Lizzzknits

I love these hats!

2011-02-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I went to a knitting retreat in Buena Vista at a B&B, Liar's Lodge. This place is a fishing lodge right on the Arkansas River and in the winter months they open to crafting groups like ours for the weekends. It was a small group of 8 and we had the run of the place, which meant hanging around the common area in our PJ's!! What could be better??

To top it off, there was a fabulous knitting/spinning store in the small downtown, Serendipity. It was stocked as well or better than most of the stores here in town. Our group did a little retail/fiber therapy...ok... a LOT! I spotted a pattern pamphlet that I hadn't seen before, the Lake Drive Hat. It calls for Kauni yarn held double and the sample was so enticing I purchased yarn in the black/gray colorway EC and the pattern. It is really an easy pattern, and I could have probably figured it out on my own, but I figured that any pattern that grabs me the way it did deserves to be supported with a purchase. Wouldn't you feel the same way? I also purchased 16" circulars in 7 to start it right away. Since I was spinning most of the weekend, I didn't finish the hat til the next weekend but I really love the way it turned out. It will be super warm and can be pulled down over your ears when it is really cold.

Since it only took 80 grams of the original 150 in the skein, I started a second one right away, and used leftover yarn from my sweater

from 2 years ago for half of it. The second hat looks different in the photograph because I made that one using the Magic Loop method instead of on a small circular, but when the hat is on, they fit just the same. This hat only took 2 days to complete.

I LOVE THESE HATS!

No Apologies, but a Finished Project!

2010-11-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

My first PI shawl, from Wendy Knits. This is a salute to Elizabeth Zimmerman, knitter extraordinaire!!

Hope Chest

2010-07-29T21:36:00.000-06:00

Because my daughter had a falling out with the the new Mom, this is going into the baby hope chest.

Baby Surprise Jacket in Dream in color/Mission Falls 1824- all superwash for convenience.

Modifications: 4 inch fold-over 1X1 rib cuff to extend the sleeves, picked up at the end.

More Estes Park Wool Market

2010-06-16T17:20:00.000-06:00

How could I end the posting yesterday without any wooly beasts? Here ya go:

Teething Alpaca

Cozy coated sheep

Head shots of Jacob Sheep with spots and multiple horns

Judging sheep: the BFL on the right was the big winner

Bottle Baby Yak- for sale! Only two weeks old

Baby Angora Goat

Working my way back from the Most Recent

2010-06-15T20:52:00.000-06:00

With such a large gap in my blogging, where do I start to catch up??......with the most recent event, of course---The Estes Park Wool Market.

This now annual event for me and Stacy was expanded to two days for us this year, Saturday and Sunday with a stay overnight at a cute riverside motel.

Unfortunately, the weather gods decided we needed rain, lots of rain, so the sun was barely visible all weekend. Clouds hovered over the nearby rock peaks,

and it even snowed in Rocky Mtn National Park. The water flowed swiftly in Fall River, by the motel and downtown. The second picture is the motel manager checking the river depth gauge, since
Estes was under a flood watch all weekend.

Some wild critters (elk) were roadside, saying hello.

I finished my February Lady Sweater finally, by late nights and sewing on the buttons on Saturday morning. No time to give it a proper blocking, but a steam pressing an hour before Stacy came. I ended up wearing it all weekend thanks to the temps in the 40's.

The fairgrounds were rainy and muddy, so we stayed mostly in the vendor barn, and shopped til the budget cried "uncle"! Here is the haul:

From Creatively Dyed Yarns this is 70%wool, 30% seacell fiber in color, Plankton.

From Kai Ranch: this is overdyed black kid mohair:

This is a raw Jacob fleece, which is very clean since it was coated. The spots are very distinct and the colors of white, black, and gray are even divided throughout the fleece.

It is a little over two lbs, raw, and it seems to be very soft for a Jacob. Of course, I have to finish the Shetland fleece I started earlier this spring first...and to help out with that I bought this:

A used Louet drum carder from Fire Ant Ranch. This was Suzanne's personal carder that she is parting with since she uses an electric carder now. She took the time to demo it and with the savings, I couldn't resist. Even though it is about 15 years old, it is solidly built, finished well, and only a few of the pins are bent. In case I forget how to operate it, there are etched instructions in 5 languages on the front and the back!

On Sunday, we spent most of the day watching the 4 teams at the sheep to shawl competition. I must have been so mesmerized by it all, since I failed to take one photograph. Teams of 5 people: one weaver and 4 spinners started with washed fleece and a warped loom and proceeded to spin yarn and weave a shawl in about 5 hours. There were 4 teams this year and the finished results were vastly different from each other, but each beautiful in its own way. It might be fun to be on a team in the future...hmmm something to think about.

Life Gets in the Way of Blogging

2010-06-10T17:38:00.000-06:00

And laziness. I apologize for being absent for so long (since the end of April, actually!) but I promise to return to some regularity. Some of my distractions have been another surgery on Hub's back, work stresses, Mother's Day, work stresses, a quick trip to Santa Barbara (fun and an escape from the everyday stuff), work stresses, knitting, spinning. Do you notice a trend, here?

This weekend is the Estes Park Wool Market, and Stacy and I are going to spend Saturday night this time. We are not going to take any classes, but there will be plenty of shopping and animal petting to be experienced. Of course, the weather report is for temps in the high 40's and rain, with the lows overnight near freezing. Welcome to Colorado summers! The bottle of wine I will be bringing along should ease some of the frustrations with the weather!

I will try to catch up with everyone over the next couple of weeks. Bear with me.....life gets in the way......

Knit & Crochet Blog week- Day 2- An Inspirational Pattern. Knitcroblo

2010-04-27T17:14:00.000-06:00

I have attempted many exciting patterns in the last several years of adventurous knitting. Lace, cables, Fair Isle, chart reading, textural. The most adventurous and ambitious pattern has been the GAAA, aka the Great American Aran Afghan which is one of my works in progress. (see the sidebar). I am on the 7th square and although I haven't worked on it for a few weeks, I keep up with the Ravelry group dedicated to this pattern. This past weekend, I was able to assist another knitter who was stuck on the Sumner square which I had already finished. This is the one with the spider, web and vine, and flies. You have to see it to understand it.

And, I was actually able to help her with a few simple instructions. That is what the knitting community is all about. Teaching, supporting, sharing, and passing on skills and tips to everyone interested. The community was there for me as I gained new skills and I am thrilled to be able to pay back and pay forward.

That is inspirational.

Knit & Crochet Blog week- Day 1- Starting Out.

2010-04-26T20:23:00.000-06:00

My Grandmother was a knitter, and so was my Mother, and it was Grandma who taught me how to knit in 1957 or so when we were living with Grandma and Grandpa after my Dad left the Air Force for good. I remember sitting with her watching "Edge of Night", a popular soap of the time, or was it "As the World Turns"? Grandma, in her big chair with the footstool and always knitting. Mostly fisherman knit sweaters, or shells with the tiniest of needles. Lots of lace, suits. I never noticed her looking at the patterns, so I thought she was magic. It was only recently when Mom moved, did I find the pattern books from the 1950's and 1960's when Mom and I cleaned out some of the old stuff. Pattern books that contained the sweaters that Grandma made, but tweaked with her talent.

Here is another sample of Grandma's knitting with sequins.

The first project we shared was a doll sweater, in a salmon color. I don't remember too much about the process, or the finished results, or what happened to it, but I do remember the holes from dropped stitches. There is a long gap in my memory to the time of high school and college. By then I could crochet, and knit well enough to have completed a couple of sweaters.

These two I still own and wear. I remember a couple of things about knitting them, that the patterns were from Family Circle or Woman's Day magazine. They are both the same pattern, with two different fair isle patterns, and one a turtle, one a crew. Those were the days when wool was put up in 4 oz skeins (like Red Heart, but 100 % wool and for only about $1 a skein)

The fair isle pattern was accomplished with bobbins, which were forever dangled and tangled on the back of the knitting. Every other row or so, I had to stop to untangle everything. I must have had a lot more patience then!

I have since learned two handed stranded knitting when I knit my Kauni rainbow sweater so no more tangles.

Whatever I learned when I was 7 must have stuck with me and returned throughout my years improving with practice and new skills learned.

Just a thought

2010-04-21T19:58:00.001-06:00

"There are two big jokes here in Iceland at the moment:

1. The Brits asked Iceland to send them some cash, but as there is no C in the Icelandic alphabet we thought they meant ash.

2. It was the last wish of the newly dead economy of Iceland that its ashes would be spread all over Europe."

Pulled from Mason-Dixon Knitting today....... makes me think that I would love to be stranded in Europe with my knitting. That and my credit card.

It was a tough winter all around.

2010-04-18T18:07:00.001-06:00

The rose bush did not make it, rest in peace This what it looked like in full bloom a couple of summers ago.

This should teach me about heavily mulching my roses every fall and covering the bottoms. At least it is Spring for real now, so I cleaned out the raspberries, dug out the dead rose bush and got a feel for the rest of the blooms to come. It will be a while before the grass is as green as the photo above, since the front was buried under snow for more than 4 months this winter and should be heavily raked. I planted lots of tulips in the front and the back, but the dog ate most of the tulips in the back, digging her (edited to correct gender) way down. Grrrr.

Guess what I asked for for Mother's Day.

Bad Karma Day ends well.....

2010-04-17T19:15:00.000-06:00

I asked if it were going to rain today, and was told "no", so I left the house with out my raincoat....and it began to rain as soon as I turned the first corner.

I thought I would head out early for the optician to have my new glasses adjusted since they are slipping a bit. It is just north of the Temple, so an easy stop on the way, but when I got there there was a sign on the door which said "Closed today, sorry for the inconvenience." Yes, it is inconvenient since they are not open late enough during the week to stop by after work. So now, I have to try again next Saturday morning.

I was plenty early for my Torah Study class (Torah is the first 5 Books of the Bible, for those unfamiliar) which I have been attending since 1987.....A line, a word, a phrase, or no progress at all and we are still in Leviticus having started at Genesis 1:1. Sounds weird, I know, but it is a wonderful group of people and led by two great Rabbis. But, I digress. Instead of going straight to the Temple, I decided to stop at Starbucks which is conveniently situated in a shopping center next to the Temple. My grande non-fat latte and I got back into the car, and yes, you guessed it, the car wouldn't start. Turn the key, all the lights come on, the radio comes on, but no ignition, no engagement of the starter, just the click and a slight hummm. I sat there calmly sipping my caffeine fix and occasionally trying again. Turn the wheel, step on the brakes, in and out of gear, depress the clutch, trying each time to get the car to start. Run through the gears, sip some latte, try again. NOTHING. I eventually left a note on the windshield saying the car died, and help would be coming at 12:15, because with the way the morning had been going so far, it was likely to be towed, or ticketed for overstaying my welcome in front of Starbucks. I had called the hub and he would come to my rescue after my class. I walked over to Temple and enjoyed the session as usual, then walked back to find him waiting already. He put the car in neutral and coasted it back out of the parking space, now it was blocking the driving lane in the shopping center. With the kindness of strangers, since hub's back is bad, and mine is weak as well, we got a push, the clutch was popped and the engine started. Off to the Hyundai dealer straight away, because I was afraid if I turned off the car again, it would be dead again. Turns out there is a switch that engages under the clutch area that allows the starter to start, and mine was intermittently shorting out preventing its starting. Easy peasy, except, no part in stock and they can't get it and fix the car until Tuesday.

I took out my frustrations with the day so far hand carding more of my Shetland fleece. It cards very nicely, even if the process is slower and the volume is less than a drum carder. I figured out how to roll the rolags and then stretch them out into nice little balls of roving. Each ball is between 5-10 grams in weight and now ready for spinning.

I finished the afternoon by heading over to the new 24 Hour Fitness club which just opened yesterday, replacing my old, small, and definitely yucky club that I have been a member of for over 10 years. Not that I have been using it too much lately, but now I vow to start up again. They grandfathered in all the people who went to the now closed site, and we do not have to pay an upcharge to go to this brand new fancy schmancy club with all the amenities. Yay! So I worked out....elliptical, treadmill, some weight machines, and on Wednesday I meet with a trainer for a fitness orientation, to jump start my training program again. It is convenient to home and on the way home from work so I have no excuses....well, only a few....but I need all my readers to encourage me to keep on keeping on and to try to regain my former level of fitness, which has greatly suffered with too many free lunches and less mobility on my new job. I ain't getting any younger, so it is now or never.

