just wannato take baths!
...just wanna spin sock yarn!
...just wanna knit socks!

BUT..........do have a picture.....

Here is DS#1 home on leave during the holiday, looking suspiciously like he did when he was 9. Eating fruit loops and reading the funnies. I wish I could find the photos from then so we could compare.

more pictures later.

Has it really been that long???

2006-12-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

OMGOSH!!!! I am in the middle of finals week and realized that I really hadn't visited in a while. so there will be much knitting content AND pictures next week when everything calms.

Saw this at anothers' blog and went and did mine. How does it know me so well.....

You are The Lovers

Motive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse.

The Lovers represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made.

Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that the you have or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

2006-11-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Too Long!

2006-09-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry so long since last post. My life took off, got a job for the summer, finally!!! school started, blech!!!! and sock wars started this weekend!!!!!

SOCK WARS!

bwahahahahahahhahahahaha!!!!!!! my intended victim is in my sights. All I have to do is mail these as soon as he/she/it responds. I finished at 1153am today. I will not release the name of my victim until they reply and I get these in the mail.

these are knit in Mountain Colors handpainted "Weaver's Wool" in color Northern Lights on US4/3.5mm to get gauge according to the Yarn Monkey and his/her pattern at www.yarn-monkey.blogspot.com.

2006-09-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

You Are An Ash Tree

You are vivacious and impulsive, which makes you extremely attractive to many.
Intelligent and demanding, you don't care much for criticism.
You have a ton of ambition and talent, and sometimes money rules your heart.
You like to play with fate, and you can be very egotistical and restless.
Demanding of attention, you need love and a lot of emotional support.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

Where did summer go?????

2006-08-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Has anybody seen my summer??????

I was gonna try to be further along than in the middle of the first repeat of the center motif; anyway this picture is of the "fine framed shawl" by from Sharon Miller's book 'Heirloom Knitting'. Instead of the center she used, I am using the Unst Stole center, but the same outside and inner spider borders. Working with 2/30 yarn -(Hah!) thread is more like it!- is really a challenge. This is a tencel/silk blend that is really 'bouncy'(?). I keep having to pull down on the knitting to get the needle into the stitch. I put lobster claw clasps along the bottom of the piece to add weight to help pull down the knitting. It doesn't really affect the gauge or anything, just makes it easier to knit.

The second picture of so Scherazade or more commonly known as Mystery Stole 2 over at yahoo groups. It was designed by Melanie of the PinkLemonTwist. Really pretty, being knit in Alpaca Cloud, Sunlight. An almost easy knit to relax by, just enough attention must be given to keep the pattern going and the counts correct. This is only the completed part 1a/b and 2a and the start of 3a. This particular stole is started from a provisional caston in the center and work.

And last............SOCK WARS!!!!!!!!

aaaauuuuggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!! knit! knit! knit! defeat defeat the other feat........ OH! sorry, the wars have not started yet, but we need to discuss them and talk about them and psych out our opponents before we ever start!!!!!!! The Marines have landed!!!!!! AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

We have Lift Off!!!!!!

2006-08-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well, that's over, whew! The first child, who happens to be the oldest grandchild of my parents, has been launched into his adult life. There was the obligatory pizza and video game party for a house full of teenagers for the 18th birthday. No pictures, they all came out fuzzy. And then the necessary family gathering for all the relatives to come eat my food and give their advice, useful or not. Then the inevitable waiting for the recruiter to arrive to chauffeur said child on his adventure into the unknown. Several months ago said child, young man-really mom! decided that he wanted mom and dad to sign him into the delayed enlistment program in the Navy before his 18th birthday, so that he could accumulate seniority while finishing school. Above is a picture of the grandchildren, who looked like they all blinked. L-R: LeAnn/13, John/14, Mike/15 and Derek/18.

Obligatory knitting content, not really, but sounds cool anyway: I am designing, or trying to, a pair of socks for the Cherry Tree Hill sock contest. Go to www.cherryyarn.com for info. I haven't figured out how to link into my post, yet, but someday I will. I've also started work on the Fine Framed Shawl in Sharon Miller's book "Heirloom Knitting". Will have pix of that, I hope.

