Thursday, August 31, 2006

Oops!  I accidentally made some quilt squares!

That would explain why no knitting is getting done.

On the right:  Completed buck-a-block kits purchased from one of my local quilt shops (white on white plus pastels = phooey, and that top one is the exact color of band-aids -- eewwww!).

On the left:  The same blocks interpreted in "my" colors (black and white plus whatever jumps out at me), from my already too large fabric stash (pathetic, really).  NOTE:  the purple one will be re-done, since it's not contrast-y enough.

I signed up for another quilt class in October (two a year seems to be my pace), and I made a resolution that I wouldn't start a new class unless I had finished the project from the previous class first.  Which means I should stop working on the buck-a-block squares and finish up my Crazy Quilt bag -- although there's a new buck-a block starting soon, too . . . and the new Christmas quilt is GORGEOUS . . .

Oh -- this is a knitting blog.  Sorry.  I've been a little distracted.  Still not enough estrogen.

I have a few more ends left to weave in on the Mystery Blanket -- just the giant hole-y ones remain.  Then it gets shipped off to uberimma's newest cutie pie.  She told me he was shivering and ready for his new blankie, but the photo she sent shows an incredibly happy, warm-looking child, so I'm not too worried.

I think I have 39 rows left on the Maidenhair Shawl, plus fringe to add, plus a good rinse in the washtub, and then THAT'S done.

The Purl Ridge Socks are done, but you have to wait until I shave my legs for photos.  No hurry there.

The Beginner's Triangle Shawl is still waiting for a good blocking.  I'll soak it with the Maidenhair Shawl when THAT's ready.

Judy's Christmas Stockings are currently waiting for some more Twilley's Goldfingering from Herrschners.  I refused to pay as much for shipping as for the yarn, so of course I had to order TWO balls of the Goldfingering (a very cool shiny gold-colored yarn -- I'll use the extra one for my Crazy Quilt Bag) and what I thought was enough Twilley's Denim Freedom for the Landscape Shawl from Fibertrends that I've wanted to make since forever.  Wouldn't a denim shawl be incredibly awesome?  And then I remembered that the denim yarn shrinks, which the Herrschners website doesn't mention, so I e-mailed customer service to add a couple more balls to my order, and oh by the way let's change the color to the darker one while we're at it, but that was Saturday and I haven't heard anything from them, so who knows what's going to show up in my mailbox?

Have you ever been tempted to write a whole blog entry with your fingers on the wrong keys?  That's sort of what's happening here, except I keep fixing everything.

Have you ever tried to write a blog entry with only one eye?.  Maybe that extra glass of wine wasn't such a good idea.  I should sleep well tonight, though! 

So I thought I scheduled a week off for myself between the beginning of school (next Tuesday) and my first day of teaching (next Thursday).  Guess not!  That would be because I have no brain.  Still waiting for the wonderful day in the unknown future when I can start taking my happy estrogen pills again.  I think we'll ALL be happier then.

I'm WAY behind on my e-mail, so please be patient with me.  I sort of answer them in my head as I read them, and then wonder a week later why they're still in my inbox.  BECAUSE I NEVER ANSWERED THEM FOR REAL, THAT'S WHY!

Drr upi ;syrt@

Sarah

Friday, August 25, 2006

I've had some inquiries lately as to why I call my husband "Husband Number One".  No one questions why I call my sons "Son Number One" and "Son Number Two", or my sisters "Sister Number One" and "Sister Number Two".  All numerical references relate to order of appearance.  Son Number One was the first to arrive on the scene, followed by Son Number Two.  Ditto with my sisters.  Likewise, Husband Number One is the first in what I hope will be a total of one husband(s?).  There are currently no other prospects. 

Please let me introduce you to my family.

First we have Son Number One:

Son Number One made the golf team this year and plays snare in the marching band.  Other interests include annoying his little brother and lying on the couch eating Chex Mix and watching PTI, Whose Line Is It Anyway, and re-runs of CSI.  He can usually be seen in a U of M t-shirt and hat.

Here's Son Number Two:

Son Number Two is currently playing soccer and taking piano lessons.  Other interests include annoying his older brother and sitting in the rocking chair eating something with either peanut butter or A-1 sauce on it, watching My Gym Partner is a Monkey (or something like that -- I was unwilling unable to determine the plot).  He can usually be seen with a Nintendo DS in his hands.

And finally, here is Husband Number One, on our recent flight to the Bahamas:

We have no idea who his little friend was, but she and Husband Number One seemed to hit it off quite nicely.

It may be time to look for Husband Number Two. 

Sarah

P.S.  My new class schedule is posted here.  Finally!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Shhhhh! 