So a good ending to a lousy start of the day. Good Karma wishes for tomorrow, everyone! And some happy orchid photos to enjoy!

Knit & Crochet Blog week coming up soon.

2010-04-17T13:46:00.000-06:00

Join the fun. Thanks to Eskimimiknits for some blogging fun and knitting fun and crocheting fun. I'll try and follow through and post each day...a real challenge for me, but there will be many blogs using the same format during the week, and I will attempt to do my part!

2 skeins done, and lots to go

2010-04-15T18:05:00.000-06:00

I plyed up the singles from the Shetland fleece I have been working on, and the the net results so far are 5.5 oz and about 215 yards done up into two skeins. I never weighed the washed fleece, so I am only guessing that there are about 1.5 pounds left to card and spin. Here is it together.

And here is a closeup.

I'm not sure if I am going to try dying the finished yarn or not, but I'll probably wait until more of it is finished and I have a project in mind.

I returned the drum carder and I almost bought one on ebay today, but was outbid in the last 20 minutes. Probably a good thing, because the savings were not considerable over a new one, and there would be no recourse if anything was wrong with it when it arrived. I can wait.....it is not like I don't have anything to work on..............

Now back to some knitting..........

A must see for Knitters! ....and everyone else.

2010-04-13T17:27:00.002-06:00

The Bench is Back, and it's gorgeous!

2010-04-12T18:46:00.000-06:00

Remember my adventures with Mom's bench from December? If not, you can view the original post here. In January, I took it to Ackerman's and Sons to see if what was possible for restoration. I went and picked it up today and I am so happy with it. The wood has been restored and sealed in the original mahogany color, without losing the antique feel of it. And the upholstery was finished so nicely.

I could only get the real feel for the color in natural lighting. And the beauty of the flame mahogany just glows.

Double welting on the upholstery

Even the inside of the drawer was stripped and sealed, and the wood burned label is still there!

Lovely grain of the mahogany.

As my brother told me, it is a significant family heirloom and worth the effort and the dollars to save. Yeah.....absolutely.

BEEZY #6

2010-04-11T18:24:00.000-06:00

No commentary this time, just more moments in time.

FLEECE PROCESSING MACHINE!

2010-04-05T18:58:00.000-06:00

The system worked like a machine. Here is what I mean:

Pre-soak

Wash

Rinse

Spin

Dryer

Card into batts

Batts into Roving

Spin into yarn!

Lest you think I worked on this 24 hours a day all weekend, this is the tally. All the fiber has been washed from Thursday through tonight. The last batch of 3 mesh bags is drying outside overnight and a total of 9 bags altogether.. About 3-4 oz. has been carded into batts and 1 1/2 oz. has been spun into single ply yarn. Believe me, I have a long way to go to finish this fleece, but at least I have a record and sampling of how long it took me and what the yarn is like. It is not really as soft as it may look, so it will be suitable to outerwear, felting and accessories. I may even give dying a try since there will be so much of it and it is such a neutral color. My plan at this point is to 2-ply it to a worsted weight and then measure and weigh the final product before deciding what it will become.

With the three day weekend, I even managed two walks, 2 loads of laundry, a couple of movies, some reading, and more general relaxing. I guess what they say is true: you get more done when you have lots to do. Or something like that.

This should keep me busy for a while!

2010-04-01T19:52:00.001-06:00

Today's mail brought a box.... a big box. And inside is a whole shetland fleece from a sheep named Mary, from Flutterby Farms in the San Diego area. This fleece was living happily on Mary until last Saturday, the 27th, when John Quimby from Roseburg, OR sheared her. All this info came from Jeri, (Fluffysgarden on Ravelry) who offered to select and ship several fleeces at a really good price. How could I turn down such an offer. Talk about fresh! It was too windy to unfold it onto the mesh picnic table outside, so I spread a twin size sheet in the basement and carefully spread it out.

I removed the yucky poopy bits, the second cuts and the coarser parts around the edges.

What is left has a staple length of about 4-5 inches and I really look forward to processing it to see what results.

The cut side of the fleece is a lovely oatmeal color, while the tip ends are more yellow.

I did bundle up about 6 oz of it into mesh bags to soak and wash over the next couple of days and I will be interested to see what the final color will be.

I finished the Romney silver that I started a few weeks ago and ended up with about 5 oz of worsted weight yarn. It was a pleasure to card and spin.

As a break from all the neutral colors, I have also been spinning up Dark Cathedral, by JulieSpins. I originally thought it would be for socks but I think I am spinning too thin for that. As a two ply, it should make pretty dramatic lace weight yarn. This yarn is superwash merino, bamboo, and nylon.

And the shopping bag is coming along nicely. My hands are getting used to the coarseness of the hemp fiber and it is a simple enough pattern to carry along for portable knitting.

Beezy #5

2010-03-28T20:33:00.001-06:00

As always, click on the picture to embiggen, and to see all the artistry and detail.

Going to the Clam Box was always a special treat, even for me in the 60's. Not sure it still exists, but great seafood was always available on the east coast. Mom and Dad, to their credit, always were adventurous in their eating and look at us now. My brother and daughter in NYC, have the most varied and well prepared food at their doorsteps, and even here in Colorado, we are not satisfied with the basics...

Notice my Grandma darning socks. I can't recall her knitting socks, but her skills were impeccable, so darning would have been within her realm of talents. Nice looking guy, wasn't he? My Dad must have been quite a charmer to captured my Mom's heart.

Mom, always in charge! She still is not one to sit still for long! Good thing she is living in an apartment with lots of social activities and people around.

More and more, Mom shows the same dating habits of my daughters! Like Cyndi Lauper says "Girls just wanna have fun!"

Crock Pot Saturday

2010-03-27T19:17:00.001-06:00

Now, don't misread this as "Crack Pot" Saturday, although sometimes it could be. This is the original crock-pot from my wedding nearly 35 years ago.

The Hi-Low switch has been glued back together and there is a honking chip in the pot at the top edge. And it is Harvest Gold! But it still works fine, thank you very much. Like you, Becky, I have been thinking about using it for dying fiber or yarn, but today it was put to work on a large brisket for Monday night's Passover Seder.

It is highway robbery what they charge for brisket these days, especially since it shrinks to about a third of its size when cooked, and raw, there is a large slab of fat that always needs to be trimmed off. Brisket was a cheap cut of the cow in the olden days, and slow moist cooking was the only way to make it tender. It costs almost as much now as Rib Eye used to cost, so I guess like everything else, the prices of everything are going way up. Good thing I only cook big meals twice a year now.....Passover and Thanksgiving.

...then snow again.

2010-03-23T19:01:00.001-06:00

Ok, I have officially had it. I am done with snow, I am ready for spring. Seriously....haven't we had enough for one year? This is today:

I didn't post about my terrible drive home last Friday, because it made me so mad..... The snow came up quickly, the winds blew and the roads iced over right at the same I was leaving work. The car I have been driving for the last several years has always been great in the snow and I love the ABS brakes and the TCS (traction control system) but for some reason, it all failed me on Friday's drive home. On the downhill approach to a main drag near work, I literally stood up on my brakes, feeling the ABS vibrating through my whole body, but it was not enough to stop my car (which had been going about 1 mile an hour with plenty of distance in front of me) from sliding into and "bumping" the SUV in front of me. Fortunately it didn't even scratch the other car, and my only damage was a bent up license plate and a couple of scratches on the bumper (think about the word bumper: isn't that what it is for????) I exchanged info with the other driver, but it was so minor, that I tried to forget about it right away. (Sorry, Mom, I didn't tell you because you would worry)

After clearing the intersection, with the jelly knees that I get from this kind of stress, traffic was traveling so slowly that I came to a stop, but now I was heading UP an incline and the car refused to gain traction and make any forward progress when traffic cleared in front of me. I kept putting it in gear, tried 2nd gear and all I could do was spin my wheels. On came the emergency flashers again, and the emergency brake. And I sat there a couple of minutes watching other cars scoot around me giving me dirty looks, and I waited. Of course, rush hour was just starting, so I didn't think I could wait it out completely, so off came the emergency brake, and into 1st gear I went again, but I was only able to go inches.... I had about 50 yards to get to the crest of the hill (I didn't even realized it was a hill till I was stuck on it!)

This went on for about 25 minutes cycling through trying to make it up the hill and sitting there, hoping no one would hit me. I nearly called 911 to warn them that I was a hazard on the road, and I didn't want to cause an accident, but I didn't. Finally, I was able to get up this small hill, and the rest of the ride home was slow but uneventful. Except for my ABS light and the TCS light which were stuck on. Did I mention that I only live 3 miles from work and the ride which normally takes 12 minutes, lasted an hour on this evening.

The next day, everything melted, the roads were dry, and sun shone. Off to the dealer I went, because the lights were still on, and then they suddenly turned off, but the bottom line was that the car now has 4 new tires and a new front end alignment.

Just in time for today's snowstorm. Luckily, I was home safe and sound before it started this time.

Spring, then Snow, then Spring Again, or so they promise.

2010-03-18T19:31:00.000-06:00

The glacier in front is retreating rapidly.

The grass is matted down and will need some serious raking soon, and the gardens have been cleaned out. There are some signs of the tulips I planted last fall in both gardens and out back, so I have some great color to look forward to.

There were a couple of victims of the freeze/thaw cycles of this winter. First, in the front garden, which was under snow for at least 4 months this winter was this resin/concrete pot. It was placed specifically in this garden to keep me from trying to dig where the aspen tree used to be. Short lived, but the stump underground refuses to decay enough to provide room for a plant. When the pot was finally revealed in the garden from its snowy blanket, there was a crack. Today, look what's left. Oh well.

In the back yard, I often took a shot of the compost bin to record the depth of the snow during each major dumping.

This is what it looked like this week.

I had been mining the compost from the bottom for the garden, and it must have gotten just top heavy enough this week to keel over. At least I can get to the good stuff easier with it lying on its side.

Tomorrow is the last day of winter, officially, and guess what: the snow is supposed to start at midnight tonight and continue on until Sat AM. Blech.......

Next week is Passover, and I went out to see if I have any horseradish coming up. Last fall when I was planting some tulips in this garden, I was pretty brutal chopping out the overgrown horseradish, and it looks like I did too good a job. I only saw signs of two bunches so far, but it is not yet green, so maybe there is more. I always believed that you can't kill it...it is a weed after all.

Beezy, post 4

2010-03-17T21:08:00.000-06:00

I just spent about 3 hours scanning the rest of the Beezy Album into my computer for posting here and for keeping safely stored. I didn't realize how many photos were actually in the album, until a couple of hours had gone by, but I enjoyed every minute. The more time I spend with the Beezy of the late 1940's, I understand how little has changed in the single girl's dating habits. And I see the the same scenarios happening in my daughters' lives as they travel down some of the same paths. Here a few cartoons for this week.

Girls like to dress up and have someplace to go, but guys have never really seen it the same way.

Remember, that this is post WWII and the big band era. Not too many clarinets in today's pop bands, but just substitute drums or guitar and it could happen.......

The ubiquitous cell phone, always within reach, has changed this a bit, but you still cannot take it in the shower or the tub. And now, the girls don't hesitate to make that call first. See the monogram on the sweater? and the checkerboard tiles? And Grandma always had the apron on in the house, as I remember it.

Dancing with the stars and ballroom dancing as it was meant to be.......

Those were the days when the office buildings had elevator operators. Mom worked on the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in Manhattan as a secretary for Forge Mills, Inc. I tried to find some info about the company, but google wasn't helpful here. I believe it was part of the greater garment industry.

Just what I need: another project!

2010-03-14T17:35:00.000-06:00

I met my friend Stacey for some lunch and knitting and catching up and this project followed me home: the Shop til you drop bag made with Hemp for Knitting in the large size. If I don't have blisters or callouses when I finish this, I will be so lucky. I'm using lots of lotion and shea butter on my hands as I go and it is helping a little. I will love the results when I am done, but I will have the battle scars to show for it! The next skein may get soaked before being wound into a ball, hopefully to soften it up a little.

Lest you think I have forgotten about the afghan, here is the current square, the Meredith K Morioka square on page 8-9 of the GAAA book.

I just realized that my next post is my 200th Post since beginning this blog more than 2 years ago. I will have to think of something special for the occasion!

New Look!

2010-03-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I noticed that there are lots of new options on Blogger for formatting, so I have been playing with it and trying to update my look. New photo at the top and separated from the title....now easier to read, don't you think? I don't want to go overboard on the background, because my postings are so photo heavy and it would be a distraction, but who knows.