Brouhaha in LaLa Land

2006-07-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

I belong to a small buddhist temple here in lala land. The Lama is a kind and amazing person who recieved his training and transmissions directily from a smiling, wizened little man who survived the chinese in Tibet and walked with his family to India in the 60's. Today I found out that I am being accused of slander of one of the major supporters of the temple. I feel like the little wizened man walking because his world has been turned upside down by forces beyond his control. The Lama called me today at work and told me this. Supposedly, brothers and sisters in dharma are saying things that I supposedly have said, that are not nice, about the supporter of the temple. The thing of it is, I have been trying to help these people with their own perceptions of this person. This person works hard and is admired in their workspace. I admire this person for their perserverance and their belief in themselves and in the Dharma, the Buddha and the Sangha. Bad things have happend in their family life lately to this person. I have tried, over and over, to explain to those who seemingly have a personality conflict with this person, that it is their own perception of how they think they've been treated that makes them hurt when dealing with this person. This is what the dharma teaches about right thinking and right awareness. This is very basic Dharma: the Four Noble Truths and Eight-Fold Path stuff. If you have a preconceived notion of what you expect, then your expectations will hurt you becuase they have not been met.You are grasping for something that is not there and will never be there. This is what I see of the people that I thought where my brothers and sisters in dharma. Obviously, I have not gotten through.

I can only pray that the person who was slandered will accept my sincere apology for this brouhaha and believe me when I say that I have never, ever, that I can recall, said anything less than supportive or admiration based about them.

clue 1/Mystery Stole 2

2006-07-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

here is the completed clue #1: both sides. I used the invisible cast on from Knitty, Dec 05 issue, and only have a half stitch jog of each side being offset from each other. Not too noticable unless you get your nose right onto the knitting. I didn't have any problems with one side having 99 stitches and the other 98: both had 99. Also no problems with working the rows on one side while the other needle held the "cast-on" until the first side was finished. I am using Alpaca Cloud from KnitPicks in Sunlight on US 3's.

Mystery Stole 2

2006-07-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

the learning curve for blogging is steep. I have finally learned how to read the html page for this blog and add text to add what I need to to make this blog more user friendly. I have added the button for a knit along: the Mystery Stole 2 at yahoo groups dot com. Melanie of the PinkLemonTwist designed this KAL, her second, and I'm liking it more than I liked the first. (Sorry, Melanie, the first is pretty, also, I get comments on that one all the time. I'll have to retrieve it and take its picture to post),

Anyway, sorry for the bad picture, I have an ancient camera, that takes barely recognizable photos. I keep hinting for xmas and birthdays, but so far......oh well....
This is knit from the center out. The bottom of the knit piece is the provisional cast on. I have only completed half of the first clue. Will finish the other half tomorrow. A really nice knit.

ARRRRGGGHHH! Matey

2006-06-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

My pirate name is:

Iron Bess Bonney

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

New work.....

2006-06-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Have been in the midst of the doldrums, these past few weeks. Why? I have been looking for a way to generate some much needed cash flow this summer. I have about 20 or 25 apps out, most as a student intern or summer hire at a government agency for my major-envionmental studies- and a few out to local businesses. So I'm bummed while I wait the results.

In the meantime, I have started sampling for a MAJOR project- the fine framed shawl from Sharon Miller's "Heirloom Knitting". This is what we have so far:

To the right is tencel/silk from my LYS. It has approximately 55wpi and was knit on US 1-the top trees, and US 0-the bottom trees. Then soaked, blocked and allowed to dry, then stapled to an index card with a black sheet of paper so that the stitches could be seen. I scanned this picture, cause my camera is ancient! and I couldn't get a clear picture of the stitches.

This sample, to the left, is Henry's Attic "moriah". A 2-ply wool that wpi's out to about 28-32, depending on what day I read it on. The top trees are on US 1's, the center medalions are on US 2's and the bottome trees are on US 3's. This also was soaked, blocked and dryed, then stapled to the card.

I really really like the part done on US 3's, but I think that this will wait for another day. This is a lot more heavier, it's more like a winter shawl or wrap than the look I am looking for.

After doing these samples, I can see why the people that are doing these are only doing one or two or three rows a day. What a pain in the #$%! Especially the tencel on US 0's!!!! After about 10 or 15 minutes of that you really need a stiff drink to regain your composure, let alone your equilibrium!

