Yep. If you didn’t get the hint before, I was trying to tell you that my afghan is DONE.

The only thing left is to weave in the ends from the border.

The whole thing measures about 55″ x 65″. It took just about exactly 23 skeins of the Bollicine Victor yarn I used for it, and I’m very happy with it.

Well–the one thing I would change? I like the way the border ruffles on the side, but don’t love the way it kind of pulls the afghan out of shape–it doesn’t like to lay flat as a rectangle, and that slightly offends my sense of order. Rectangles should look like rectangles! But, since the only way to fix that would be to redo most of the border, well … I can deal.

I DID think about running a line of crochet around the border, where it meets the original, center rectangle, to give it a little more firmness. I might decide to do that, but for the moment, I’m just enjoying the fact that it’s done and so darn pretty. And, you know, trying to convince Chappy that it is not his.

It’s done just in the nick of time, too, because it was 80 degrees today. Beautiful day, but a little warm for sitting under this much wool in my lap. I spent the afternoon at Jessica’s, happily spinning outside with my NJ fiber friends, which was as much fun as usual. (And, no, I didn’t take any pictures.)

I’ve been telling you all about the MV Fiber Farm Lambcam for a while now. (Would you believe that they had NINE baby goats born yesterday? Four sets of twins, and one single. Wow.) Did you know that they were featured on Cute Overload yesterday?

Ooh, and folks, look! Chuck Season Two is available to pre-order on DVD!

Do I need to tell you again how great the show is and that you not only should watch it, but that you really SHOULD order the DVD set so you can see the whole thing?

(And, yes, I don’t care how tight money is, I have already pre-ordered mine. At this stage of my Chuck obsession, it’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Like listening to the 31 songs I’ve downloaded for my MP3 player in the last week. That show has GREAT music.)

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
9 Comments »

As promised, here’s me in my Briar Rose sweater. (And, hmm, the t-shirt color doesn’t look as good with the yarn as I thought it did when I got dressed this  morning!)

Some more yarn pictures. This cormo–especially the undyed skein–is so light and airy, I keep worrying it’s going to float away!

And then, my afghan.

I started to lay it down to show you how big it’s getting, and…

My helper came in.

Wasn’t it nice of him to come and provide the picture with something for scale?

Now. First, I laid down my orange throw blanket on the floor, and then my in-progress afghan on top, for comparison’s sake. The orange blanket is good size for me, after all. Dad thinks it’s too small, but he’s 6’2″ so he’s got an extra foot of body length to cover up with a blanket.

What I’m thinking of doing–instead of putting two side panels alongside the main one–is just adding a wide, cabled border around the four sides. By the time I’m done knitting this part, adding a border that’s, say, 8″ around should make this just about the same size as that orange blanket.

And I think I found the perfect cable for it, too.

There’s just one problem.

Chappy says it belongs to him, now!

Oh–do you know anybody with a yarn shop? Read (and point them to) this fabulous post of advice for LYS-owners. Really GREAT tips on how to get, keep, satisfy customers–some of which is obvious, but some of which I’ve never heard before. Seriously. Most of you readers are knitters and you probably know a yarn shop … send them that link. It’s pure gold!

Tags: Finished Knitting, Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
11 Comments »

First, I apologize for the blurry final picture–it was the best of the first batch I took, where my camera mysteriously chose to focus on the wall behind me, but which I didn’t notice until the tripod was away, the sweater back on the bed, and all the pictures copied off the camera, and I was finally sitting DOWN. So … well, at least the others came out okay. It’s just that I only had it buttoned all the way in the first group, but, well, you folks have imaginations, right?

The sweater, you’ll remember, is the Harvest Cardigan from Pam Allen and Ann Budd’s Color Style. (Which was a book I was really impressed with.) For reasons beyond comprehension, there are only 3 of these being made on Ravelry, since it’s such a beautiful pattern.

I made mine out of Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool rather than the Shetland called for in the book, and naturally I had gauge issues, so mine came out longer than it should have but … it fits well, looks great, and the only problem I had was that a 3-stitch steek really just is NOT wide enough for Silky Wool yarn. If I were doing it over, I’d do at least 7 stitches across for the steeks. The only modification I DID make? I made the button bands wider than in the pattern … just in case I had picked a larger button.

Yes. I chose button #2. As torn as I was between it and button #1, it ultimately came down to no contest at all. Because while both of them would have been more or less perfect for this sweater …

Button #1 is EQUALLY perfect for my upcoming Briar Rose sweater. Don’t those buttons look fabulous with its orangey goodness?

So, with one button that was perfect for this sweater and only this sweater, and one that was perfect for two, well … no contest.

And, can you believe how long my hair is getting? Good thing I have a haircut appointment for Saturday. Would you believe it’s been since August that I stretched this last cut? I took this picture last night, incidentally. For whatever reason, my hair was badly tangled from skimming over my shoulders all day, so I pulled out my hairbrush before I took my shower … You know, it always amazes me how smooth and silky my hair feels after I brush it. I’m so used to the clumps of curls. And, it looked so pretty, pulled over my head, I figured I’d take its picture before I got it wet.

