From None to Five...

...or six, wait, is that SEVEN? Darn. I thought I was doing well...

Yes, I must confess to seven if this is full disclosure. At one point in August, I had no WIPs. Here's what I have four weeks later. Clockwise from the socks:

1. Broadripple in Cascade Fixation, midway through gusset on second sock
2. One Skein Wonder in CTH Twister (started last night b/c I didn't have sense enough to go to bed)
3. Daphne Baby Cape, a few ends left, buttons, attach one side of hood and fringe (completed but not pictured)
4. Unmentionable, needs to be stuffed, assembled, & dressed (see Knit 2 Together, Ullman & Clark, p. 66)
5. Danica Scarf for Red Scarf Project, Lion Wool Worsted, about 25% complete
6. Loose Five Braid Cable out of Vanna's Choice, needs fringe to make it a scarf. Done to test yarn and make a cable swatch. Have washed a stockinette swatch twice and I'm not happy with how it is wearing -- looks worn and fuzzy already.
7. Unmentionable, a few ends to weave in and buttons -- cannot find 2" buttons. (see Fitted Knits, Japel, p. 48)

Unmentionables are obviously gifts, but since they are going to non-knitters I've given references for the curious knitters out there. Love the #7, tried it on enough times that hubby asked if I was going to be able to give it away. I reassured him that wouldn't be a problem since I already bought yarn to make one for me.... And #4 should be gifted soon, so I can show pix and describe a couple of minor adjustments I made to the pattern.

Planted some window boxes yesterday with plants from Sierra Vista Growers in La Union, NM. Just love this place. All their plants look full and healthy, and there are plenty of hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees to keep you entertained while shopping. They are also the only place I could find vermiculite to make Mel's Mix for our Square Foot Gardens, and the only place we could find seaweed extract, fish emulsion, and gypsum to keep our plants healthy. We've had quite a learning curve here -- we actually OVER-watered at first. Anyway, here are the boxes:

More Travel + More Knit = Less Blog

The good news is, the silence will be broken with good pictures, because we FINALLY got our new camera! So, let's start with Mr. Picture Purrfect Posing Puss:
Awwww... isn't he a sweetie? And I captured one of the hummingbirds on our patio.
For our anniversary weekend in August we went up toNew Mexico and stayed at the Inn on Broadway. We weren't the only guests.I got a little bit of knitting done, here's the Daphne with two skeins down.We spent Saturday wandering around the town, visiting various shops and galleries. We ate lunch at Vicky's and dinner at Diane's -- highly recommend both places for their spectacular food. On Sunday we drove out to the Gila Cliff Dwellings, which wasn't far as the crow flies, but took several hours on those twisty mountain roads (which is good practice for Ireland next May, according to Jo). Our hike had a little added excitement as we were caught in a downpour, which is spectacular from the cliffs as you can see.

We ate lunch at The Lodge, where they had a few hummingbirdsmost of whom were not camera shy.On the way home we stopped for a quick peek at Lake Roberts.


The following weekend we made our usual escape to Cloudcroft and our favorite coffee shop, Jamocha Bean, to sit in the gardenand visit with Kate.Then we hiked through Lincoln Forest and found this little guy.My first time seeing a horned toad. The birds were uncooperative for photographing as usual. We went back to Jamocha Bean in the afternoon and just hung out because we didn't feel like doing anything else and certainly didn't want to go back to EP just yet. Wait! Who's that posing by the fountain in the garden? Yes, Potomatomus has made an appearance in all her glory.This is certainly a better shot of the colors, but now that I see it on the blog it isn't showing the detail quite as much as I had hoped. More knitting pictures tomorrow, including FOs!

Frog Pond

The good, the bad, and the ugly:

Glasgow Lace from Interweave Knits Fall 2006, but you can't see the curves to the lace pattern because of the striping in the colorway (CTH potluck supersock). And AFTER I got to this point, I found information about shaping the garment here. I also kept asking myself why I wasn't knitting in the round. So, IF I do this sweater, it will be in a solid or nearly solid, and knit in the round with waist shaping. I am left with 840 yards of this CTH potluck. Yes, I could make socks, but I feel like I should use it on something bigger since I have an ample amount of this "one of a kind" colorway. I do think the colorway would be perfect for Nagini, so maybe I'll give in and do that.