Comments are appreciated!

Another Pyramid o' Fiber!

2010-03-09T19:56:00.001-07:00

I am loving having this drum carder at the ready....at least for the last week. It goes home, or to the next lucky borrower this Sunday, so I was motivated to finish off the romney wool.

It turned out so much better than the rambouillet/teeswater cross. Not due the fiber itself, but to the fact that I think I slightly felted the dark brown wool in the scouring process.

The bottom skein was the first skein from the batch, and the top skein has the addition of some mohair and sari silk. It looks softer in the photo than it actually is, though. Feeling more like shetland type wool, its future is unknown. I do have enough singles left to make another plain skein, so maybe a hat???.

I was so much more hands off for the romney and the results are fluffy, soft and luscious. Here is a washed lock of fiber with its lovely crimp.

and its resulting pyramid o' fiber!

extreme closeup of a carded batt:

I am holding off starting to spin it until Sunday's Spinning Meetup where everyone can ooooh and ahhhhh! I nearly bought a carder on Ravelry this week, but I had some concerns about its condition and the price. Once I get the tax refund.........all bets are off.

BEEZY, post 3

2010-03-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

More Beezy comics for your enjoyment. As always, click on each one to enlarge and appreciate the artist's craft!

Now I know where my daughter gets it! I don't recall my Grandpa being so formal, but I do remember that he never had a gray hair on his head! And the house was suburban, not rural as depicted in the comic!

Grandma was a great baker and so is my Mom, and Toll House cookies have been a favorite for generations! Even when they are a little dark around the edges......

This is my Mom showing off some sewing skills much to the dismay of her older sister, my Aunt Jean. Aunt Jean is the musical one while my Mom is the crafty one, and she never let anything go to waste! She still has her sewing machine in the apartment, but I have most of the knitting supplies. There is a Hebrew phrase: L'Dor V'Dor, which roughly means "from generation to generation" and that is how talents and creativity are passed on.

Mom, you were such a heartbreaker, and again it reminds me of my daughters!

I remember the house well, a charming tudor style house in suburban White Plains, NY (yes, the house number was #9. For 6 months in the 1950's we lived with my grandparents after Dad left the Air Force, and that was when Grandma taught me how to knit. My first project was a coral sweater for my doll, and it had so many holes, it could have been mistaken for lace! What I learned on her lap must have stuck with me because I have been knitting ever since.

The side porch was screened in and was the best place for breakfast and lunch. The huge lawn with spruce trees and a flowering dogwood in the side yard was heaven for my 7 year old self.

Pardon me while I go deep into nostalgic reverie.

Carding with a Tool!

2010-03-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Olympics are over and I chose not to compete. It is not that I wasn't doing anything for these last 16 days, it is just that I didn't want to put any pressure on myself. I guess I just wimped out. I didn't finish any of my projects, but am plodding along on the squares for my GAAA. You know, knit one row, tink one row, knit 1/2 row, tink 1 1/2 rows. And so it goes. At this rate it's like paying off a credit card balance by paying the minimum payment each month: it'll take 247 years (or so) to pay it off.

I have borrowed a drum carder from fellow spinner, Lynn, to finish off my fiber

from last month's shipment before I start on the fiber I got last week. OK, I opened the inner plastic bag, and it is getting its first cold soak. And I realized that THIS month's fiber is going out in another 10 days! Yikes. It is so soft and lanolin-y and hopefully most of the yuck will come out with the soak.

The drum carder, a Strauch petite, is one hefty tool, and really does the job of blending the fiber into batts. What starts out as this:

ends up like this: a pyramid of batts, ready for spinning.

What could be done in about 10 rolags of hand carding can be carded into a single batt of about 1/2 oz with the drum carder. What a timesaver, so much so that I feel a major purchase coming on......... I had a 15 minute lesson Sunday at spinning group ( we are actually "multicraftual") and Sunday night I made 2 more batts on it, while watching the terrible new show, Marriage Ref, which came on after the Olympics closing ceremony. Perfect background noise, and I am so glad I didn't expect to be entertained by the show!

Monday, I made 4 more batts with the rest on Tuesday evening. I even went crazy on the last two, by blending in some natural mohair and some shredded sari silk. See how pretty! On the pyramid they are the top two.

The flashes of color make me so happy. Maybe I will ply with the plain batts, to maximize the yardage.

BEEZY, post 2

2010-02-27T18:00:00.001-07:00

(click on the image to enlarge for the detail!)

You thought you were in for the evening with a good book????? You can't fool me, Mom, you never read Shakespeare for fun, certainly not all dressed up with party shoes on! Perpetually perplexed young man never stood a chance. (April 14, 1947)

There always comes a time in every relationship where the inevitable happens! Does the "Y" stand for Yonkers, NY? Mom wouldn't meet my Dad for another 2 years, but were they from the same town? The

plot thickens (May 20, 10947)....................

You tell me, is not the face of my niece the spitting image of my Mom at the about the same age???!

Or my daughter:

Front Yard Glacier

2010-02-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

I WANT SPRING TO COME!!!!!

This is 55 grams or about 1.7 oz of the handspun yarn from my Naked Fiber shipment. It is two ply and light worsted weight, and I didn't measure the yardage. Photographed on fresh snow in the front yard.

I am so ready for spring to arrive that I can taste it. It seems to be snowing every few days and I am curious where our average of 300 days of sun have gone. At least today, there was some melting and the streets are dry, but my infamous sidewalk has built up another thick layer of ice. I bet it is there until June at this rate! Send me some global warming for a little while...... and send some to the east coast, too, but the snow can keep falling in Vancouver for the finish of the games.

Here is the next shipment of the fiber club, silver Romney. See how pretty the crimp is! I am trying not to open the inner plastic yet, because I have a lot of fiber which has to come first. I am so tempted though......

Finished Squares/Finished Yarn

2010-02-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

Two more squares are finished, washed and blocked:

Judy Sumner square with spider and flies: The little fly at the top left doesn't show up too well...I should have used a contrast color. I really liked the lace of the web, and I think it would make a great lacy scarf on larger needles.....hmmmmm.

Ann Strong square with pomegranates:

That makes 7 finished squares and I am now working on my 8th, which is Meredith K Morioka on page 8 and 9 of the book. I am only an inch in now, so I will wait to show you all til later. Once I finish this square I will be officially 1/3 finished! Imagine that. I have grown a lot since the beginning of this project, but especially in my mental ability to rip back to correct an error instead of plowing on and accepting it. It is making all the difference in the final result. So my 1/3 finished is not quite.....since I will most likely remake a few of the first squares with obvious mistakes..

Spinning:

Mostly I have been sitting on my hands when JulieSpins has posted updates to her Etsy shop. But I couldn't resist this one: Falkland wool in the Color: Magenta Madness and my goal was worsted weight yarn for hat or mitts.

Singles:

Singles with Fiber:

2 Ply, washed, and dried. The color here is a bit washed out. The colors above are closer to reality!

OOOOH PRETTY!!!

Re: the first BEEZY post. Mom is a little embarrassed that I am posting those, because she dated a lot before she met my Dad. I assured her that the whole collection is charming and shows her as a young girl full of life. When you see her gray hair now, it is good to be reminded of the young girl inside her head who still lives.

Beezy

2010-02-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

I hope you don't mind if I share this, Mom.

Another item that now lives at my house is an old scrapbook, which Mom stashed with the other scrapbooks and photo albums. Dad never liked it, for reasons soon to be revealed, but it was always a source of fascination to me as a teen, and to my girls. It starts in 1947 before she met my father, when Mom was dating an artist or cartoonist or graphic artist. I am not quite sure what he called his career in those days, but after googling him, I believe he worked in the in the early days of comic books. Actually, there is someone working today by the same name, but a female, who works as a letterer of graphic novels and comic books. Perhaps, a descendant? Anyway, what I love about the whole scrapbook is that it captures snapshots of my Mom, my grandparents, my aunt, their home and their lives in the late 40's. A time and a place which is history for me, but comes alive on the pages.

It appears that each time they had a date, a new comic would be presented. Each is hand drawn, painted and lettered and in many ways, they remind me of Archie and Jughead comics. Here is the dedication page:

The larger pages I plan to photograph, but the smaller ones (most are 8"X8") I will scan into this blog. To really see the detail and quality of the artistry, click on each photo to enlarge it. One posting in my blog each week will be dedicated to sharing these pieces, and my assumptions about them. I am sure Mom will correct my inaccuracies!

Dating today is not very different today from then...look at the telephone, the moon, the record, the high school banner, the malt. Only the technology and the flavors and locations have changed.

New Adventures

2010-02-18T18:08:00.001-07:00

In December and in January I was consumed with selling some of Mom's things on Craigslist which involved meeting people 4 miles away at the house.and cleaning up afterwards. NOW, it is ebay craziness. Last week, 3 out of the first 6 Issues Dad's magazines sold, and off they went by priority mail on Tuesday. Now, I have bids on 6 out of the 7 issues that are listed. But.....I have over a hundred issues left which are spread out by year in my guest room. This is going to be a long process, but without flooding ebay with all of them at once, I plan on parceling them out a little at a time.

While I was up there taking this photo, I took this photo:

Remember the thick lush hibiscus plant that I moved indoors.....Well, my doggie developed a liking for the leaves and nibbled away each time she was left home alone for any length of time. I guess that is how she pays us back for ignoring her. Now, it will stay sheltered in the guest bedroom until it can safely be moved outdoors around Mother's day! This one is the red one and the peach colored one is up about 3 feet in the bay window.

OK, some knitting updates. I have been working hard on the squares of the Great American Afghan. I am now on square #7! Here are some photos, some done, some not. There is one more finished square which I still need to photograph, and I am actually done with the bottom square, except for the wings of the flies. Photo to come.. Some people are bothered by the spider and the flies in the web, but I think they are cute....as long as they are made from wool!

I'm Baaaaack!

2010-02-11T19:18:00.002-07:00

As the last post stated, Mom's house is cleaned out, sold, and turned over to the new owners. I am glad that's over, but half my garage is full of the stuff we didn't throw out, but want to sell later at a garage sale......more work to come. I have also started my adventures on ebay where I am selling off Dad's collection of Mineralogical Record magazines. For the record, I am cologal817 on ebay....if you are a rock hound or mineral collector and want to keep it in the blogging family. The oldest issue we have is from Vol 2 No. 2 from 1971 and is nearly complete to 2007 when Dad passed away. I am starting out by listing single issues from the oldest first, and then when I get to the 1990's (unless I get tired of the process sooner), I will sell off 6 issue volumes by year. If you or anyone you know is interested, you know where to find me!

In mid January, my first shipment of the Naked Fiber Club arrived and here is a photo montage of the prep process so far. This is what the water looked like after a 24 hour cold soak to get out the water soluble yuck. My garden will thank me in the spring!

The locks were still intact after one hot water bath and still really tight.

I started out with a dog brush and it was a lot of work since the locks seemed glued together. I was told on Ravelry to give the fiber one more hot soapy bath followed by several rinses and then a vinegar rinse.

That seemed to soften the fiber and after it was dry, I used my hand carders and it was so much easier. I guess that even after the cold water soak, two hot washes were necessary to get out all of the lanolin.

I didn't photograph the carded fiber, but here is my first small bobbin of spun singles!

It is a good thing I am only getting 8 oz of raw fiber a month, because there are probably only 2 ounces on the bobbin, and my next shipment is coming next week! Back to work on the hand carders with the rest of the fiber.

YAY!

2010-02-05T18:29:00.002-07:00

Mom's house is sold, the money is in her account, so I will return to regularly scheduled programming next week...Thanks for your patience! Stay tuned..........

Mom's House

2010-01-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Big News! Mom has a signed contract on her house! Yay! It is an older couple, since they are coming with cash and no mortgage....the inspection is tomorrow and the closing is 2/12! What that means is that we have until the 12th to clear out everything we haven't sold on Craigslist, to donate it, or box it up for a future garage sale.

Luckily, I have a large basement, but it is currently full of stuff from both kids. Why is it that each time they move out, they don't take their stuff....when they come home, they leave more stuff, and then don't take it with them when they move out again.. Younger daughter, Ali has given me permission to set a bonfire on the front lawn of everything she has left behind, but I don't think the neighborhood enforcement thugs would allow that!