And, the reason I don’t usually brush my hair? Look how full it looks right now, with the clumps broken up and each hair doing its own thing … if I left it like that and went about my day, it would be about twice that volume in about 30 minutes and would make me look like a crazy person. The curls keep everything under control, but the trick to that (and to avoiding frizz, if you’ve got curly hair) is NOT TO TOUCH it. Not ever. Never, ever break up a curl clump if you don’t have to … that just frees each individual strand to curl on its own and is the start of chaos.

Oh … I just realized something. The sweater in the book had some embroidery on it … maybe I’m not 100% finished after all!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Hair, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
16 Comments »

Well, we’re guessing that this is some kind of marketing scheme…

But we could be wrong, I suppose. All we really know is that this box of fudge from Mrs. Fields arrived today with a note: “Hey– just wanted to wish you a Happy Holiday season, and to tell you this: YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET. Many surprises on the way.”

What do you think? A marketing ploy? Or some, nice friend trying to give my Dad a smile?

I get to work on my sweater again tomorrow because–yay!–I finished the hat I was working on. This is for a gift for our mail carrier–the one who stops her truck so she can say hello to Chappy whenever she sees us out walking. The one who always stops to chat when she can. The one who went out of her way to make sure I got my Little Gem on my birthday two years ago. I made her a pair of “Fetching” mitts last year, and a couple of weeks ago, she stopped to say to Chappy on our walk on a cold day, and commented on Dad’s hat, saying she wanted one. Well, I didn’t think that she would have looked right in a “Tychus,” so I made her this instead. Cute, huh?

Okay, a couple more links.

You remember those cinnamon buns that I mentioned on Tuesday? Apparently I’m not the only one to think so! Not only  have I  been having email conversations about them, I’m seeing links for them all over the place.

Not only that, Susan also linked to these–Ice Wreaths. How beautiful is that! And so simple, too … as long as you live somewhere cold.

Have you heard about Trikkes? Both parents were talking about these … not a cycle that you pedal, not a scooter that you push, not a Segue that does everything for you … but kind of a combination of all three–environmentally friendly AND good exercise. And portable. Who knew? (Though, since I don’t see how you could walk your dog while using one, well…)

And … mmm. This sounds like the tastiest Vanilla ever. Have I ever told you how much I like vanilla? I read about it in this post about some really delicious-sounding cookies. It’s making me hungry.

It is nasty weather out there tonight. We’re getting some serious rain and the temperature is hovering around freezing and it’s expected to be icy in the morning. I don’t mind snow, but ice is awful. But … so strange! We’ve got rain here in New Jersey while Houston, Galveston, New Orlenas … places that are serious Deep South territory … got inches of SNOW today. That’s just backwards!

Oh, and I hope you’re proud of me. I only finally got all three of my blogs updated to the current (and same) version of WordPress a couple weeks ago, and now version 2.7 is out. So … I updated all three of them again tonight, so we are current … again! Phew.

Tags: Baking, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning, Weather by --Deb
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First and most important? Chappy seems much more himself today.

So–Mom and I headed down to Wightman’s Farms for apple cider for Thanksgiving, and then went to Starbucks in Bernardsville for coffee before heading home. And while we were there, we saw these lovely ladies knitting … and, obviously, we struck up a conversation. This is Karen and Kathy, both fairly newish knitters, but they knit and sell hats to raise money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer–isn’t that great? And so nice to make new, knitting friends, too.

We were having a nice time, and then they mentioned the reason they were there–the LYS in Bernardsville, the Knitting Lab, was closing and having a sale of up to 70% off their stock, but it didn’t open until 12:00.

You see where this is going, right? Because, yes, we followed them to the store.

And, do you know, they were having a GREAT sale. (That’s the problem with Going Out Of Business sales … the prices are great, but it means that the store isn’t going to be there long.) But, well, they WERE having a good sale, and they had Cascade 200 in that shade of green that my whole family adores, so …

Yeah, I bought a little. More like 14 skeins of it–7 of the green, 4 beige, and 3 in a gorgeous, rusty orange. Plus, on the recommendation of the owner, 4 skeins of matching kid mohair because she said when you knit it WITH the Cascade 220, it looks fabulous–and who was I to disagree? And all for $80.

I was planning on turning them into sweaters, but then I started thinking that this yarn would make a great afghan–something I keep meaning to make, but have never gotten around to doing. The main sticking point is that, well, how do you WASH a blanket made out of wool? Even if you gently spin it clean in the washing machine, it’s not like you can put it in the dryer, and who has the floor space to lay it flat to dry?

Also, while sitting and chatting at Starbucks, I finished my second sock. These were made out of Meillenweit and the colors are great, even if it was kind of “splitty” yarn to knit with. I just need to weave that last end in, and they’re ready to wear.

Also finished? The fingerless mitts I tested for Ruth. Remember last week, when I said I had run out of yarn an inch from the end of the second? Well, I went back to the first one, ripped out the ribbing, and then finished the leaf-section of the second one with the blue, and then added the coordinating brown as the ribbing on both of them. I had JUST the right amount to do the second thumb in blue–so they match, which is a great comfort. It was bugging me that they wouldn’t! And now they REALLY look like my Ingenue.