I have an unknown amount of laceweight merino -- it is my mom's yarn but she didn't like working with it, so I'm trying to make a scarf out of it for her. I was using US size 5s, but I don't like the way it looks, so I think I'm going to restart with 4s. In some places the yarn is so light it looks like there is a dropped stitch. The question is whether to stay with this leaf lace pattern or look for something else. It came in a little kit with knitting needles and instructions for three different lace patterns including a feather & fan. If this sounds familiar to anyone and you know the yardage, please let me know!

Daphne's Baby Cape

One skein down, two plus to go. I'm using Berroco Comfort in 9810 Nosegay Mix. I picked up the yarn Monday at Unravel in Las Cruces. The store had a nice selection of yarn and books. The pattern (From Knit Two Together) calls for Cascade 220, but I wanted something washable. The Comfort is super soft -- it can be a little splitty if you aren't paying attention. The first skein I used had two knots in it, one about six yards in and the other just a few yards behind it. Haven't found a problem in the second skein -- will wait until the project is complete before I write to Berroco.

Hubby and I have been touring as much of Southern NM as we can before we are relocated next month (insert temper tantrum here). So far we've been to Cloudcroft twice (30 degrees cooler than it is here) and out to Carlsbad Caverns. We may stay local this weekend, but we are looking into B&Bs for our anniversary weekend. Maybe Silver City area so we can see the Gila Cliff Dwellings, or back into the Ruidoso/Cloudcroft area.

And It's been a while since I posted these mugs, so here they are:

Norton just knows the doormat was purchased for him.


Frank considers the entire world his toy.

Emerging from the deep depths of the dark water...

...is Potomatomus! I'll kitchner the second toe tonight & be done with them. The second picture is a little closer to the real colors.
I followed the pattern with the exception of using the Channel Island cast on (found in my page-a-day calender). The yarn is Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Steelhead. Just couldn't resist using a fish-named colorway for a fish-named pattern and maintaining the theme with the island cast-on. These did seem to be "the socks that never end" because of the 1x1 ribbing, but I still love them. Very much looking forward to cold weather, especially since these are the third pair of socks I've completed this summer.

I realize yesterday's posts were rather shortly stated. Part of that is from the attempted to cram in the chronicles of several completed projects. And part of that was just plain feeling cranky. The previous five days were filled with a variety of malfunctions in our apartment (refrigerator, overflowing toilet, loss of electricity) and I'd had enough. We've been told the power will be out again this Friday so they can make permanent repairs. Last night the AC wasn't working all that great, so I'm kind of sluggish today. Hopefully that will be then end of that type of excitement for a whil. Hubby will be home soon and he always makes things better! We've been discussing various vacation options and at first I offered a few options, but now my only request is that it is someplace cold. I want the luxury of shivering a little. Being able to don the comfy handknits will just be a bonus!

Jaywalkers & Vog-ons

Jaywalkers in Regia Silk. I only changed the pattern for the heel:

I used a Strong heel, which allowed me to continue the pattern all the way down the heel. The sock is very tight as others have noted with this pattern. It fits fairly well except for the buckling around the ankle. I'm through using Regia sock yarn. Technichal comment: blech. It has no sproing at all. The colorway is very pretty.

The pattern came out on a Tuesday. I cast-on on Thursday and finished the following Wednesday. My Koigu Vog-ons:

Love the pattern and the yarn. It is a fairly stretchy lace, so I probably didn't have to make the pattern change -- I added some ribbing to the back of the ankle. It makes a nice panel out of the lace. I did the toe-up version, and I think I did thirteen 4-round repeats instead of the ten shown. I have my notes somewhere...Oh yeah, BTW, ignore the dates on the pictures.