My brother and niece are visiting this weekend, ironically, so I plan on this being a family event. There is much memorabilia to go through, as well as trash to hurl. We do have an appointment with a gentleman on Saturday who is going to look at Dad's rock and mineral collection so keep your fingers crossed. If he doesn't take it, then I am afraid that we will just have to donate it somewhere where it will be buried in some basement or dump it out in the rocks of the outside landscaping.. I have rented a small cargo van to transport what we are keeping and Mom will get a dumpster for the trash and rusty tools. What a shame that there have been no takers for some very useful household items.

The Naked Fiber Club has arrived

2010-01-19T18:20:00.005-07:00

Today's mail brought a fluffy package and I tore into it as soon as I got home. It is the first shipment of the Naked Fiber Club and inside were three plastic bags. The largest was 8 oz of raw fiber in rich shades of brown and bronze with distinct locks and the greasy lanolin feel of sheep.

But no tag was present, so I didn't know what variety it was. Checking into Ravelry I went to the forum thread to sleuth out what I could find out. Turns out it is a Rambouillet/Teeswater cross, but I am not sure what that actually means as to softness.

I guess I will find out soon enough: It is already soaking in a large plastic bucket in the garage. I figure a good cold water soak first should loosen most of the dirt and stinkiness, before I do the hot water wash to remove rest of the dirt and the lanolin. I understand from my reading that lawns and gardens LOVE the sheepy water left behind. If it sounds like I know what I am doing here, have I got you fooled, because this will be my first try at raw sheep's wool!!! I'm learning all I can from books, Ravelry, you tube!!! To be continued....

In a second small package is 2 oz of BFL, dyed in deep rich jewel tones.

And in the third was a real surprise, and I am not going to do anything with this until someone else tries it first. Guess what it is............

Give up???

2010-01-18T21:25:00.003-07:00

Ta Da! The winning comments from my week long lead-in to my blogiversary are Nalamienea and Ria. I have Pm"d you both on Ravelry to let you know! I know you both have been regular followers and I really appreciate your support. Check out their blogs if you get a chance. Here is what I have selected to send them:

Both skeins weigh in about the same, but the sage green is a bit denser and less fluffy. On the top is 94 grams of CVM wool naturally dyed of osage and indigo and goes to Ria. The sage green is 100 grams of BFL from my large bump of Briar Rose Fibers roving and will be making its way to Nalamienea. Both are handspun by me! Enjoy and be sure to let me know what you knit up with them!

Today was another day of chopping ice....and still not finished. Late today I came up with a great idea. I boiled up a teapot of water and carried it out and melted some ice which worked a bit. I made about 6 runs with the teapot, but only made slight headway. Stay tuned, and I will let you know when the ice is finally gone in spring.

2nd Blogiversary- and weekly catch up

2010-01-16T17:02:00.007-07:00

I can't put it off any longer, here is my Blogiversary post. Happy two years to me! It will be heavy on photos and covering many topics.

The Bride Flight Studios Finn fiber is finished. This is my first attempt at a "singles" yarn and I think it came out pretty well. The finished knitting weight is heavy fingering to sport, even though I thought when it was washed and thwacked, it would fluff up to worsted weight. Not sure what it will be yet as I am still waiting for it to whisper it to me.

January is always a tough time for me. The holidays are over, the days are still short and temperatures outside are cold. This year is no exception and with me now working full time and Gary recovering from back surgery, we have not been able to be as diligent about keeping the sidewalks clear as in previous years. The house faces northeast and is a two story flanked by huge spruce trees. The net result is that snow and ice do not melt until spring if it is not attacked with tremendous effort.

Do you see the yard across the street? Clear of snow...... Fortunately that neighbor has been helping us out with his snow blower all winter. But this year, the crown of the street has made the ice flow onto our sidewalks and now it is about 3" thick in two large sections. Today I spent hours chopping water flow paths to the storm drain. And tonight it will all freeze again, making this a futile exercise.......again. I did this last weekend as well.

Here is a shot of the plant I thought I had killed this fall, but lives again. Each bunch of leaves is a source of joy and hope for my soul!

I finished the hat to match the handspun Alpaca mittens. It is a simple watch cap and should be warm and toasty for the lucky head that gets it.

New fiber from JulieSpins arrived this week and the color is so rich and regal. The fiber is Falkland and the color is Magenta Madness.

This is my 3rd pair of socks made with Patons Kroy Stripes which is available at the the big box craft stores and inexpensive.

Just because it is inexpensive, I didn't want to love this yarn as much as I do, but I can't help it. It makes a nice beefy sock which is super soft and the colors are bright and interesting. I have developed a slightly snobby attitude toward yarns and where I buy them, but yes, I will keep buying this yarn for basic socks, especially for giving away, since the washability is good.

More plant goodies: My hibiscus plants which lived outside on my back patio during the heat of the summer were brought in before the freeze, with the hope of just keeping them alive until spring. The peach flowered one was small enough to keep in the bay window, and the red flowered one was tall enough to live on the floor. Not only are they surviving, they have sent forth their first blooms since fall. More hope and joy for the soul.

Hope and Joy.... in a week of devastating photos and stories from Haiti. Be generous with your donations and take joy in what you do have as you give hope to those in such dire circumstances. My problems are minor in comparisons. I have food, I have shelter, I have medical care, and I know where all my family is.

Give to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Doctors without Borders, major religious organizations. Give till it hurts as they say, because it may just help ease the unbelievable hurt a little bit.

And thank you for reading my blog, if this is the first time or one of many times. Your comments and encouragement keep me going. Leave a comment and there will be a drawing for one of my handspun yarns, to be decided by me when I get the chance to dig through the pile tomorrow.

And another thing.....

2010-01-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

From the comments so far, it looks like I have good reason to continue! I wasn't going to quit, but it is nice to be validated to continue! Keep those comments coming!

I looked at my blog as well, in this time of reflection and I ask you......Am I fighting middle age still, or am I fending off old age? I am referring to my banner at the top of the blog and now that this is the year I turn 60 ( I only feel 30.....of course, I use to say I felt 19) does my banner need a new subtitle????

Update on the bench and vanity from Mom's house: After all the research, I realized what we had in our possession, so I took the bench to be reupholstered, and talked to the gentleman there about the possibility of stripping the paint off the vanity and refinishing it as well. The bottom line was that the vanity would cost about $2400 to strip and refinish and there would be NO guarantee that he could restore it to the original beautiful mahogany finish since he had no way to determine how the piece was prepared for the paint back in the 60's. So I had to let it go for a pittance, but it is now sold to a nice young family who knows the treasure they may have if they put a little sweat equity into it.

As for the bench, this is fabric I purchased:

and since I am not paying to refinish the vanity, I decided to have the wood restored and finished as well as the upholstery replaced. Not cheap, but as my brother told me, it is a significant family keepsake.

I knit a second pair of mittens from the handspun alpaca

and now have started on a simple watch cap.

Maybe I'll add a stripe to the top of the hat for interest. I could use black or ivory for contrast. I'll have to see how that develops as it is knit up. So from 10 oz of raw fiber, at least 3 project sprang forth. Not bad....

And I am spinning. I finished a beautiful Merino from JulieSpins in the color: Canada (Photo courtesy of Julie)

which I navajo plied into a nice worsted weight

and I am now working on a Finn fiber from Bride Flight Studios

in the color: Oracle of Delphi. (Photo from her Etsy site) It is so soft and inviting. At spinning group last Sunday I was told that since Finn has a long staple, it makes a nice single ply yarn, so that is my goal so far.

Every time I checked her shop, it was empty, but I lucked into this one.
Timing is everything, and I will be checking again often, as all the sold colors were gorgeous.

There's more, but I don't want to spill it all out at once.

I thought I missed it!

2010-01-07T19:18:00.003-07:00

I looked at the calendar today and thought my blogiversary slipped by, but no.....it is still coming up on the 16th. That will make two years in the blogging world, two years writing about knitting, of Ravelry, two years of spinning and two years of friends, family and new readers who have shared this adventure with me. It is still a week (give or take a day or two) away, so help me celebrate by reading through the archives and let me know what you still want to hear about.

There have been a few postings by other bloggers that blogs are "so yesterday" and no longer relevant, but how else can I track my life chronologically with words and photos and share it with you at the same time. How else can I focus on the good stuff (mostly) in my life, and have a perfect escape from the stress and anxieties of life? Are you reading blogs as regularly, are you posting in your own with the same frequency? Leave me a comment between now and the 17th and share a few thoughts on the matter. A prize awaits ( undecided at the moment) for a random poster or two. Thanks in advance for sharing in my world!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T17:22:00.003-07:00

Here are my finished mittens, handknit, handspun, from raw Alpaca fleece. Casting on another pair as I watch the ball drop tonight from Times Square! Of course, I will be cozy and warm in my Colorado family room under a blankie with a glass of red wine to keep me warmer!

Waving bye-bye to 2009!

Happy New Year and a Healthy, Prosperous and Fibery 2010 to All!!!

My First Fiber Club

2009-12-30T18:47:00.003-07:00

I have been eying several of the clubs out there and hadn't joined any, but always looked at what was available. Several are for yarn, several for indie dyed fiber, several for natural fibers. One this week caught my eye, probably because I just finished spinning and have begun knitting the raw alpaca fiber I purchased this fall. (Finished the first Mitten and working on the matching one!)

So, I signed up for 3 months of the Naked Fiber Club by BadFaerie. This will give me 3 shipments of raw fleece weighing in at 8 oz each starting in January, which I will then wash, card, and spin. I won't know what fiber it will be (sheep, alpaca, mohair) until it arrives, but that is the best part of this kind of club- the surprise. It will give me more experience with different raw fibers without investing in a whole fleece. Not. There. Yet!

A gift to myself, because I deserve it. One that will keep on giving.

Knitting with handspun Alpaca

2009-12-28T19:05:00.007-07:00

I have had a heckuva time planning a project for my Alpaca yarn. I finished spinning it up, and plying it, but it is thinner than I thought it would be.

I believe it is heavy fingering or sport now, even held double (that is 4 individual plies). First, I thought a scarf and I tried a few ideas, settling on a 3X3 rib pattern, but it was eating the yarn like there is no tomorrow. I started out with 10 oz of raw fleece, and I'll be damned if more than 3 months of washing, carding and spinning would go into a single project for someone who might never appreciate the effort that went into it. I turned to mittens, but couldn't find a pattern for the gauge I was getting, and knitting with size 9 double points was awkward at best for pattern work. I then decided to get out long size 7 needles, and use another pattern for basic construction, and now I am knitting plain mittens using the magic loop method.

The fabric created is nice and I should be able to get a few pairs out of my yarn. Since Alpaca is warmer than wool, these should be nice for family members in cold climates. I have til February to complete a couple of pairs, so I think this is doable. The second pair I may knit as fingerless mittens for more dexterity. To be continued.

More about the Bench!

2009-12-23T11:29:00.011-07:00

After talking to my friend, who is pretty knowledgeable about antiques and old furniture, I was encouraged to do some research about the bench from the previous post. I looked up Limbert Furniture and Van Raalte Craftsmen from the stamp inside the drawer and came up with this listing on ebay. This is the exact same vanity that is in Mom's basement that used to match the bench before Grandma had it painted ivory in the 1960's when she moved to Florida. According to Mom, mahogany furniture was just a no-no in Florida.

And the following information was found in a genealogy website looking for info on Van Raalte:

"Van Raalte was a salesman and later head of the Limbert Furniture company from 1916 to at least 1927. He was so influential within the company that in the mid-1920s the company's furniture mark was redesigned to read "Limbert Furniture by Van Raalte Craftsmen." The Limbert company, which started out in Grand Rapids, was moved to Holland in 1906 where it continued to make furniture under the Limbert name until 1944. This company's furniture was extremely popular in the early 20th century and is still sought after by collectors of fine furniture designs in the Arts andCrafts and Colonial Revival styles."

Isn't the Internet wonderful!

edited to add 4/12/2010: The ebay listing and the photo are no longer available.

I get to keep the bench

2009-12-21T17:00:00.001-07:00

When I was helping Mom get rid of the remaining furniture in her house, I turned to Craigslist for help. In the first week, I sold a bedroom set and the bench to the vanity which Mom used in the basement as a sewing storage area.

I realized after I had a positive response, and I brought the bench to my house to await the check being mailed and pickup, that I had, in fact, photographed the rear of the bench. It was lovely as it was. BUT, when I turned it around, I saw that there was a drawer in the bench, but was missing the pull. The next time I was at Mom's house, I emptied the drawers of the vanity, since I had had several inquiries about it as well, and lo and behold, I found the pull for the bench.