All in all, a great pattern, Ruth. I love the embossed leaf,I like the long cuff, and honestly, the fact that it almost completely hides my little finger is just because it’s so much shorter than my other fingers, not the fault of the mitt at all. (The other night, I was so chilly sitting here at the computer, that I put the one, completed one on because it was right next to the computer anyway, and then had trouble typing because my little finger kept “disappearing”! But, really, that’s ME, not the pattern.)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go start a new pair of socks to stash in my purse. Or maybe knit a swatch out of Silky Wool so that I can test the steek thing before I go any further on my sweater. I’d much rather tear back the last 20 or so rows and then turn the whole thing into a cardigan than risk the entire thing unravelling on me when I cut it! I mean, it’s not superwash wool like Kristy’s, but it’s got silk in it, so … better safe than sorry, right? Although, there’s always the machine-stitching option–and, well, again, better than having the whole thing unravel… (Although, according to this thread on Ravelry, it seems like it should be okay.)

And, Karen and Kathy? It was great meeting you!

Tags: Finished Knitting, Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
9 Comments »

Well, here she is. Ingenue. Completely, totally DONE. As in, not only finished (which she was several days ago), but now finally dry, too.

Although, in retrospect, the neckline might not be the best choice for me and my short neck, and it’s probably going to tangle my hair … but, that’s okay! I’m thrilled, anyway. And also very glad I added those three extra ridges at the bottom, or this really would be too short. This is a refreshing change from most other recent sweaters made from patterns, where my row gauge ended up being way too loose and the sweaters turned out much longer than they should have been.

And look what else I have today! Finally. I’ve only read the first few essays, but am charmed.

And, folks, if you hadn’t realized this yet, I need to tell you that Chappy is silly. Three times in the last few days, he’s gone into the office down the hall and started barking at my Secretary desk. We’re not sure why. The desk is beautiful and belonged to my grandmother. I’ve almost never used it as a desk, more for general storage, and the hutch on the top is where I keep little knick-knacks that I have nowhere else to put. Well, we don’t know if Chappy’s barking at the picture of Katy, or the little stuffed “Little Brother” from Disney’s Mulan, or what, but he stares up at the hutch and barks. I mean, I know it’s dusty, but does he have to be so vocal about it?

(Although, come to think of it, that could be the explanation right there. My grandmother in heaven is appalled at the dust on HER desk and is spectrally trying to clean it, making Chappy come in to either bark at her (since he never met her), or bark FOR her, as in trying to draw attention. Hmm. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt me to get out the Windex and Pledge, huh?)

So, today was my first day back to work after a four-day weekend, and all I can say is it’s lucky I didn’t take that time off to try to relax. Because within an hour of being back at my desk, I was stressed. Our (currently) most demanding client not only was being demanding and impatient over something we’ve been trying to get her to finish for weeks, but which she left until the day AFTER it was supposed to be complete and then dropped a whole slew of changes on us … not only was she being demanding and nasty about it, but she had the gall to complain that I wasn’t there on Friday. “What do you mean there’s no backup?” If she had gotten her changes to us by the time they were due on Wednesday, that wouldn’t have been a problem now, would it? And, sheesh, we’re a small company, and getting anything from her is like pulling teeth, but anytime she asks for something, she needs it immediately, and it had better be perfect–but she’ll complain for an hour about doing something we require that would have taken five minutes…

Ahem. Let’s just say that my day was stressful. If I HAD been all nice and relaxed from a weekend with my feet up (which it wasn’t), it would all have been wasted by 8:45 this morning. As it is, the four-day weekend went by in a blur, I was so busy. It barely feels like I had a weekend at all, much less an extra-long one!

Ah well, what can you do? At least I have Stephanie’s new book to help lift my spirits!

Oh, and that new sweater.

Okay–got to go and get my September reading list post ready to go for tomorrow morning!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading by --Deb
7 Comments »

Well, Ingenue is ready for her close-up!

Because she is totally finished. Ends woven in. Neckband seam sewn. And blocked and drying as we speak.

Which, okay, means she’s not actually ready to be WORN just yet, but the hold-up is more a matter of laundry than knitting. I did everything I could. The rest is just a matter of water evaporation and I have no control over that. I did spin the excess water out in the dryer, though, so it should be a speedier process than when I hand-wash in the sink. (A towel can only absorb so much, you know?)

Anyway, you should be proud of me. I went through my entire pile of items waiting for those final little details, and it took remarkably little time. Weaving in the final end of three socks and a pair of wrist warmers, for example, took about 8.3 minutes. I also tossed my Flutter-Sleeve Cardigan in the dryer this morning (final result, if any, still undetermined). The only thing left to really figure out is what to do with Autumn Rose.

There was one, tragic ending, though. My beloved Susan Bates darning needle that I’ve had for about 20 years wove in its last end. While giving a pull on the seaming yarn for Ingenue’s neckband, there was a “pop!” and … this. The eye of the needle is no longer an eye.