W & Flamewalkers

Here's the first in the FO parade in a lame attempt to "catch up" my blog. This is from Knitty. I followed the pattern, and kind of wish I hadn't. Instead of making two separate pieces, I wish I had made a provisional cast on, then instead of knitting the fifth wedge, I'd just knit the third again and make my way around the back. That leaves just the shoulder straps to seam. The garter stitch border looks better in person than it does in the picture. I'm really looking forward to being able to replace this picture because the yarn is gorgeous. It is CTH Twister Potluck in colors that look like Sugar Maple, heavy on the pink. I'm thinking of making a One Skein Wonder in pink Twister to go with it.


CTH Supersock in Maple, Flamewalker pattern. Followed the pattern. I like the finished product. The yarn seems to be pilling a bit, especially where the ankles rub against my shoes. I've heard this is a merino problem. Curious to see how they continue to wear.

Ravelry

I decided not to wait anymore to get into the queue. Here's the result:

Found you!
You signed up on Today
You are #17320 on the list.
11389 people are ahead of you in line.
6 people are behind you in line.
32% of the list has been invited so far

I'm glad I'm not actually standing in line for this one. Although, that would be lots of quality knitting time...

Crawling Out from Under the Rock...

...or at least out of the internet black hole I was in. Six months later, I find myself no longer in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but high in the Chiuhuahuan Desert. Yes, I realize it is hot here. Yes, I realize we just moved OUT of Texas six months ago. Yes, I acknowledge that I am not in control, and I am thankful for this. Everything works out so much better than I could ever plan it.

Fortunately we are just here temporarily. However, we may move back to DFW rather than central VA -- definitely keeping the house. Although it has a much more glamorous sound than our actual lifestyle, it will most likely become a summer home and vacation retreat.

The lack of internet access inspired reading, gardening, knitting, and a little cross-stitching. I wasn't exactly having to carry water to the house in a bucket or scrub my clothes on rocks, but day-to-day operations in that old house took some extra doing. And I had fun working as a cashier-jockey and barista in a bagel shop. That was my winter and spring. We did make one trip to the DC area, and visited the CnO Canal, where we first met. (Insert romantic sigh here.)

I have several FOs and WIPs, but our old camera died and the newer one takes really bad pictures. Will update with what I have, and replace the pictures when I can get better ones. Some FOs are still in VA unphotographed. Oh well, I'll just have to add them to the blog later. They include: Anthropologie-Inspired Winter Capelet; Entrelac Shrug; Beechwood Scarf; Mosaic Mitts; Nautical Notes Hat; Mabel's Scarf; Kureyon-Chan; and probably some others I'm forgetting.

I completed the CTH Flamewalker Socks and a pair of Jaywalkers, however Blogger is currently not cooperating with uploading my pictures (it must also acknowledge that the pix are bad). And I made the 'Vog on socks from the new Knitty. The issue came out on the 12th, I cast on the 14th and picot stitch cast-off on the 21st. My first time working with Koigu -- yes, I love it, too.

WIPs include W (Knitty) and Pinwheel Purse (both blocking), and Potomatomus -- I'm on the heel flap of the first sock. Glasgow Lace and a lace scarf I started are on time-out. I have the Trio Tote Bag and another partial sock that are set aside indefinitely. And I cast on a pair of socks for my husband months ago, but there's barely enough done to cover his big toes. It is a dark gray yarn and very hard to see except in daylight. So I guess it adds up to seven knitting WIPs. Note the word "knitting." Some machine sewing will take place this summer as well.

My First Meme

I've been memed. The details:

“THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

Only 6? Little does this person know that when asked to share one quirky thing about myself, the speaker said, "Well, YOU are a quirk." So here goes:

1. I don't buy trash bags. I cannot stand the thought of spending money on something for the sole purpose of throwing it way. I reuse shopping bags for trash. And of course recycle anything I can.

2. I have never seen "Finding Nemo" or "The Lion King." I don't think this is strange, but everyone who finds out about this looks at me crosseyed.

3. I was born and raised 40 miles north of Boston, MA, but 95% of the time I do not sound like it. I refer to this as a birth defect. In the extremes of my emotions, when I'm really tired, or when I'm around others of like accent it comes out.