World Wide Knit in Public Day

2006-06-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the ladies at World Wide Knit in Public day in Sacramento. We met at the Capitol on the grounds surrounding the building. Found some nice shade, set up the sign and had a good time.

OH! Geeze!!! I don't remeber half the names of the ladies that where there. I'm really horrible with names. But they where all here!

How does the ol' wheeze go:
A good time was had by all!

Weeeellllllll.....if you turn your head sidways, you can see the California state capitol building. the traveling trek sock paid a visit and was being held up by CindiKnits for a better look.

A-Knitting we will go..........

2006-06-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you into Shetland Lace Knitting, this is a blurry picture of a swatch I did from Sharon Miller's "Heirloom Knitting," page 215: the fine framed shawl. This is knit with Henry's Attic Pony 2-ply on US #2's. Nice, but too heavy looking and filled in. I wanted something looser in the fabric. Next swatch to knit is some Moriah 2-ply , about half the weight of the Pony. If that doesn't work, I have some 30/2 tencel/silk that wraps out at about 55wpi. I originally wanted to knit this on US size 2's, so that I could get the hang of it. Then acquire a Princess or Wedding Ring or whatever is in the works at Heirloom Knitting for the "masterpiece", if ya know what I mean?!?! This is for the summer and fall BIG project, and I can use the 1/2 Frostflowers and Leaves edging as the mindless (HA!) no-brainer when the shetland gets to be too much.

Not to mention the three pair of socks on the needles. It seems that I am on a roll, sort of. Since school ended I have started three pair of socks and gotten all the way to the ribbing - I do toe-up. Then I got disgusted with all three pair and promptly frogged them, all on the same day. Last week, I restarted the same three frogged pair, and now have three pair somewhere towards the middle of completion- up near the ribbing and/or the legs-socks. Get this, I want to frog them all, AGAIN! I'm not happy with the patterns, again! The thing of it is, these are patterns that I've had on the to-do list for ages. Go figure..............

Does this mean I how have six pair of socks????????

Fear of Success

2006-05-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5:15am, which is unusual for me as I am a niteowl by training and by biology. Why? I have been working at the local fabric store where I hang out in my off time, making samples for some of the upcoming classes and in general, just being in the way and helpful, to some. Anyway, I am taking a class on wearable art embellishment and have been in a stew all week about which way I expect my design go. I am experienced enough as an artist to know that sometimes the art takes its own way - I can finally say that after many years of blushing, oh-pshaw, and shuffling of feet. I also know that sometimes the people that I hang out with may know my style better than me and sometimes they don't. So when I tell the shop owner the dilemma of which way I may want to go-choices, choices- she has me going in a third direction! But I don't wanna go in that direction!!!! I envision the finished project this way, does everybody else envision it happening another way? Or are they just waiting to see if I stay true to style or form? Is she enabling or hindering? Is it just me?

The other half of the zero-dark thirty debate is the fear of success. I want this to succeed. I was dreaming about checking things off of a list. I have no clue what was on the list or what it was about, but there I was, checking things off. Then the dog I'm sitting this week went into a tizzy over the paper girl landing the paper on the porch and woke the other dogs up. Quickly there was a chorus in the front room that continued for longer than the paper girl to deliver her papers on the block and leave to go to the next one. Anyway, the fear of success is one that I have been struggling with for a long time. Learning is fun, concepts are easy, some things are not. The learning disability I was diagnosed with is subtle, insidious and dangerous to my grade point average and my sense of acceptance of self. Some things to learn are easy and some require taking a class 2 or even 3 times to learn the material enough to pass. Many researchers and those who work with this type of cognitive disability remark that the people with this diagnosis are street smart, well read, articulate, extremely intelligent about how people and the world around them work.But are considered "not working to potential" or "lazy" or whatever. It's not that we're lazy, its that we can't pass a formal test of our knowledge to show what we can do. I couldn't pass the SAT to save my life, but have a 127 on an IQ test. Go figure!!

So the fear of success and the concept of my design are related how?...........It just means that I can stop banging my head against the wall and have found a way to go around the wall. Novel concept, that! Sometimes the fear of finding a new way to work around the disability is more painful than banging the head against the wall. Sometimes winning is fun after all!!!! I will just take my design and the clues that my friends and enablers give me and I will see what comes of it. After all, its only art,......and there's another piece to do tomorrow.