This isn’t world-ending, of course, but seriously. I’ve had this needle since I started to knit–about 1987. I’ve tried Chibis and other metal needles but have never been satisfied. The eyes are too big, the needle too stiff. I’ve even tried to find replacement plastic needles as backup for just this sort of occurence, but haven’t been able to find one. Again, the eyes are always too big. This one was perfect–big enough to thread easily, but small enough to weave in and out without snagging at the knitting. (You can actually get a pretty fair idea of the size of the eye from the picture on this post from last year.)

(Sniffle.) I guess I’m stuck with Chibis now, huh? How ironic. My veteran needle shuffles permanently off-stage just as Ingenue makes her debut. … like 42nd Street without all the tap-dancing and catchy tunes.

I’ve gotten some spinning done. This is the 4 oz of “Floral Camisole” I started the other day. I’ve got the first bobbin done, and am about halfway through the second bobbin. This is exceptionally speedy for me, I know, but the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can start on my MVFF cormo, so, why dawdle?

Otherwise? Today? It’s felt like Sunday, and the fact that I spent most of the morning in the kitchen, baking, didn’t help–since that’s something I usually only do on Sundays. I baked the cake for tomorrow, and then I made one of those two-layer oatmeal cookie/brownie things I’ve made before.  And, yes, just as yummy as it was the first time. We’re all looking forward to seeing the family tomorrow!

Anybody else sad to hear about Paul Newman?

And, incidentally, did you know that today is the Worldwide Day of Play?? I didn’t, either, until I read about it at Liz Strauss‘s.

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
9 Comments »

  Okay, who guessed hood?

I’m really very happy with the way this came out.

Let’s recap:

The outside, you’ll remember, is one skein of the MV Fiber Farm yarn I bought in April. 70% kid mohair/30% cormo in the color Saffron. So, so soft, and such a gorgeous color.

I started knitting this in June, and finished the outside just a couple days after Chappy’s birthday. I used a “light” cable stitch and, in fact, used the exact same stitch on the socks I made for Susan, it just seemed appropriate, somehow.

Then, using some of the Sublime Yarn I’ve had in my stash for ages, I started the lining. (I bought it in July 2007 and, except for the yarn for my Autumn Rose, the STR at Rhinebeck, and those couple skeins at the MV Fiber Festival, it was more or less the last yarn I bought.) Anyway, it IS sublime: 75% extra fine merino, 20% silk, 5% cashmere, and just heavenly soft. About its only flaw is that it splits fairly easily, but it’s so gorgeous, it’s worth it.

I picked up stitches along one of the long edges and then knit the lining in a nice, textured stitch. I forget what it’s called or which stitch dictionary I got it from, but it’s like a double moss stitch. You knit into the front and back of the first stitch, purl into the front and back of the next stitch, and alternate all along your row. Then when you turn the work, you knit-2-together, purl-2-together all the way back. This gives this really lush, textured, thick fabric.

The idea was for this to resemble shearling–with the smooth outside and the fluffy inside. I did this for a couple of reasons. One, since the MV Fiber Farm yarn has so much mohair, I wanted to cut down on the amount of friction to avoid pills for as long as possible.

Two, the one other time I tried knitting a hood, it looked fine but it did nothing to keep my head warm when the wind blew–the wind would go straight through all the little gaps between stitches. I wanted this one to have a fair shot at keeping my head warm, so it’s got the outer layer with mohair, the inner layer with extra-thick moss stitch, and seems like it should have a fair chance.

The only thing left to do is to add something to the neck to keep it on. (Because, you know, one of the advantages of a hood is you can slide it off your head and not have to CARRY it–something you can’t do with a hat!)

I’m thinking either something along the lines of a frog knit out of matching yarn, or maybe some I-cord with a couple tassels at the bottom. I had also knit eyelets along all four borders, in case I decided I wanted a drawstring, and am thinking that  I could run a ribbon down the back of the hood for decoration. I had thought about lacing it together in the back, but decided I wanted something more secure and wind-tight, and sewed the back seam instead. But the eyelets are there if I want them!

I said yesterday that it hadn’t come out quite the way I wanted? So, what, you’re wondering, is the problem? Well, my gauge issues being what they are, I ended up with vastly different-sized rectangles for the outside and the lining, but since they were already joined at the one edge, there was nothing I could do. I had planned on the lining being longer, so that I could fold it over at the front edge, but I didn’t expect it to be so much wider, and for a little while, I was afraid I had ruined the project with my poor gauge skills.

But, it turns out, the extra white hanging down past the front corner actually looks pretty nice, and it will give me some place to attach the closure (whatever it turns out to be), so … even though I didn’t plan that, it worked. The problem is that I don’t see how I could write up the pattern and sell it without re-thinking all the math to either fix it or take the happy-circumstance into account so that it can be duplicated with people whose gauge does NOT change in the middle of a project.

Anyway, I’m really happy with the way it came out, and it feels so nice on my head–warm and cozy, with some real weight and substance to it.

Just what you need on an August night.

So far as weekend plans go, I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow. You can see how badly it needs a trim. My last one was March 29th, and this cut has done really, really well, growing out. Now, it’s not looking its best in this picture. I had it in a french braid all day today (because I figured I won’t be able to do a “decent” length braid after tomorrow’s cut, so I should take advantage while I could). And then I wore the hood for the photos–though hopefully it will be ‘curl-friendly’ come winter–so my hair looks a little less curly and a little flatter than usual. But, still. It’s definitely getting long. No complaints about the hair cut, though–even though it’s been almost five months, it still looks good–not all over-grown and “poufy,” so, no complaints. But, really, see how long it is? Especially around my face? It definitely needs some more shape!