4. I alphabetize my spices. I do go back and forth in my head as to whether or not I should divide them into "sweet" and "savory"...

5. I've never had the chicken pox.

6. I didn't eat meatloaf until I was 18, grits until I was 25, and my first corndog was consumed at age 26.

And the list could go on...

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Just received this picture from the hubby. It is an aerial view of Antarctica. This gives "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" a whole new meaning, especially since it is SUMMER down there...

Modern Inconveniences

Wow. What a pain it is to not have internet access at home! And to put a little icing on that disappoinment cake, my digital camera is broken. In order to make it in time for Christmas, I had to mail a pair of handwarmers without taking a picture of them! Fortunately, I intend to make a matching pair for myself, so I can take a picture of those. For those of you who pay attention to detail and noticed the location change, yes, we've moved. Still not north of the Mason-Dixon line, but I will no longer have to endure five months of temperatures over 90! Woo-hoo! yes, there are many things I will miss, perhaps the topic of a later post, but I'm very happy to be at the feet of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains!

Free Blockbuster Total Access

Try Blockbuster Total Access FREE for four weeks by going to www.blockbuster.com/bbfamily and entering the code 2004ta. It will be free for four weeks -- you will need to cancel it before the end of the four weeks if you don't want to pay for the subscription. You even get a coupon for a free rental the day you sign up. You get three movies by mail and if you take those movies into the store you can get three more! We signed up late Saturday night and got our first two movies in the mail Monday morning.

My brother-in-law works for their corporate office and he will get $10 for everyone who tries it out for free, and $30 if you sign up. There is only one person at the office who has more sign ups than he does, and that person spammed a whole bunch of people to do it (he is now in trouble). Let's beat the cheater! Pass this on to your family and friends -- anyone can do it. Send me a comment and let me know you signed up. Thanks!

Friendly Felines

When it is chilly, you'd never know that Norton and Frank usually don't get along.They started getting along better when we brought in my niece's cat Shadow. Now their proximity is an indication of ambient temperature. I have to agree with Calvin, that fur must be strictly ornamental.

Stop the world, I want to get off

When I began this blog I did not intend for it to be a monthly report. However, it appears that my life is spinning about me and I've turned into a whirling dervish trying to keep up. Knitting has been my sanity break, but pictures of that knitting are non-existent. (Free time to knit, not take pix.) It also appears that I won't weave in ends until I have a pile of projects requiring that step. Well, now I have a pile of post-pumpkin projects itching to be tackled with a tapestry needle.

I planned to work on a specific financial project today but, alack and alas, it is on the OTHER laptop, which is in Virginia with my husband. And my shoes. Which are in the washing machine. And I hope my crockpot -- not in the machine, just in the van. Moving is fun enough as it is, but it becomes a real adventure when you pack everything up, then decide to stay for three more weeks. There ARE many advantages to this, decluttering being the first and foremost. Now, my husband and I thought I/we had done a good job paring it down. We loaded up a 1-ton van and a 3/4-ton van with well over two tons of stuff. We made it as far as Dallas. Praise God because our own personal bearded angel in jeans (you know who you are) was able to rescue us (again....) and we got back "home" safely.

Obviously, more stuff has to go. When we got back to the house that day and the next, we had a much more critical eye for what will make the journey. Several hundred MORE pounds have been eliminated, with the next three weeks to get rid of even more. I do find it amusing because we are moving into the biggest house we've ever lived in, and it is nearly twice the size of the house we are renting now. It will be much easier to do all the renovation in a nearly empty house. Details forthcoming, pix on the other computer with hubby, and the camera, in Virginia.

Okay, time to tackle my other big project. I have mentioned that I view caffeine as a drug and there are times that I abuse it as such. Definitely will be a user today. Starbucks French Roast. Rather stout, should keep me going. I can think of few things worse than having to study something that bores you to tears, but I'm looking forward to being DONE with it!