I attached it when I got home, hoping to find some family treasure long hidden in the drawer, but there was only about 40 years of dust there. The stamped label of the manufacturer was at the back of the drawer.

Mom had recovered this bench in blue wide wale corduroy to match the decor in her house in Connecticut, before she moved to Colorado, and I hadn't paid any more attention to it.

Again, once it was at my house, I gently lifted this fabric, where a few of the nail heads were missing and found this:

This was probably the fabric from my Grandmother's house. And there's more:

And more still:

This was the original fabric and from the looks of the way the nail heads are rough, there was probably a braiding which bordered the fabric. The bottom fabric is fragile and parchment-like after all these years. My guess is that this bench (and the vanity that it came with) date back to the late 1930's in my Grandmother's house once my Grandfather's delicatessen was a going business and the woes of the Depression were easing for the family.

Can you tell that I became quite fond of this piece in my house? I was hoping that the purchaser from Craigslist would flake out and never send the check, but sure enough on Friday the check came. I cashed it right away, and waited to hear from him (he lives in Telluride, and would have to find someone to pick up the bench for him). I was fully prepared to follow through on the transaction, because I am an honorable person and a deal is a deal.

When I talked to him on Sunday night, I told him about the drawer and the layers of family history, and how I had grown fond of the piece. He didn't hesitate a bit and offered to cancel the transaction to keep this special piece in my family. I was stunned that he was being so kind and understood what I was feeling. A full refund is on the way back to him and now I get to keep the bench. So Santa, if you know Chris in Telluride, make sure you leave him some extra goodies in his stocking this year.

Wheel Disaster

2009-12-20T19:20:00.002-07:00

My very portable and well traveled Minstrel (by car) was returning home from our holiday spinning Meetup group when I accidentally grabbed the cap where the distaff would go and the wheel dropped a bit. The flyer with the bobbin still on it flew to the concrete garage floor and the edges of both sizes of the whorl are cracked and ready to snap off. :-(

The first thing I did was email Tim at New Voyager to inquire about replacement parts, and the second thing I did was to glue on the distaff cap!

Perfect Chanukah Gifts

2009-12-16T18:18:00.003-07:00

Can you think of a more perfect winter holiday gift than handknit socks, and in one case, hand spun and hand knit socks (upper right)? If Chanukah had only come a week earlier, while the temps were below and near zero, I would have been even more of a hero to my good friends. It gave me just as much pleasure to give these as to craft them....maybe even more. Enjoy, my friends!

My Adventures with Craigslist

2009-12-15T16:58:00.001-07:00

Here is one response to one of my Craigslist ads. I am trying to help out Mom with the remaining furniture in her house and I have had some luck so far, but this email just made me laugh. Would anyone really fall for such an obvious scam as this:

"Thanks for the mail , i'm okay with the price , and i am comfortable
with the pictures i saw. I will be making the payment via cashier's
check,so i will need your full name that will be on the check and your
full address with your phone # where you can easily receive the
package via courier and i will arrange for the pickup myself.
NOTE ....And also the payment i will be sending will be in excess
inwhich you will give to the cargo company when they contact you for
the pickup.All you need to do is to faithfully deduct your own money
as soon as you have the cash athand and send the remaining to the
cargo company through WesternUnion Money Transfer for them to come for
the pickup.please get back to me if you are okay with this and i will
implore you to remove the ads off craigslist because i really want to
purchase this asap.
Thanks"

Honestly, this is word for word the entire posting....no signature, no identification, no phone number. Where are they writing from? Nigeria?

Happy Chanukah!

2009-12-11T15:30:00.002-07:00

The Dreidel song as you have never heard it before!

Thanks to Mason-Dixon Knitting for bringing this to my attention.

2 Gifts, done!

2009-12-08T17:00:00.001-07:00

Finished is the wool cowl made from the rest of the Schoppel Wolle Pur yarn from the hat I made for Preston.

It is warm and toasty and perfect to wear under a coat when you don't want long scarf ends hanging or dragging, slammed in the car door for the whole ride home from the supermarket. Ask me how I know.......

And here is another finished pair of plain socks in fancy yarn. The yarn is Paton's Kroy stripes and again, they became fraternal twins, as the stripes progressed in the opposite directions. Resting in the snow,

they should remind you how cozy it is to wear handknit socks as the snow flies, and the thermostat is turned down. Those who think knitting socks is crazy, have never worn handknit socks in the winter, so here is my advice to you: Befriend your sock knitting friends and beg for hand knit socks....you won't be sorry. Or better yet, learn how yourself.

NYC Stamp of Approval

2009-12-07T21:18:00.002-07:00

Anything handknit, handmade, or odd is always suspect when sent to friends and family in NY. The hat I made for Preston fits that description, but tonight I heard that there were compliments galore when he and my daughter, Amanda, went to the opening of Race by David Mamet. They were lucky enough to get tickets from a friend, got all gussied up and saw lots of stars: Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Al Sharpton, etc. But I digress. The play and the Hat were a hit.

And when Preston walked in front of one of the paparazzi, he was photographed. But that photo won't make any papers, he assures me. Ahhhh. Fame is nice, but fleeting.

2 projects: one skein of yarn

2009-12-02T23:20:00.006-07:00

Tis the season.....for one skein knits. When Amanda arrived from New York, she came bearing a gift. It was a skein of Schoppel wolle Pur, in shades of black, blue and green, purchased at Annie's which is just around the corner from my brother's apartment on the upper East side.. It is interesting because it is a single ply, slightly felted, and the ombre colors do not repeat in any way.

And then she reminded me that I had promised to make a hat for Preston, her main squeeze, so the gift had a preplanned destiny.

I looked for patterns and decided on the Irish Hiking Hat (bulky)

and began knitting it up. I forgot how fast hats develop, so in a couple of days, it was done, blocked and ready to return to the Big Apple. The finished hat looks different from each angle because of the way the colors knit up.

I added the beanie top and knit more rows before starting the decreases, since several comments mentioned that the hat was not deep enough. What do you think?

With the rest of the skein, I am making a cowl with a very simple pattern: on a multiple of 10:

row 1: knit 5, purl 5

row 2: knit 1, purl 1.

I learned this at Knit Night the other night and will keep knitting until the yarn runs out.

I thought I taught them better!

2009-11-25T19:21:00.003-07:00

My kids are dirty stinking liars.....but in the best way. When Gary left for the airport to pickup Amanda as planned and as scheduled, he was shocked to find it was actually Alison waiting at the airport. I was in the dark too, (although there had been some clues about a month ago,) and found out when I heard the garage door open and headed out to greet Amanda only to find Alison emerging from the car!!!! After having lunch out, we passed the scam along, by visiting my Mom, who was also expecting Amanda. I'm glad that she has a strong heart, because she gasped and said, "You're the wrong one" and then corrected herself to say, "just not the one I expected."

Not to fear.... Amanda flies in tomorrow, early enough in the day to be here for our feast at 4 pm.

I am so glad I have Thanksgiving down to a science, since I use the same recipes year after year. I am no longer flummoxed by cooking the turkey and all the sides, so I plan on enjoying the day immensely with the girls BOTH here...the first time in over 4 years.

And I am wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving as well....good food, good company, and bounteous blessings around your table.

The Fimo clay figurines were made by my girls and my niece about 10 years ago and are a regular part of the centerpiece every year!

Dad's Rocks

2009-11-16T20:55:00.009-07:00

My Dad was a rock hound, especially in his later years. After retirement, he went to the local (Norwalk CT) Community College and earned a 2 year degree in Geology and Archeology, which made us all proud. The basement in CT was his workshop and he tinkered down there endlessly, studying and setting up displays with cast off jewelry and watch cases from the discount store where he worked.

When Mom and Dad moved here in 1993, only part of his collection came with them. Imagine the moving company's surprise when box after box was filled with rocks! The rest of them were dumped under the side porch where the grape vines and the trash cans were. Never did trash cans have such a lofty and lovely perch!

Before Dad died in 2007, he was adamant that his collection go to someone who appreciated them, and not to a museum where they would just be boxed and stored in some dusty basement. Since then, we have been gifting specimens to friends and acquaintances alike, spreading his love of crystals far and wide. There are still a lot in Mom's basement, which we need to deal with, many more than he moved to Colorado with, since his collecting continued here with new places to go and minerals to be found. He loved nothing more than getting down in a hole and getting dirt under his fingernails!

With Mom moving to the apartment, I culled some of my favorites, since a sizeable collection should remain with the family. I purchased 3 shelves and put them up this weekend.

The perspective is off... all the shelves are the same length! Here are closeups of some of my favorites:

We have all Dad's original documentation as to the scientific description and location where each specimen was found. Priceless. We made many inquiries about selling the collection, but the consensus was that the value was mostly nostalgic, so what to do with rest? Mom's house will go on the market soon, and we are looking for a school or hobby organization who might enjoy and appreciate one man's collection and love of these minerals.

Ideas?

Moving Mom: Part Deux

2009-11-08T19:46:00.002-07:00

Looks like home, doesn't it? (Click on each picture to embiggen it!) The family and kids will notice that all the important details are still present!

Moving Mom!

2009-11-06T18:23:00.006-07:00

Mom in the empty Living Room

What could have been terribly stressful, physically demanding, and endless turned into such a pleasure this week with Mom's move to the apartment at a senior living center. A week ago, the amazing Sharon and Gail arrived at Mom's house to pack up her "pretties" and household items. I assisted by helping Mom sort through the kitchen items realistically since her new kitchen would be quite a bit smaller with less storage available.

Really, how many corning ware casseroles does one person need??? We sorted, moved cupboards, sorted more, packed and watched the girls do the bulk of the packing. It was like having our own moving fairies running through the house. I helped keep Mom out of their way but she intervened when necessary.

On Sunday we went over to the empty apartment, looked around again, and realized that it was much bigger than we remembered with lots of closet storage space. We built a storage shelf (thank you Costco) in the closet to use as the pantry and enjoyed the space, followed by a great fish taco lunch nearby. We also hit up Walmart for some basic groceries.

On Monday, I went to work as planned, Sharon went to the house, and the movers arrived. By noon, I got a call from Mom that the movers had already left the house and were on the way to the apartment, where Sharon and Gail would direct the placement of boxes and furniture. When I arrived at 4:30 pm, it nearly looked completed. The furniture had to be shifted several times by the movers to make it work, but it was all in place and looked great. Mom's friends, George and Florence who live 6 floors up in the same building, invited us for dinner, and by the time we returned to the apartment, all the boxes were broken down and in the hall, the china cabinet was beautiful filled, the bed was made and Mom's home looked ready. I set up her computer, tweaked the furniture a little bit, rearranged and plugged in some lamps. Only the pictures and large mirrors needed to be hung and the maintenance staff would take care of that.

For anyone in this position to downsize, or move their aging parents, take my advice: hire angels like these to help you out. It was worth every penny!

The view outside from the living room, her balcony and "her" trees. In the spring and summer, she will have a lovely green view.

On Sunday, I will take more photos of the new apartment with all Mom's "Pretties."

Snow in October: Urgggghhhhhh

2009-10-29T17:11:00.004-06:00

I am definitely ready for Spring already. Although I do appreciate how beautiful the snow can be and that we need the moisture here in Colorado, what I am seeing this year is simply the back-breaking job of shoveling. We have never invested in a snow blower, and our neighbors have helped us out in the past, but Gary had always been able to tackle most of it, except for the largest storms. This year, with his COPD and the back surgery two weeks ago, it is out of the question, so the job is mine.... unless we can contract for the service for the rest of the winter. This storm was predicted, but who would have expected over 2 feet in October! This photo is from yesterday out my back door,

and this one is today. It is still snowing!!!!!! FYI, the fence is 5' and the compost bin in the corner is 36" high.

And this is looking out from my front door to the street after I have shoveled. Before I started today, the tree branches were so heavy, they were laying down on top of the snow, so I had to deal with that before I could take on the sidewalk to the street.

My arms and shoulders are so tired, that I don't know if I can even knit or spin tonight. Wine and a movie sounds good.

One more thing......I even had to climb on step stool outside to clean off the DISH receiver. Gary didn't have TV all day because the snow and ice blocked the signal.

Maybe if I close my eyes, I will wake up in June.........