And, one more question: My review of Wendy’s book went over so well the other day, I was thinking I’d make it a regular thing. But let me ask you–when you read a review of a knitting book, what specific details are you looking for in the review?

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
6 Comments »

Well, it’s done … What do you think it is?

Now, I haven’t shown it before because I was hoping to maybe sell the pattern, but there were a couple glitches, so it’s not a perfect pattern. (Yet?)

That said, I am really, really pleased with the way it came out, so who cares about glitches? It’s really just what I hoped it would be. It just needs one final touch.

The big question? What do you think it is?

(I, of course, already know.)

Oh, and the Bias Eyelet Stole? It’s hit a second snag. While knitting earlier, somehow the yarn got too tightly wound and it broke on the stitch I was trying to knit into. Which means, of course, that the whole thing is in danger of unravelling. This is two problems so far, and I’m leery about a third! But, we’ll see.

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
7 Comments »

Appearing now, on your computer screen, something never before seen. My sister found an old camera with some used film, and when she got it developed, she found these:

Baby Chappy photos!

These are from October 2001, when he was three and a half months old, and they’ve just been SITTING there in her camera for the last seven years.

Say it with me now … “Awwww!” Because, wasn’t he just adorable?

(sniffle)

Then there are these lovely socks. Completely done and ready to be mailed back to Martha’s Vineyard whence they came. We just need to cross our fingers and hope they fit Susan, is all… All that’s left is wrapping them up and putting them in the mail.

And, how about some brand-new yarn? I haven’t gotten very far, plying it, but this is from the singles I finished on Saturday. It’s stil got that pretty, “Old Rose” feel and is soft as anything. (50/50 Merino/Silk, you’ll remember.)

Okay, this isn’t new–in fact, it’s from 1962–but how about a tour of the White House, hosted by the First Lady, herself? I’ve seen pieces, but never the whole thing, so it’s new to me.

As was this. I saw an article in the newspaper this morning. Apparently there was a young, indie singer named Katie Reider in Montclair who died recently from a rare disease, and as a tribute, some of her fans are trying to get 500,000 people to visit her website and download her music. You can download 9 of her songs for a $1 donation–which I did (hey, money can’t be that tight, right?), and have to tell you, I’m enjoying them. They also ask that you “link” to one more person to add to their count. (Actually, the only thing I can’t find on their site is what the current count IS.) Anyway, their mission statement is this:

For over 10 years singer/songwriter Katie Reider (pronounced RIDER) has inspired the hearts of thousands with her music and genuine personality. Just as she was reaching the peak of her music career a tumor developed in her upper left jaw that progressed into her sinus, skull base and left eye orbit. Over the course of one year, the rare facial tumor took away her sight in one eye, her voice, and most importantly her ability to perform.
500Kin365.org, was created with the help of Katie Reider’s loyal fanbase to reconnect and introduce 500,000 people to Katie Reider, her music and her story over the next year. Help us continue to spread her music over the next year by downloading “katie’s Voice” (9 original songs written and performed by Katie Reider over the last 10 years) for a $1.00 donation to her cause and linking up ONE other person to www.500Kin365.org

Go take a listen. The comments over at her blog are kind of heart-breaking, too. What a shame. Because, really, I’ve got her music playing right now while I type, and what a nice voice she had…

Ooh, and this is also new to me–”Endless Shoes and Handbags.” Doesn’t the name just sound heavenly?

Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard by --Deb
9 Comments »

Well, that’s done…

Normally, a finished object would be a GOOD thing, but since I’m still in the Project Doldrums, this just means that now I need to find something ELSE.

Sigh.

In the meantime? I started another of these in a different color. I mean, don’t get me wrong. This is a lovely little pattern and all, and the bag will come in handy. I just want to find something FUN to knit.

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
8 Comments »

Do you realize that (as we write out the date here in the U.S., anyway), that today is six, seven, eight? And that at 9:10 this morning, that made for 06/07/08 9:10? Just a little trivia for you.

As for my cardigan, I got tired of waiting for it to dry–lying flat on the blocking board, it wasn’t making any real progress–so I moved it to my Wooly Board. I ran blocking wires along the bottom to keep it straight, and I ran one up the button band for the same reason. (And, I must say, it is so very handy having a guest room I can prop this up in, so poor Chappy doesn’t need to risk poking himself in the eye.)

As you can see, though, it angles ever so slightly to the left. My yarn wasn’t perfectly balanced, and so there’s just a little extra twist.

See? They lean, just a bit. No complaints, though, it’s still gorgeous and perfect and, being up off the bed, hopefully I’ll be able to actually try it on tomorrow.

Because, naturally, what ELSE does one do on a day with temperatures in the 90s? Wearing a handmade wool sweater is of COURSE going to be your first choice!