KTS2

Here's the package I received from Bethanie in Kansas. Thank you! The package I sent had to go all the way to Germany, so I don't think she's received it yet.

Orca Tails Scarf

Although the pattern calls for two skeins of Noro Kureyon, I can count this as one of my accomplishments for the Lonesome Skein KAL because I used just one skein of CTH Silk & Merino Bulky in the Quarry Hill colorway. Orcas are black and white, so I'm not sure why Lori named her pattern as such, but it looks gorgeous in her Noro and in my CTH. Because I only had one skein, I could not fringe. The cast on edge looks great, but I'm trying to work on the bind-off edge to better match it, a problem that would have been easily camouflaged behind a little fringe. (That's why the ends are hidden!) The yarn has a much more shiny jewel tone finish than is show in the photo. It is VERY soft and was a dream to work with. I hope the person getting this for Christmas likes it as much as I do! Here's the pattern: http://www.oceanwindknits.ca/sectionpage2.asp?blog=free%20patterns.

Frank, that's not a cat bed...

Felines make everything more interesting. I was showing my pre-felted pumpkin to my husband and before we knew what was happening, there was a cat in it. And yes, the collapsed felted piece with the icky border behind the pumpkin IS a cat bed.

But back to something much more successful: that wonderful PUMPKIN! The pattern is 12:01 from the October 2006 MagKnits (http://www.magknits.com/Oct06/patterns/1201.htm). The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Potluck Worsted. I had three hanks of that gorgeous orange and one of an "almost solid" green. As soon as I saw this pattern, I knew this is what those hanks wanted to be when they grew up. Wanting to enjoy it in the fall season, I couldn't resist dropping everything and making it right away. The only change I made to the pattern was in making my handle just a tiny bit longer. It is twisted and attached pre-felting, and it is still two separate "vines" post-felting. Make sure the twist is evenly distributed before attaching and it should felt fine. The CTH worsted felted BEAUTIFULLY! The triple stranding made a very thick basket. "And when the clock struck midnight, it turned into..."
The colors did not fade the way it looks in the two photos. For the record, Frank has not tried to wedge himself into it since it was felted.

RPM Revisited

Whew! I made it! It has been LESS THAN one month since my last post! This past month (not quite!) has been filled with traveling, knitting, house hunting, decluttering, and other less exciting things in life. Here is a better shot of the "Rs" of the RPMs:

My little swirls go in the OPPOSITE direction! Here's how that came to be: J discovered by reducing the cast on by one, 53[62] instead of 54[63] it eliminated the need to alter the p3, k6 repeat at the end of each round. I made my first one like that, but I wanted my "flags" to fly in the opposite direction. So for my second sock, I ADDED one to the nine stitch repeat, making my cast on 55[64]. It is simply magic to watch those little swirls wind around the sock. Now, this does mean that one sock is two stitches bigger in diameter than the other. Find your guage and do the math to figure out how big of a deal this is going to be for you. For me, my right foot & ankle are bigger than their southpaw counterparts, so both tootsies are happy with their custom fitted cocoons.

I used about 67gm of Schoeller & Stahl Fortissima Colori in Stars/Stripes. The fuzz from the red "bleeds" a little into the white.

I've been asked if they twist around my foot while I'm wearing them because of the pattern. I wore them all day yesterday in Birks and they stayed right were they were and there was absolutely NO slouch to the ankle. I also don't feel the purl bumps on the bottom. I am very happy with this pattern and will do them again, but first there are about seventeen other patterns I'm itching to sink my needles into! (And that's JUST socks!)

Souvenir Yarn and Needles

What does a knitter buy for souvenirs while traveling? YARN of course! I started those Thuja socks for my husband and after a couple of inches had him try them on -- they were too loose and I didn't have the next size smaller needle to use because we were on the road. That's it! I'm buying the Denise Needles! So now I have them. That gorgeous handpainted yarn is for socks for me! I should be able to get those started on the trip home next week.

We are packed and ready to head out this afternoon for a six-day hike on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire. A little shorter trip than we planned, but it should work out well. It is going to be an absolutely gorgeous hike!