GAAA- Square no. 4

2009-10-28T16:53:00.001-06:00

Square #4 is by Julie H Levy and is still one of the squares labeled "easy". The intertwining cables are flowing nicely, and the diamonds and bobbled cables remind me of my Grandma's Aran sweaters. Unlike the previous squares, this is nearly 12"wide unblocked, so I have to be careful that it doesn't grow when I wash and block it. I am using size 7 needles on this one, as recommended, but I am starting to think that maybe I should have gone down a size in all the squares, because the yarn is on the lighter side of worsted, not a heavy dense worsted that I was hoping for. When looking it up on Ravelry, several mentioned that the Araucania Nature Wool is more like a heavy DK weight than aran worsted. All the cabling and texture will make this a warm afghan, even if not a heavy one.

And in case you were wondering if I am spinning too, here is the first bobbin of Alpaca, that I washed, picked by hand, carded and spun. There is still quite a bit of VM in it, and it feels a bit greasy, so I will give the finished yarn a good scouring when I set the twist.

It lives!

2009-10-25T10:47:00.003-06:00

Remember this?

Well, now I have this:

It seems that when I was getting ready to throw out the whole plant after it OD'd on fertilizer, I just trimmed the top off, ran tepid water through the pot cleaning the soil as well as I could. I then put it in the front North window and forgot about it. The stem had remained green, so a small part of me had hope that something was still alive here. In the last couple of weeks a small shoot began low on the stem and now there are the signs of 3 branches forming, each with new leaves. YAY!!! I am such a dork about letting plants go..................

New Project- GAAA

2009-10-23T10:05:00.001-06:00

The Great American Aran Afghan caught my eye several months ago as a challenging and interesting project. It is done in 12" squares by different designers in various patterns of cables, textures and motifs. Since this project required a major yarn purchase, I held off for some time. In Sept, while at Knit Night at A Knitted Peace, I wandered into the back room where the remnants of the yarn sale were stashed and there in a basket was a large quantity of Araucania Nature Wool in the color, Tree Bark. I fondled and counted the skeins, but since the budget is tight, I regained my senses and left them there without purchasing. Knit Night rolled around again in early October, and sure enough, there they were: 20 skeins of TreeBark. I guess it was meant to be and I purchased and then loaded them into my stash. What I really like about this yarn is the subtle variations of shadings.

Actually, I left them in the trunk of my car and brought them into the house one skein at a time!! ;-) One skein at a time and one square at a time, it would always look like a small project and purchase! Who am I kidding??? They are all inside now.

Lifted from my Ravelry notes, here is my progress to date:

10/13 - 10/20 -Square #3: Hannah Burns: I was slow getting started doing the mirror image patterns, but it helped to copy chart B and put the highlighter tape on each chart B. It also helped when I labeled my pattern: odd:right side: {———-

even: wrong side: ————} so that I always knew which chart B to use. The rest of the charts were easy to memorize. (#8 needle)

10/8 - 10/13- Square #2: Barbara Selesnick. (#8 needle) My chart reading skills are getting better. I needed to block this square a lot to get it to the 12”.

10/2. Casting on the first square: Ginette Belanger. (size #7 needle) I had to make lots of notes on my pattern to keep me in the right place and getting the pattern right, and still the bottom 2” was all messed up in the side bobbles/trinity stitch. I also had a mis-cross at about inch 3. If I am not entirely sick of this project when I finish, I may just re-do this square.

------------------------------------

On another note: thanks for all the good wishes for Gary's surgery. He is moving about well now, even if putting on socks is still a challenge. As for Mom's move, it is going well too. I shudder to think what all was in the 4 large trash bags I helped her get to the curb yesterday. Let it go, let it go......

Sandwich Generation and I am the Cheese in the Middle!

2009-10-03T15:43:00.011-06:00

What is it called when you have pressures and worries about your parents and your kids at the same time, as well as from the spouse??? I remember when it was called the Sandwich Generation and many of us have been there. Many more will visit this perspective as the years pass, but it is never easy. As we age in these modern times, we are living longer, are active longer and because we had our children later than in past generations, they are still not always settled down, when WE want to settle down and relax. I never would have envisioned that my husband AND my mother would have long discussions about their experiences with Social Security, health care, Medicare, aches and pains. Gary is having back surgery next week and it is yet to be seen how mobile he will be for the weeks following surgery. He thinks he will be bounding up the stairs when he comes home from the hospital. Here's hoping, but who am I to pop his bubble.

Mom is moving in three weeks into Senior Housing, independent living with services if she needs them and we are in the process of deciding what she wants to take and what to move to my basement to save for the kids. Several special treasures will be shipped to NYC to my brother and the rest will be donated or sold. We went through the house, opening closets and thumbing through papers: it was a special time of reminiscing. Luckily, this is not a forced move, but a decision made while there are still choices and we are all happy about that.

I am now the proud owner of every size of straight knitting needle pair from size one on up. Several months ago I posted about my Grandmother's knitting prowess, and her collection together with my Mom's is now in my craft room. I also now have steel crochet hooks in the smallest sizes imaginable.... multiples. Grandma must have suffered the same malady that plagues many modern crafters: losing and replacing needed tools, only to find them later. I think there are at least 6 size 9 steel crochet hooks! And most special of all, a 9" stack of vintage knitting books are mine. As I thumbed through them, I spotted 5 patterns that are still in my wardrobe today. Some were made for me, a baby sweater by my Mom for my daughter, several made and worn by my Grandma. Over the next several weeks, I will highlight these here in the blog! This pattern is published in the Bernat Handicrafter, but the cover is missing, so I don't know what year it is from.

All the books are in black and white from this era, and look at the size of her waist! This fashion forward tee shirt sweater is still worn by me under suits as a shell. This was made by Grandma for herself for the same purpose, probably in the late 50's or early 60's.

I am not sure what the yarn content is but the pattern calls for a nylon type yarn :Bernat Nylo Sports yarn.

Closeup of the pattern stitch.

Beautiful raglan, maintaining the pattern.

Stay tuned for more to come over the next weeks.

I can only deal with two generations at a time for now, so kids: stay safe, healthy and smart!

Plum Frost Fingering Yarn

2009-10-03T15:43:00.007-06:00

Tuesdays are for spinning....or at least that is what the Yarn Harlot says. So here is a posting about spinning....which I finished over the weekend. The fiber is again from Julie Spins

(photo by Juliespins)

and it is 50/50 Superfine Merino and tencel. It spun fine and I two-plyed it

with the resulting yardage about 400+ yards from 5.3 oz. m It is all an inexact science to measure the yardage, and I think the next tool I will purchase is the McMorran Scale which is a simple tool with remarkable accuracy from all reports. I need to get more comfortable with using my wraps per inch gauge and figuring the yardage. This is especially important if I ever plan to knit with the yarn. Petting and caressing the yarn can only go so far........The spun yarn has such a nice glimmer and sheen!

I need to work on making sure I am plying enough, because there are areas of the final yarn that appear underplyed after setting the twist.

I don't know what I will do with all the shawls that my spinning is leaning towards. Of course, I can always knit two strands together for heavier garments.

2nd Pair Done

2009-10-03T15:42:00.007-06:00

The second pair of handspun socks are done and I just...just...had enough yarn to finish. I think I have about 6 yards of yarn left! The only concession I made was to make the top 6" instead of my usual 7". They have nice heft to them, without being as heavy as the first pair.

The new pair is on the right.

They have a great sheen to them and are very soft. Now on to the next project.....

Have you seen this yet??

2009-09-30T18:20:00.001-06:00

Watch Glee if you get the chance!

Alpaca on the Rocks

2009-09-29T19:18:00.008-06:00

As promised, this Alpaca show did not disappoint. There were some different vendors this year, or at least ones I did not notice last year. Having learned so much in this past short year, I was more willing to consider raw fiber in larger quantities. I did not buy a whole fleece, but I did get approx. 10 oz of raw fiber. I was amazed what 10 oz of raw fiber looked like.......

Guess what this is???!!!

A pillowcase of picked and washed Alpaca Fiber, about 10 oz, donated by Keller from Jefferson Farms.

The photographs do not do justice to the beautiful color (rose grey with brown) or the exquisite softness of the fiber. I just couldn't keep my hands out of it,

so I washed it all, in 4 batches in the kitchen sink. Above is 1/2 of the unwashed fiber. I even carded up 5 rolags,

but I am saving up spinning it till it is all carded. I can tell already that it will be wonderful to spin, and I must decide what weight yarn it wants to be.

And that's not all!!!!!!!.......................

Three Meadows Ranch brought both fiber (which came home with me) and the animal (which did not)!!! This fiber was blended from the raw fiber into a heathery light brown. Here is the generous donor, Morning Angel:

on the left. With her two tone fiber, this is the blended result:

This fiber is not in roving form but a large batt weighing in at 8 oz. This too, is bad color....I must retake it outside.

I am not done yet....there's more!

Another meet up with my blogging friend, Becky, who bought the other batt of Morning Angel's fiber. She also arranged to buy a whole fleece from a real cutie who was grey and ivory.(edited to add: his name is Kiernan) That is the cutie standing tall right behind us! The camera didn't capture the color properly, but if you check out her blog when she gets the processed roving, I am sure there will be more photos.

Here is another photo:

More random Alpacas:

All these Alpacas were sheared this past spring, so with the cooler weather they will begin to grow their winter fleece, and the whole process starts all over again. How is that for a renewable resource???

Processing Alpaca Fiber...ooooooh

2009-09-23T20:40:00.000-06:00

Just about a year ago, I blogged about going to Alpaca on the Rocks, where I enjoyed myself immensely: petting the animals, talking to the breeders, fondling the fibers and yarn, and dropping a few $$. One of the fibers: the Suri Alpaca raw fiber was a generous gift from a breeder when I told her I had no experience with Suri. It went from this:

to this after washing, carding, and spinning:

A second fiber I purchased was Huacaya Alpaca fiber in black. This was washed, but still unprocessed in any other way. I thought I would show the steps I took finally this week, to bring this fiber from its very natural state to spun.

Straight out of the bag, this is what it looked like. You could see the original curls and feel the softness. But it would be necessary to fluff out the fibers and line them up somewhat for even spinning. On Ravelry last year, I purchased from another Raveler a pair of Ashford Handcards and began to work this fiber. It is almost like brushing out a dog for smoothness.

Several passes on the cards is followed by rolling the batt into a rolag

From this stage, I spun on my wheel and these are how nice the singles look!

So, that is the process from start to finish. Of course, if you have raw DIRTY fiber, then there are the added steps of washing, rinsing, and drying the fiber to get to the point where you can begin to card it. I plan on making the singles into two ply fiber and then maybe knitting a black and white hat with the white alpaca above. I was bound and determined to finished this fiber up before this weekend because guess what.....Alpaca on the Rocks is here again and with all that I have learned this year, I may invest in lots more fiber!

Start to finish: right to left, without the live animal which did not fit on the ironing board!

Because I said so!

2009-09-16T16:18:00.000-06:00

I spotted this on Facebook and just had to share. For all the Moms out there and their children...especially mine....whatever age they are!

Something Besides Fiber to Keep My Hands Busy!

2009-09-15T16:48:00.007-06:00

I guess it's just in my nature to want to get my hands working on something, whether it is knitting or spinning fiber or in this case: baking bread. I don't do it nearly often enough these days because God knows, I don't need all the extra carbs, but the Jewish New Year this weekend provided the best reason to bake.

I learned to bake bread as an extra curricular course while in college about 40 years ago. (YIKES! I grimace every time I think about that!). Trudging across campus with my bowls, pans, cutting board and ingredients each week was an adventure in itself. But it paid off with a lifetime skill, not to mention a few extra pounds on my hips from the yummy breads I was able to take back to the dorm. Sweet breads, french breads, whole grains, black breads and white breads....all were baked.

Sunday, I baked Challah, the sweet eggy braided loaves that I love making. For Rosh Hashanah, it is traditional to bake the loaves in a round shape, to signify the the ongoing cycle of the world and the seasons. Usually for Shabbat, the loaves are braided in oval loaves. For New Years, no knives are used on the bread, but we break off chunks and serve traditionally with honey.

This is cookbook I use for traditional Jewish recipes mostly. Nothing modern inside, just the basics covering the yearly cycle of holidays and their recipes. Not even sure if it is still in print, but the Challah recipe in it is the best I have found. No secret ingredients, just the good stuff in the right proportion.

I used to bake the Challah every week when the kids were little, but now it is mainly for holidays. I miss the mess, and the fragrances, and the baked results.