As to my next knitting project? Still a mystery. I read in front of the television last night and didn’t work on any socks while out for coffee this morning. My knitting bag is still empty, poor thing. I’ve been searching through my books, looking for ideas on what to do with that lovely MV Fiber Farm yarn, but all I can really decide is that I’d like it to be something to keep my head and/or neck warm during the winter, and that I’d love for it to be two-sided–the gold on one side, and the green on the other. I love the way the two colors look together, but don’t really want them intermingled, like in stranded colorwork. Ideally, whatever-it-is would be two-sided and reversible. And versatile. And, of course, warm and relatively wind-proof for walks. That doesn’t seem impossible, or anything, does it?

Or, I could browse through the stash and start another sweater, bypassing the lovely green and gold yarn, maybe by doing another top-down cardigan a la Barbara Walker, to go with my beautiful blue one. It certainly was one of the most rewarding sweaters I’ve made in a while (not least because it’s one I should actually get to wear). I could just pick a stitch pattern and go to town, no worries. It could be fun.

But, still, there’s that lovely MV yarn, just sitting there…. I love it, I really do, but I don’t know what I was thinking. I KNOW that I tend to dislike smallish projects, and yet I bought two skeins of yarn in different colors, even. Talk about the thinking process breaking down. At the very least, I should have at least bought the same colors! (grin). But, they ARE so pretty….

I hope you’re all staying cool. It’s in the mid-90s here, and humid, the first really hot day we’ve had so far. And, have I mentioned lately that I hate hot weather? My sister, the birthday girl, is participating in a community-wide garage sale today, and I certainly hope that she’s staying cool. They’ve got lots of trees for shade, but no air conditioning, and on a day like this, that can really make a difference.

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Well, she’s had her bath.

And now she’s stretched out, drying.

  With all her buttons in place, of course.

Oh, and you want a better look at exactly how much yarn I had leftover? I rolled it into a ball, which is smaller than a golf ball. It neatly fits in the tiny plastic envelope that the buttons came in, with the extra button to keep it company.

Now, is that good planning, or what?

Well, I mean, OTHER than the fact that I finished this just in time for the first heatwave of the summer?

And, um, the fact that I have absolutely no other project waiting in the wings and my knitting bag is EMPTY??

Okay, so maybe I didn’t plan everything as well as I could have….

Have a nice weekend, everyone! I bet YOU have stuff to knit….

Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Today was a surprise party for my brother-in-law, who turns 45 tomorrow. We were there, his brother, sister-in-law, and niece were there, and his aunt and his cousin were there. Chappy and 18-month old Kaitlyn were adorable together and a good time was had by all.

And, naturally, I had my new camera with me (grin), and I may have taken, oh, 200 pictures or so … Here are just some. Or, okay, a lot, but, well … it was a good day!

And, yes, Chappy WAS in the crate while Kaitlyn was smiling into it, and he did kind of wonder why she kept shaking his back paw to say hello. And I love the picture of Betty taking the picture of Kaitlyn and Chappy–I was disappointed I was behind them when I realized that the best shot was of the mom TAKING the picture. Love that.

Great day. Tired now….

(I went back to add a picture of Kaitlyn inside Chappy’s crate. She liked it in there!)

Tags: Family, Finished Knitting by --Deb
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Hey, remember that bag I made a couple years ago? The felted satchel? Well, I decided it was about time that I write up the pattern. So, I did. And I’m offering it for sale–just in case you’re interested!

Size: 15″ x 9″ x 14″

Needed: 5 skeins EACH of two different colors of Cascade 220, wooden dowels for the framework, a magnetic snap–or alternative hardware of your choice!

And, the cost? Just $5.97.

You can buy it on Ravelry, if you’re signed-up, just click the link here:

Or, if you’d like to buy it directly from me, click here:

Tags: Finished Knitting by --Deb
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Well, as close as makes no difference, my Flutter-Sleeve cardigan is done. I still need to sew the little tabs onto the sleeves, and sew on the buttons, but that’s not exactly going to be a strain (grin). I finished sewing the side seams last night and washed/blocked it to get the sleeve cuffs behaving, and now am just waiting for it to dry so I can do that last little bit of sewing to make it 100% done instead of just 99.5% done.

The buttons, to remind you, are these. Though, again, the camera isn’t reporting the colors accurately. Believe it or not, the third one down (Montrose) is actually the best match, even though to the camera it appears to be a completely different color. The Donan (the top) is a lot more brown than green, and looks good as an accent. Mom and I both have a soft spot for the Vencencia button–which seems a little fancy for a simple sweater, and yet looks lovely.

I have to make up my mind soon, though, because as soon as this sweater is dry, I don’t have any more excuses!

Otherwise? I did some serious dusting/vacuuming this morning to get my bedroom clean. My asthma’s been bothering me the last couple of days (and, have I mentioned, I hate having asthma!), so I figured I should make a point of getting my room as clean as possible. (With, of course, the awareness that doing the cleaning myself may simply aggravate the problem, but what can I do?) And when I haven’t been cleaning, or cooking, I’ve more or less been curled up on the couch with Chappy. I’m reading a really good mystery, A Test of Wills, which I’m grateful is the first in a series, because I’m enjoying it quite a bit and am always thankful when there’s more. It takes place in 1919 England and Inspector Rutledge is trying to drag himself back from shell-shock from the war, and it’s just really very good.