Do Not Fear Your Expectations! You Are Better Than They Are!

By the way, Finals went well. Grades are back, two A's, two B's and a C. WAHOO!!!!!

finals week

2006-05-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

well......it's finals week. it started last week on thursday. No regular class, for me anyway, just the final instructions and the final assignments and the dates due and..... the crazyiness happens. It just does. today I turned in my 10 page government paper. I hope I waxed just the right eloquence to pass. tried to sell back some books, got a whole whopping $5.50! and still came home with a bag of books. Tomorrow is a biology test and thursday for turning in redone homework. Then we are finito for the semester. I don't know if I'm happy or not?

busy busy busy

2006-05-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Things have been really hectic. the last of the last minute midterms at school before finals start next week. A project or two for the Quintessential Quilters. Last month and this, the mini project has been to make post card quilts. A tiny quilt 4 in by 6in that could be sent in the mail. We're not going to, but you can if you want, if you don't add embellishments such as beads, feathers, etc. You can use thread, paint, markers, stamps, fusibles to make your card. Here's a few of the ones I made:

Festival! the fabric had little Japanese
fish kites on it.
I thought Kewl!
A post card.
this took all of 15 minutes to assemble and make.

This on is called:
"Sailing on the Coast".
I think I am going to send this
one to my best friend from high school:
Leesa.

This is a representation of the
Nasturtiums in the back yard.
Pretty!

2006-04-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to post a picture. I needed to turn off the pop-up blocker that I did not want installed on my computer. However, the computer literate people in my life think that they know what I want......

Any way, this is a picture of the not so finished socks for the yahoo group 6 Socks. They are knit ot Trekking XXL in color way #110, sorry only a number given for the colors. Easy, fast and very adjustable. You have to join the group to get the pattern. If I can find the picture of the finished socks I will post it so you can see. I only have 3 hard drives on my computer. Count 'em-THREE. Each one has a whole lotta files and all the other necessities of life saved on them. We went through musical drives while trying to find out what was wrong. It took over a year and in the end, a bad processor, just 1 out of 512! So now my stuff is scattered over the Buddha's green silicon acres and the search for any thing takes a mental health break to recover from.

In other news, I finished midterms this week. YAAAA!!!! now only to do a special project in biology lab, 1 10 page paper for government, 2 finals and a chapter test. Then the semester is over by the middle of May. another YAAA!!!

the hard part

2006-04-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

the hard part is keeping up what you have consigned yourself to do-which is to try to be urbane, witty, charming, etc etc etc......yea! right! NOT! it still is hard, tho, to come to grips with this thing called 'blog'.

anyway, i guess it would be more interesting if i planted a few pix of what i've finished lately or posted a few buttons of a few of the other blogs that I read. and i will, just as soon as I figure it out! But, I can tease you.........ha ha ha......I have finished the socks for the KAL 6 socks on yahoo. I've posted there and everything. I've also got a bad case of finish-itis, which for me means I must be very very sick. I always start projects. its the process, not the finished item that interests me. But lately, I've been finishing: a pair of wrist warmers on the needles since Oct, now that warm weather is here......; a 1/2 Frost Flowers and Leaves from "A Gathering of Lace"(that was fun!); another package of helmet liners for the troops over seas; some sewing for other people, the socks mentioned above.

On another front, I finally finished diddling around with writing out the pattern for a Shetland shawl. a triange shawl on point with large borders and an edging to make you cry. Its been finished for a week. I've been afraid to pick up the needles and make the swatch to get started. Could this be the cause of the finish-itis?

Hello!

2006-04-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

Took the plunge and started a blog. Now what? What to babble on about? OK! the ususal suspects. I am an ex Marine, married, 2 teenagers, 2 dogs, a part-time job at the local quilt store and a full-time job holding down 14 units at the State U I attend. I am an enviornmental studies major/biology minor, I quilt, teach quilting and basic sewing, knit, test knitting patterns for a startup here in town, organic gardening and I live in California. I am a military brat, so's the DH. We met in the Marine Corps many,many years ago and have been married 23 years this august.

I have decided to name by blog "Semper Knits" a take off on the slogan "Semper Fidelis" or always faithful. it seems that I am "always knitting"

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