The house is quiet.  I'm the only one home.  Husband Number One is at work, Son Number One is at a golf tournament, and Son Number Two is at a friend's house.  The pets are all asleep. 

It's heaven.

More later . . .

Sarah

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Warning:  proceed at your own risk.

I have no photos for you today. 

That doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything constructive.

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I have:

Repaired and completed the Beginner's Triangle Shawl (Note to Sharon:  I did NOT tear back to the mistake.  I did NOT enjoy knitting with the yarn in the first place, and I certainly did NOT care to get my money's worth out of it.  Nor did I learn anything useful or get any helpful practice.  Note to everyone else:  Sharon tried to turn my teaching techniques back on me, but her foolish attempt didn't work.  Woe to those who dare!).  It still needs to be blocked, after I clear off enough floor space and find my vacuum, and figure out how to use the steamer thingy I bought my husband a couple of years ago that he doesn't use.

Completed the Purl Ridge Socks, except for weaving in the ends, which I was going to do at the weekly knit-in tonight except that I could only stay for about twenty minutes because I had to drop off and pick up Son Number Two from soccer practice (Yes, that makes me a soccer mom.  Shut up.) because my husband was stuck at work, so I didn't even take the big basket of finishing I had waiting, or the black bean/corn salsa that I had made earlier in the day, because there wasn't any point when everyone would have finished eating by the time I got there anyway, and then I would just have to leave.

Successfully ignored the Mystery Blanket for yet another weeks, despite the fact that a very adorable baby is waiting very patiently for his new blankie to arrive because autumn is approaching and his very cute little self might get very chilly!

Started both of the Christmas Stockings for Judy which are the last remaining custom knitting items on my list, not counting the Maidenhair Shawl which is on hold because who really wants to work on a six foot by three foot rectangle of heavy worsted weight wool in the middle of August?  Followed by the tip of my thumb splitting open because of the worsted weight wool knit on size 0 needles (and I'm STILL not reaching Grace Ennis's gauge of 8 stitches to the inch using worsted weight yarn), so now I can't continue on those until my thumb heals, after which it will just split open again when I pick the stockings up to work on again, and yes, I've tried the nu-skin stuff and liquid band-aid but they don't work when you're constantly poking size 0 Addi turbos into the tip of your thumb.  I've heard that Krazy Glue works, though -- I may have to try that.  Those rubber steno finger things work, too, but then you can't feel anything while you're knitting . . .

Made about a jillion small items out of various brands and qualities of dishcloth cotton for various and sundry gifts for thank yous, for new babies, for stocking stuffers, for service projects, and for my own personal use, thank you very much, as I try to knit my way through all of the cotton in my stash.  Note to self:  quit buying cheap dishcloth cotton just because it's cheap.

Resisted going to the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan after being away from my family for more weekends that I was home this summer, which made me feel kind of proud of myself but also kind of miserable, so I told my family I intended to take them with me to Allegan on Sunday but they weren't all ready to leave the house until 1:30 that afternoon, and it's a two hour drive, and the Festival was closing at 4:00, so why bother?

Figured out, got approval for, and updated my website with my Fall 2006 class schedule despite the fact that my children's school district's website still says "Please note:  All school days, school vacations, and school events indicated in the 2006-2007 calendar are subject to change due to ongoing teacher negotiations".  Haven't published the updated website yet because I still have to write some witty verbage for the home page, and I'm really not in the mood to do that right now.  What do you mean, verbage isn't a word?  How about verbiage?  Really?  Spell check likes verbiage better.

Lengthened the sleeves on six marching band jackets, by hand, which is twelve sleeves total, since each of the kids involved has two arms.  Grateful that I didn't volunteer for any more of the 127 (or so) jackets and 127 (or so) pairs of pants, although I really enjoyed the work once I got started, except for picking out the complicated machine stitching the previous person used to shorten the sleeves in the first place.  Also learned that my bifocals are pretty useless when working with black thread on black fabric.  Can trifocals be far behind, or should I just break down and get those funky magnifying lenses that are mounted on the headgear that my optometrist wears when she looks deep into my eyes?

Installed a new litter box in the corner of my knitting room in the hopes that Mica (the cat) will give up her quest to pee on every scrap of paper in the house, although we had to get a schmancy one with a "top entry" lid (or whatever it's called) or else Keiko (the dog) would be foraging for treats (if you know what I mean) and Mica is afraid of entering the litter box through the hole in the lid, so she doesn't use it unless we leave the lid off, which defeats the purpose of having purchased the fancy schmancy box in the first place.  This was all instigated by Mica peeing on pages 1 through 323 of the very expensive Far Side Gallery hardcover book that had been left open on the floor of the knitting room by a son who shall remain nameless (but his number ends with a "Two").  Incidentally, paper towels placed between every page, topped by the heaviest books you can find in the house (which would have been the Far Side Gallery book, but it was covered in cat pee), seems to do a stellar job of soaking up massive amounts of cat urine. 