The inside of my cookbook is the repository of many holiday recipes and other memorabilia. The newspaper recipes are yellowing, and many are stained from splashes, but I won't dare ever throw any away. Even a few photos or two, used as bookmarks for my favorites. All part of my culinary history.

Rising in the oven:

And the final results.

In the freezer now, in advance of this weekend. All will be devoured by Monday, for sure.

Ok, here is a little fiber:

JulieSpins, again, this time in 50% Merino and 50% Tencel. This will be a drapey semi solid yarn when finished in the color: Plum Frost. See the shimmer?

L'Shanah Tovah 5770!!!!

My Old House.....

2009-09-12T17:01:00.006-06:00

This is the house I grew up in: Norwalk CT. We moved from a rental house in the same town, to this one in 1958 and it was occupied by my family until 1993 when my folks moved here to Denver. Amanda took this photo today, so it is nice to see that the house is well taken care of and no changes are visible, and it is also nice to see that she is as sentimental about such things as I am. Not quite sure what she was doing in Norwalk, but I am sure I will hear the details soon.

My room was the upstairs room on the right. There was an alcove in front where I had a desk and an old fashioned kidney shaped dressing table with a three fold mirror on it, and a lavender gingham skirt. From there, it opened up to a huge space where I had 2 twin beds also in lavender gingham, a dresser and tons of bookcases. The ceiling was slanted in the front and back of the room but it was a large room by most standards. My closet was only about 3 foot wide and I honestly don't know how I lived with so little space in it. No matter, because most of my clothes were piled up on the spare bed in my room most of the time.. Truth be told, I still pile stuff, but don't tell anyone. There was only one bathroom upstairs which the 4 of us shared with very few problems. My parents were in the other upstairs bedroom while my brother resided in the main floor bedroom.

The driveway was very long as you can see, and it opened up double wide at the bottom where the garage is. It was hell to shovel and finally, Mom and Dad hired a plow which provided the space and mounds for the most elaborate snow caves/forts one can only imagine. One thing about such a long driveway... I really learned how to back up once I was driving. My skills may be rusty now, but I was a helluva backer upper in those days.

See the basketball hoop on the garage?? We had the only one in the neighborhood at the time and my adolescence was spent playing HORSE with all the boys in the neighborhood: Eddie, Bobby, Bruce, Charlie, Bradley, Hughie and anyone one else who drifted over. It is not there now, but there used to be a split rail fence along the left side of the driveway, and from there I would hold court with all my friends. Needless to say, being one of the only girls in the neighborhood had its perks. I even let my brother Steve play.....sometimes.

The wide hedge in front of the house near the street was a real chore to trim but it did afford some privacy at the house. The tree on the far right of the photo behind the hedge, was a split birch with the lovliest bark. Raking the leaves, both in front and in back, was a chore that I remember well. Those huge oaks really let go after providing their foliage show each fall. And, in the early years, before all the rules changed, we would burn tremendous piles of leaves in front of the hedge near the street. The whole neighborhood would have this wonderful smoky fragrance that would last for days. I wish I could see the rose bushes that my Dad planted, because they were his pride and joy: Peace and Tropicana are the two I can think of, off hand.

Thanks, Amanda, for the memories. You and Alison also have memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa in this house: barbeques in the back yard, catching fireflies (which we don't have in CO), picking tomatoes from Grandpa's garden and meeting the grandkids of our neighbors.

I guess it takes only a grey dreary rainy day, and one photograph to bring it all back.

Spinning memories throughout history...

2009-09-11T10:05:00.007-06:00

Take a gander at this! While many take a look at my hobby and fiber passion as frivolous or weird, I know I am part of the time continuum which this article says goes back at least 30,000 years. Taking natural materials and turning them into useful and beautiful garments and accessories is a purpose unto itself. It clothes and it protects. It beautifies and decorates the mundane. It differentiates us from others and it provides us with pleasure in the process of creating.

On a day when the we are steeped in sad memories from our historic losses of 8 years ago today, the act of creating beauty and new memories does not diminish our losses but enhances them and allows us to go on.

Providing beauty from nature allows us to take that deep breath and remember.

(My first lavender buds from a new planting this year.)

Where have you been all my life???

2009-09-09T16:30:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't come across this in your travels, this new knitting tool is wonderful and a vast improvement over other ideas to perform the same task. I am talking about highlighter tape! This link gives the details, but go to a local shop to purchase........

Comes in a roll, just like Scotch tape, but the stickiness is not permanent and is easily moved as you go through directions or the charts.. Better yet, it is a little more sticky than post-it notes, which I had been previously using for lace charts. Before post-it notes, I used magnetic strips and a metal board to mark my place. The post-it notes would lose their stickiness as it picked up dust and yarn fiber while being moved, and my magnetic strips would always slip as I shifted position in my chair. Sometimes, it seemed I spent more time finding my place on the charts, than actually knitting from them.

I was so encouraged by my discovery, that I picked up my simple vine scarf that I started nearly a year ago and have been sailing along...... I have knit about 40 inches in total, and will stop at about 60.

I know, I know, this product has been out a while on the market, but for me it is new. So I know there are others out there who would benefit from my recent discovery and experience. In addition to the yellow, I bought a roll of orange. Two colors might come in handy when working multiple charts as in aran type garments.

I just realized that today is 09/09/09. That is gotta be good for something!

After a 4 day weekend

2009-09-08T17:39:00.008-06:00

I just wasn't satisfied having so much handspun fiber left over after finishing my first pair of handspun socks. I knew there was enough for at least one more sock, but would there be enough for 2 more??? Taking the scientific approach (please note: totally unlike me), I weighed each finished sock on my digital kitchen scale and a-ha, one weighed 61 grams and the other measured 45 grams! I knew one was heavier, but I was really surprised at the difference between the two. I then weighed the leftover handspun yarn and it weighed 100 grams, or just under 4 oz. I then rewound it into two balls of 50 grams each and felt I should start another pair!

As the yarn ran through my fingers to the ball-winder, I knew that this was the thinner yarn of the smaller sock, so I went down to a size 2 and cast on 56 stitches for another pair of plain socks. These too, I am doing 2 at a time on circs, so if I run out near the toes, I can at least be certain that the toes will match each other, if not the rest of the sock. I am really happy with the texture of this pair so far.

After the 4 day weekend, I should have more to show for my time, but relaxing and enjoying the sunshine was the original plan. I took several walks, watch several movies and finished up the
Targhee from JulieSpins. It is incredibly soft and squooshy in its finished skeins. I didn' measure yet the yardage but I must have at least 400 yards in the two skeins (plus the bitty one) in sock/fingering weight out of the 5 oz of fiber.

I just love how the colors played in this yarn as it was two plyed. The two skeins don't even look like they come from the same fiber,

but one skein will lead naturally into the other.

Now to plan a project.... another Ishbel, perhaps? Any other ideas out there? Until then, I will be satisfied just giving it a squeeze every now and then!

Fibery Progress

2009-09-01T21:19:00.008-06:00

One finished project! YAY! These are my first handspun socks, in a 48 stitch plain sock, top down on size 2 needles, 2 at a time. Spun from Dragonfibers (merino, bamboo and nylon).

I was going for a normal weight sock, but I ended up with a heavy sock which will be nice with Crocs and boots this winter. I used a regular 3 ply for them and I thought I was spinning sooooooo thin. Live and learn, and the funny thing is that one sock is much lighter weight than the other. I have enough yarn left to probably knit a third sock to keep as a spare and it might match one or the other of the socks. I can't really remember whether I spun thinner at the end, or at the beginning. So much for conscious spinning and knitting.

Washed and skeined up, below is the finished yarn from the Pagewood Farms fiber, in the color Maple Leaf. The label only said "wool", but it was soft and lovely to spin. They are both 3 ply but notice the difference navajo plying makes with the colors in the smaller skein. Soon (?) to be mittens. Maybe I will put a crochet edging around the cuffs with the smaller skein......

The Target Practice socks are making progress. I did have to frog back the heel once, because it was totally wonky.

I am a little concerned about the size of the socks. I measured exactly and had even gone down to size 0 needles, but as you can see, they look a little big for a women's medium. Since these are my first short-row heels, maybe when I rejoin with the instep stitches, it draws up and gets a smaller length to the foot. Anyone have any experience with short row heels?? I am glad I didn't try to do these 2 at a time since I would have spent even more time frogging back. Tonight I may get to start on the tops and see how that pattern does it thing. To be continued.

And, last but certainly not least, is some spinning goodness developing on my wheel. As a reminder, this is the fiber: Targhee wool in the color, Bouquet from JulieSpins. I am quite addicted to her fiber as I have mentioned before.

The top bobbin is from the outside of the roving and the second bobbin is from the inside. It hardly looks like the same batch! I split the entire roving in half lengthwise, and will 2-ply it which should result somewhat in some stripes. Of course it is my perogative to change my mind and navajo ply it to maintain the variation of colors and make clearer stripes. Another to be continued.......

I have killed another one......

2009-09-01T21:00:00.005-06:00

My green thumb and the economy have something very sinister in common. Lately, I have been going broke trying to keep a "Money Tree" alive.

I just don't understand it because in the past, I have always been noted for my green thumb, but lately, my plants have been short lived. The one above, to be honest, I think I murdered by accident by over fertilizing it and it makes me sad because I have had it almost 2 years. It originally had three trunks, but 2 died and the third was pretty happy until I did it in....... Rest in peace.

At Whole Foods, I spotted this one

and thought I would give it another try. I vow not to overwater it, or over fertilize it and to talk nicely to it, in hopes of the good financial luck it is supposed to bring. Here is the good luck it has brought so far, in the form of theater tickets.... a birthday gift from my very special daughters. The card said I needed some Broadway therapy!!! Yes, I do... thanks Amanda and Alison!

At least, it seems, that money grows on trees for them. And maybe, the luck of the Money Tree will do its thing for my finances, too. Here's to keeping it alive.

We were Knitting, we were spinning

2009-08-24T21:36:00.006-06:00

Sunday was our regular spinning and knitting gathering and we had new faces and old faces and some regulars were missing, but it was a great group. There are not a lot of spinning activities on the south side of the metro area, so we are hoping to grow over time and provide that resource. The skill level varies, but all are always welcome and there is no shortage of advice and help and camaraderie.

This fiber from Pagewood Farms

became this:

and then this!

The small skein was Navajo plied from the overage from the three ply on the bobbin. Isn't it interesting how the same fiber can have totally different looks depending on how it is spun and plyed. Navajo plying reduces barber-poling giving clearer colors and longer color runs.

After plying the soft colors of the Pagewood Farms Fiber, I started spinning the fiber from JulieSpins in the color Bouquet. I split the roving in half, lengthwise and am spinning from the dark tones to the bright tones. The wool is Targhee and not superwash, so I think I will make another shawl from it.

I couldn't help myself.

2009-08-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

I was powerless against the draw of casting on for socks in my new STR yarn in Sapphire After flipping through lots of patterns, both online and in books and throughout the house, I decided on an unusual pattern from Knitty: Target Practice from the Spring Issue '09. This is the first photo from the Knitty.com pattern page, designed and photographed by Kellie Pederson.

What is nice about this pattern is that I will have the opportunity to practice several new skills: Toe up, Judy Becker's Magic Cast On, circular inserts into a pattern, and a stretchy cast off at the top of the cuff. All in this great variegated yarn from Blue Moon Fibers Arts. What could be more fun? What I find strange is that when I did a Ravelry pattern search to see if there were any pitfalls to this pattern, there were only 37 projects to date and all the comments were favorable. I cannot understand why more folks have not done this pattern because most of the comments said the pattern was fast and easy, and the only negative was weaving in some loose ends.

With the instructions for casting on on my lap and me in front of the computer watching Cat Bordhi demonstrating this technique on You Tube, I cast on for these toe up socks for the first time!

The third time was the charm and now I am happily knitting away on the toe of the first sock. I thought momentarily about trying 2 at a time, but decided against it since there would be too much to keep track of on each sock with the short row heel.

See how nice the toe looks!

To be continued.

Score!