This reminds me, though–it’s just about the end of the month and I need to get my monthly reading list posted in two days … well, at least it will give me something to do in my knit-less state. Because, except for the almost-finished wrist-warmers and a (yawn) pair of socks I started in self-defense the other day so I’d have something to do at the hair salon, I’ve got nothing. No sweater. No shawl. No interesting projects of any kind. Sigh.

Here’s a nifty link for you–recreated photos from Hitchcock’s classic movies. Some gorgeous photos, there. It reminds me of those Annie Leibovitz Disney photos (also beautiful).

Oh, and because these are fun once in a while (seen at Sandy’s):
83 words

Speedtest

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Here’s a mediocre modelling shot of my shawl. It’s not much of a picture, but at least you can see the relative size of the shawl. (Two more pattern repeats really would have made it too big!)

I would have tried harder to get you a good picture, but I was tired and cranky and I hope you’re just grateful you got any picture at all (grin).

Why was I tired and cranky? Without whining, let’s just say, you know how, sometimes, when you take a couple days off from work and you get back to your desk and just pick up where you left off? And other times it’s like chaos totally took hold of the universe and the vortex of insanity apparently centered on your office?

Guess which kind of day I had?

(grumble, grumble)

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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There she sits. Done and Blocked. It’s such a relief to have this shawl done!

Now, ideally, it would have had a couple more of the “leaf” repeats before the edge, but considering the size of the finished shawl, it’s just as well I stopped the pattern repeats when I did.

I was lazy about pinning out every crocheted scallop at the edging, but just gave each repeat three pins to hold them in place while they dried, but I’m happy with that. It’s mostly dry now and I think it’s going to look great when it’s unpinned.

I started this shawl, you’ll remember, last May, and knitted it in “Curry”-colored Zephyr lace yarn . . . which hates me. The pattern is from the Japanese “Let’s Knit” Book #11, but doesn’t appear to have a name, just a number. Which is a shame, really–it deserves to have a name.

Of course, since I decided to use fewer repeats, I’m left with almost two complete extra skeins of Curry Zephyr–which, knowing how well we get along, you can imagine I’m very excited about.

But, still . . . done!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Well, this is how close to the end I was when my yarn ran out last night. So close, and yet, so far! But at least I had more yarn to finish it out.

(I wonder if the shawl would have been more cooperative as regards the yarn if I hadn’t left it in the knitting bag so often while working on other things? Or, you know, if it hadn’t been Zephyr.)

Still, it’s done. It just needs to be blocked. I made my shawl smaller than the one in the book for a couple of reasons . . . One, considering the ennui that had set in anyway, if it had been longer, who knows when it would have been finished. (As it is, I started it last May.) And, Two, I had a feeling at full-size it would have been too large for me to wear comfortably anyway. (You can see a picture of the original here.)

It looks like a crumpled mess right now, of course, as unblocked lace always does, but just give me a day or two to get it blocked properly. It really is going to be stunning. Still, though, I want my next lace project to be a FAST one. Like Flower Basket!

Do you know what this means, incidentally? At this moment, I do not have a knitting project at all. I’m thinking the Flutter Sleeve Cardi from the new Interweave Knits would be nice, though. And it looks like it would look great in the green (#008 Moss) Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool I’ve got in my stash, too.

So, what did I do with my day off today? I know you’re dying to know. Nothing much exciting, though. I went to the grocery store this morning to pick up a couple things–but that included the makings for BLT sandwiches (which you know I love, and which my Dad loves, too).

Then, after lunch, I neatened my fiber/yarn closet.

Here’s the yarn side. I was getting some overflow of yarn coming into the stash but not stored in the correct bin. The magazines are still over-flowing their racks but at least, everything looks neat and just about everything is where it belongs. The orange bin and the milkcrate to its left that you can’t see are both filled with sweater yarn. The canvas bins are for (1) sock yarn, (2) lace yarn, and (3) odds and ends. On the right, there’s another milk crate also filled with yarn–that’s usually the “active” yarn–extra skeins for projects I’m currently working on. Although the Kid Silk Haze stash lives there now. Below that are the magazines, basket of knitting needles, sewing supplies, and other crafty things. The bookcase is filled with knitting, spinning, and craft books. The loose-leaf binders on the floor are for assorted, single patterns, and the cardboard box on the bottom left is filled with leaflet/magazine-type knitting books . . . the ones that aren’t quite “books” but aren’t regular periodicals, either. And the blue canvas bin? Filled with sweaters I no longer want that I plan (someday!) to convert to things like pillows or tote bags or something….

Here’s the fiber side. I reminded myself of the fiber I have waiting to be spun and then organized (again) the miscellaneous bobbins and such that just won’t stay organized. Right now, all my Lendrum bobbins/flyers are in that clear plastic bin, all my Majacraft bobbins/flyers are in the cardboard box. The two lazy kates are sitting on top of the Lendrum bun, the spindles are dangling from a hanger in the corner, and all the spinning fiber is in the mesh bin and the basket in the front. Such beading supplies as I have live in a plastic, under-the-bed bin on the floor. (And, the bookcase? Filled with YA and children’s books that I love and like to keep handy. L.M. Montgomery, Diana Wynne Jones, Nancy Bond, Louisa May Alcott, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Sharon Shinn, Elizabeth George Speare, Susan Cooper….)

And, really, except for reading Rose in Bloom and taking Chappy for a walk, that’s pretty much my day! Oh, that, and vacuuming about another dog’s worth of fur out of the bottom of my closet. (grin)

And, lastly, my verdict on I Love Melvin from yesterday? Cute, but not fantastic. Debbie Reynolds looked lovely (great hair, great  clothes). Donald O’Connor did fabulous dancing–the number on roller skates was even better than Fred and Ginger’s roller-skate dance. The little girl playing the kid sister was wonderful, and there was even a glimpse of a really young Richard Anderson (remember Oscar Goldman from the original 6 Million Dollar Man?). But, the ending? Even allowing for the silly 1950′s contrivances in these MGM musical romantic comedies . . . it was the absolute silliest ending to any movie I’ve ever seen. Truly, ridiculously silly. But all in good fun, and that number on the roller skates was well worth the price of admission, as it were. Not to mention making Mom so happy!

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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First of all, no, yesterday’s Sky picture was NOT taken yesterday. Our weather from about 8:00 am onward was pretty much freezing rain. All day. Gloomy, wet, dreary day that at least was Friday. I tried taking a couple of pictures from my car on my drive home, but the vibration of the running motor made the low-light shots pretty much impossible, and this was the best I could do. Luckily, though–here at least–while the rain froze to all the vegetation and the sidewalks, the streets were not slippery for driving. Which is good because I don’t particularly like driving on ice. Snow is okay, but ice is kind of scary.

Today’s weather was better, though not as nice as it was supposed to be. They’d forecasted partly-sunny and 45 degrees, and while it did reach the 40s, it wasn’t remotely sunny and it felt cold. We’d already promised Chappy a visit to the park, though, so we bundled up and headed out around 11:00.

We gave him a surprise, though. My friend Cindy lives right next to our favorite park, and while we always call to see if she’s available for a walk, our schedules never coincide. But, today she was waiting for a furniture delivery, so we detoured over to her parking lot so that Chappy could see his friends, Horatio and Princess. Horatio is Chappy’s best friend–he’s three weeks older and they’ve known each other since they were about three months old. Today was the first time they’ve seen each other, though, since Chappy’s 5th birthday, a year and a half ago, when Cindy brought her two dogs and Risa brought her two toddlers and joyful chaos ran amuck for an afternoon.

Anyway, Chappy and Horatio were delighted to see each other, and immediately started doing their signature wrestling . . . which starts as wrestling but very quickly (these days) ends up with Chappy sitting on top of Horatio. Something he doesn’t do with any other dog but which Horatio seems quite content with. Really, they’re very funny together. And thankfully a lot calmer than when they were puppies. That very first visit to the park back in 2001? It would take us 20 minutes to walk 10 feet because they’d continually stop to play. (Hey, when they went to puppy school together, they had to sit at opposite ends of the room, just so they could concentrate.)

After the park, we stopped at Starbucks for some hot beverages to warm us up . . . and a cupcake that we paid for but that didn’t get put in our bag but that we didn’t realize was missing until we got home . . . Chappy got a badly-needed bath, and then I baked a cake.

Cook’s Illustrated had a yellow cake/chocolate frosting recipe that I wanted to try. I love trying different recipes, and I really love the magazine which rarely steers me wrong, so since this is my favorite cake combination, I had to try it. I haven’t tasted the finished result yet, but I will say that I wasn’t impressed with the frosting when I was making it . . . far too runny for a supposedly “foolproof” frosting. As in, it was running down the sides of the cake and off the dish as I frosted it. And the layers kept sliding in opposite directions. Maybe the chocolate was still too warm when I added it to the butter/cocoa/sugar mixture? But it was still this runny even AFTER I added extra confectioner’s sugar in a desperate attempt to solidify it a little (grin). Anyway, Dad–the only one so far to have had a piece–said it was pretty good . . . but it doesn’t compare to the family-favorite Grandma Cake. (As if it could!)

Oh, and then I tried a little modelling. I put on my new sweater and then wandered around the house with my camera and my Gorillapod, trying to get you a decently-lit photo of me in my new sweater. Um. Some of them came out better than others, but here are the top three.

(As you can see, Chappy helped!)

And, lastly, a couple links.

Colleen’s post about a Ravelry thread written by a bunch of, um, overly-devout knitters who entirely misunderstood the point of her subway-pass mittens. It’s really a little frightening in its hilariousness.

The Writing Forward blog has an interesting challenge going–to write a sentence that’s over 100 words long and THEN to write it again in 10-words or less.

And, lastly, speaking of photography (as I was the other day), look at these great tips for flash and lighting things you can do yourself.  Personally, I’m enamored of the diffuser/ring flash made from an old milk carton. For that matter, here’s a page of “best tips” which are darn good all on their own. (Although, some of them require a more advanced camera than I have . . . maybe someday, though!)

Tags: Family, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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