2009-08-18T18:52:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was my birthday! And look what my friend, Sue, gave me:

This is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock that Rock- lightweight in the Color: Sapphire. Sue was up near Portland OR and her sister, who used to work in a knitting store, directed her to a wall and said, "Just choose any color and it will be perfect" and it was! This sock yarn is not available here in the Denver area at the stores and I had only seen it in person previously at Rhinebeck, where I picked up a skein in Mediumweight. All the patterns I like seem to be for lightweight and now I am so excited to cast on. Must...wait...til...I finish...the...other...socks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other exciting news was that we had the first hummingbirds of the season right outside my kitchen window hovering at the hibiscus plants. Unfortunately, by the time I ran for my camera they were gone. I hope to winter these plants and put outside early enough in the season next year to become a regular stopping place for them. Here they are.. sans hummingbirds.

Ishbel is finished and it is Bee-yooo-tee-full!

2009-08-17T17:19:00.005-06:00

If I do say so myself! Here is the history of my lovely shawl, the Ishbel. From everything I read, it is the shawl pattern of the year with thousands being knit according to Ravelry!

The BFL fiber started out as roving purchased at Rhinebeck last year from Briar Rose Fibers at the end of my wonderful day there.

I started out spinning on my spindles and then when I purchased my wheel in February, I finished off the rest of the 17 oz of fiber. As you can see from the photo of the drying skeins, there are many many shades of green in the fiber, so I had to be careful which of the spun yarn skeins I put into the project. As it turned out, I ended up using both wheel spun and spindle spun yarn in the shawl, because the colors worked best.

Knitting up the lace had several false starts, but finally I rolled along to the end. While knitting it, you can hardly see the lace pattern and it was hard to believe that it would end up so beautifully!!

Here it is all spread out on the floor, finished, but unblocked:

I don't have blocking wires or blocking boards, so I used the carpet in the spare bedroom with towels and glass headed pins. The stripes on the towels were my guides.

Now the lace was starting to reveal itself and all its beauty, like magic.

Ta Da! The finished shawl. The camera doesn't capture the colors as well as some of the other shots. The photo above is close.

Isn't she pretty! The details: This is the large size of the pattern, knit on size 6 needles. The final dimensions are 63" from tip to tip, and 27" from the top to the bottom point.

We ARE the Ladies of the Second Row!

2009-08-15T17:29:00.002-06:00

Today was the most enjoyable Tea/Lunch with my terrific group of friends. We acquired this nickname from our regular attendence at Friday night services at Temple Sinai. As of today, we range in age from 57 to 80 (a couple of us are having birthdays in the next week or so, so I am erring on the side of youth). I blogged about them before, but to remind you, 3 of us travelled to Israel together for the Millenial New Year and then 4 years later over the same time period, all 4 of us went again. What fabulous memories we all have together. Add that to attending the same Torah Study class each Saturday morning for over 20 years for most of us, we have bonded in a very unique way. My very special friends, who I don't hug often enough. Must work on that.

Thursday Catchup

2009-08-13T17:15:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe this week and that it is already Thursday. What that means for me (but not most people) is that my weekend is here again. Working parttime is bad for the budget, but I love the 3 days off each week. My only problem is that I have one extra day to get into trouble. I couldn't help myself....the Koigu was on sale last Friday when I went to knitting group at Colorful Yarns. My purchase qualified for a green bag by being over ??? dollars. I just cannot reveal in public the amount of my purchases for my own protection!!! ;-) The green bag can be used in the future for one of the Green Bag Sales where everything I can stuff into it is off a certain percentage. I just hope they don't have one too soon!

Nice group and a variety of ages and abilities. And something is on sale every week! The book wasn't on sale, but I couldn't resist this one:

There are lots of gift ideas for socks, hats and accessories that are unique. I really want to try the beaded socks from the front cover.

The other rabbit hole I fell down this week was JulieSpins shop update last Sunday. I knew in advance and planned my morning accordingly. Julie's yarns and rovings are so sought after that you have to sign in to Etsy and be ready to commit. If you dawdle, your choice disappears into someone else's shopping basket. I didn't dawdle.....but I did control myself and limited my purchase to only one:

This is Targhee wool fiber in the color Bouquet. I have never spun Targhee before but it is rumoured to be like buttah! I am trying to get away from spinning my favorite colors of blue teal and green and this roving grabbed my mouse finger right away.

Progress on the socks: I am working on the heel flap now and had to look up the formula for the heel turn on a 48 stitch pattern. Thank you Charlene Schurch!

What I am finding that the sock on the left has much thicker spinning at the heel than the one on the right, and I may actually have to do a few extra rows before turning the heel. My spinning is not perfect, but who will notice???

Last but not least is the Ishbel Shawl. I finished all the lace and now casting off. I definitely will make this pattern again since once I got the hang of it, it went along smoothly. As you can see, I am using much larger needles for the cast off (10.5) so that blocking this edge with its point will not be a problem. I think the side edges are a bit tight now and I worry about stretching it out.

It sure doesn't look like much in its green blobby state. Stay tuned.

Ripped Again!

2009-08-06T19:09:00.009-06:00

My socks, that is...... With the DragonFibers handspun,

I am hoping that this third attempt is a keeper finally. I made two attempts at doing the Berry Season Socks from 2 at a time Socks

by Melissa Morgan Oakes. My handspun is very dense and the gauge just wouldn't work out. They were coming out huge, so I ripped them again and started a plain jane pair using a 48 stitch cast on. So far so good, now, and I like the shine the yarn has in the plain stockinette. So, here is the third attempt:

I hate that I am still working part time and that I can hardly make ends meet, but I am loving my job and my 3 day weekends........ Everything is a trade-off in this life and things could be lots worse. At least my yarn and handspun stash is large enough to keep me in projects. Now, if I only can restrain myself from new purchases.

2009-08-05T16:00:00.004-06:00

I snagged this photo from Ali's facebook page. It is the only shot of ME spinning! Doesn't my hair look great???

I finished the fiber

that I am spinning in this shot.

I now know why it is called Caribbean! Look at the wash water after I soaked in Eucalan to set the twist.

What I ended up with is about 240 yards of fingering weight, navajo plyed.

Now to plan a project with this! The fun part!

Too Quiet on the home front!

2009-08-04T16:39:00.007-06:00

Ali has only been gone for 2 days and already the silence is deafening. I am so glad she was able to spend so much time here with us. Amanda was only here for the first weekend, and with both girls here, the girl energy was strong. How great it was to be able to have the family together again for a happy gathering.

Alison did allow me to photograph her in the beret she chose of the two finished hats, both handspun and hand knit. It will serve her well in the damp cold of KC!

Busy 10 days!

2009-07-31T12:40:00.009-06:00

The girl power in the house is so energizing. It is hard to believe that it has been 10 days since I last posted here.

I finished up the Tour de Fleece, meeting my goal of finishing up my 2 lbs of fiber for a sweater and spun up about 3/4 of the the Kid Mohair into singles. I probably am getting tremendous yardage in the singles, since it is taking so long... and I am planning on Navajo plying into a 3-ply which should drop the yardage down significantly. Still, the 4.2 original oz should give me enough for a nice lace scarf or a small Ishbel, if I ever finish the big one.

Since the Tour finished, I have been giving myself a break from spinning and have been working on my green Ishbel again. If you remember the saga, I frogged all of the lace back and about 2 inches of the stockinette before the class with Cookie A. It is a little clearer now, and I have been diligently lining up my PSSO stitches, with very little tinking back. I have finished charts A B A and most of the second B chart, leaving another A, then C D E.

Alison did not want any part of this, but Amanda was game to sit down at the wheel and give it a spin. Definitely Art Yarn, which I sent home with her to use as a cat toy, but it was fun watching her give it her best.

In the weekend Manda was here, we squeezed in lots of activities with friends and family, from happy hour to a family get together.

She even posed with the hat she chose from my finished objects.

Alison selected the beret, but wouldn't yet pose for a photo. Luckily she will be several more days so I will work on that.

One of Alison's favorite things to do is play Trivia in a local bar in KC, where she lives. We gave it a shot last night at a bar in Littleton and surprise, our two person team came in third. I provided most of the history, Shakespeare, and quotation answers, and I relied on her for the pop music and pop culture questions. What a team we were, and no.... I wasn't the oldest person in the bar!

I sure miss having the family when they are not all here. That is the price I pay for having raised very independent daughters..... they move away from home.

My first Picasa Collage!

2009-07-21T21:59:00.000-06:00

The Tour continues, and so do I

2009-07-21T18:40:00.011-06:00

Lance cannot hope to win, and neither can I, but I can finish, and so can he! I may not have spun the most, or the prettiest, or the artsy-est or the fastest, but I am approaching the end of the Tour de Fleece with my goal met and all the rest being gravy! This is the very end of the original 2 pounds (32 oz) of Ashland Bay Merino in English Garden. This mini skein is still not washed so it appears a bit twisty. Notice, not a blister to be found. I bet Lance can't say that! I must feel pretty secure about myself to show my feet to the world, but it is summertime and living is easy..........

And here is a basket o' yarn with the rest of the English Garden as well as the laceweight Enchanted Seas from Julie Spins.

With a few days to go in the Tour, I went up to my stash box and pulled out the Kai Mohair in the color Caribbean and began to spin so fine........ Even two ply may be too thin for my liking so I think a Navajo 3-ply is in order. This will stripe the finished yarn, so I will have to choose my pattern carefully.

Saturday was field trip day for Stacy and me. In the morning we drove up to Boulder for a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory tour. We were a bit disappointed that the machinery doesn't run on the weekends, but it was interesting anyway. We dropped a little bit in the Gift Store, and I thought the highlight was seeing the original artwork that was commissioned for the box art. It was incredibly whimsical and the boxes don't do the art justice.

After lunch at an Indian Buffet, a gastronomical flavor which I can say I introduced Stacy to, we went to a class taught by the famous Cookie A. All the sock samples from her new book were there and they may have to go into the queue for later. I have made several pairs of her Monkey Socks and this particular class was on chart reading. She went through the various charting methods and for practice we began a sample of a Celtic braid as shown.

Using her method for cabling without a cable needle was worth the price of admission, as Stacy said. I need practice, but I might just pick up the Slippery Socks again, using this method especially since it uses a one stitch cable repeatedly.

My cleaning break is over (any excuse from housework), and I must vaccuum the downstairs. The kids are coming and I am so excited, that it will be worth the effort, even it they don't notice!

Tour de Fleece, day 11

2009-07-14T19:56:00.008-06:00

Finished the JulieSpins fiber in the color Enchanted Seas: 2-ply, nearly 400 yards and 4 oz.

Two more bobbins of the Ashland Bay Merino in English Garden.Tomorrow, I will post a cumulative effort so far.

Yesterday was a rest day from spinning, so I obeyed the rules. So what did I do??? I frogged back my Ishbel shawl which you can see to the right in my projects in its before state.. I took it back about 1 1/2 inches beyond the lace, because I was fudging so many rows to make the stitch count come out right that it was now totally wonky. Hopefully, this next time around, with all my practice on the pattern, it will come out closer to the way it was designed.

Edited to add: Looking at my spinning during the Tour de Fleece with my banner photograph, I definitely have to get out of my blue,green, teal, turquoise rut. I think I have more fibers in similar colors in my stash!

Finished Beret!

2009-07-08T17:46:00.014-06:00

Remember when I was making lemonade out of lemons? See Here! Well, instead of using the crochet hook, I picked up with size six double points stitches all around the cast off edge at a ratio of 2 to 3 and then knit in K1P1 ribbing for about 1 1/2 inches. Of course, I was at the hairdressers when it was time to cast off and I was afraid of casting off too tightly, so I scavenged through my purse and used a ball point pen. It was pretty rounded so I had to click it open to have a point. Except for having marked up my fingers in the process, it worked great. So there.... to those airport scanners who confiscate knitting needles...we are very resourceful!

Here is the final flat beret from top and bottom.

bottom:

top:

I needed to grab a couple of the cuties from next door to model the finished product, because it is hard to photograph it on myself........ I had two willing models: first is Sophia:

And Mariel:

Aren't they adorable! And they didn't even mind posing in 95 degree heat!

There is only one more thing I might do and that is to crochet a single line around the seam from the old cast off and the new cast on. I used this technique when I steeked my Kauni sweater more than a year ago. It is similar to the lazy dazy stitch if you embroider.

Now back to spinning for day 5 of the Tour de Fleece.

Tour de Fleece, day 4

2009-07-07T21:53:00.003-06:00

Here are the results so far: 1 lb spun up of the Ashland Bay merino, 1 lb to go. I did get a running start with some spun before Saturday, but 2 1/2 skeins were finished since the 4th.

JulieSpins alpaca, merino, silk in Enchanted Seas. One bobbin of singles finished...about 2 oz.