Ordered new windows for the entire house, plus a new front door and sidelight, which together cost more than I have made in the last four years combined, so maybe I ought to write up those damned patterns for sale that everyone keeps asking me about and make some money, eh?  Or get a real job, except that I have that class schedule all ready to post.  Or use the kids' college funds, except that would be bad, and we'd still have to come up with more money for those.  Or our retirement funds, but that would be silly.

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Have I mentioned that because I'm a complete idiot I screwed up my prescriptions and now I can't have my happy estrogen pills for a month?  Do you think anyone will notice?

Sarah

Thursday, August 17, 2006

I don't want to frighten anyone, but I thought I'd post another entry without letting an entire week go by.

I intended to show you what I got at Stitches, and I will, but first I have to tell you a sad story.  I've been working on Amy Detjen's "A Beginner's Triangle" shawl from A Gathering of Lace.  One repeat a day since I got home from Knitting Camp.  Today would have been the last day, except I didn't take this project to Stitches with me, so I've fallen behind.  I didn't take it to Stitches with me because no one is allowed to see this shawl until it's been blocked VERY aggressively.  It looks really, really bad, and I'm hoping a very stern blocking will whip it into shape.  If it doesn't, well then, there's no visual evidence that I ever worked on it, so it can just disappear and we'll never speak of it again. 

So I'm within three twenty row repeats of being done.  There are, like, twenty-eight twenty row repeats total (give or take).  This is a triangular shawl worked side to side, so the repeats get progressively larger until you get to the center of the shawl, and then they start getting smaller.  Right before coming over here to the desktop to write this very blog entry, I held up the shawl to admire the beautiful diamond pattern, because if you hold it up to the light, it IS rather diamondy and beautiful.  And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a gargantuan hole all the way back at the center of the shawl.  Two dropped stitches.  About seventy million rows ago.

Poop.

I put them on a safety pin, threw the wad of mohair into a basket, and came over here to write my blog entry.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.  I REALLY don't want to tear back, and I'm within an hour or two of finishing the shawl, but I really can't deal with this setback right now.

So I failed miserably at the Beginner's Triangle, but I CAN knit dishcloths!

(from Mason Dixon Knitting, using Peaches & Cream and Sugar 'n Cream)

And facecloths!

(from The Heirloom Knitter's Heavenly Cotton Facecloths -- Vol. 2, using Tahki Cotton Classic)

And I can knit complicated Aran patterns!

(The Maidenhair Shawl from Alice Starmore's Aran Knitting, using Jamieson's Soft Shetland)

And socks!

(Purl Lace Socks from Socks Socks Socks, using LynnH's Cushy Colorsport yarn)

And I can buy yarn and patterns at Stitches Midwest!

(Laceweight Cashmere from Just Our Yarn and a free pattern from Caryll Designs)

(Rick Rack II from Interlacements and the Which Way Do We Go? Shawl pattern from Kristi at Needlefingers)

(Silk/Merino from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm and the Garden Party Shawl Pattern from Two Old Bags)

(the beginning of a collection of Koigu colors and the Vertical Kaleidoscope Cardigan pattern from Leslye Solomon)

But I can't knit a Beginner's Triangle.

(p.s.  I've added links and better detail to Tuesday's entry)

Sarah

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

So I went to Stitches Midwest in Chicago this past weekend, and have stories to tell about THAT, but first I'll clean out the camera and tell you some more about Knitting Camp.  Mostly because I tried to take some photos of current projects and my Stitches Market purchases, but it's very dark here right now and so the photos were, well, pretty dark.  So you get old pictures that you can actually see instead.

And this will be fairly brief, description wise, because I'm still recovering from the hectic weekend in Chicago, and the late arrival home, including the extra lack of sleep due to a tiny, half-blind cat that escaped while Husband Number One was trying to get the dog off of a possum at 2:30 in the morning.  Everyone is fine, including the possum, who apparently played possum so successfully that we all thought it was dead, until it disappeared while we were all looking for the cat.

Tonight's theme:  What I Bought at Knitting Camp (many, many weeks ago)

Sock yarn:  Various colors.  The center one is Cherry Tree Hill (my first ever), and the others are Four Seasons Hot Socks and Meilenweit Colortweed.  Pretty.  These were purchased at yarn stores which were visited on the way TO Knitting Camp.  Um -- The Elegant Ewe in Menominee, Michigan, and Herrschner's in Steven's Point, Wisconsin.

Yarn:  Orangey-fuschia Fairy Hare (angora/merino) from Kimmet Croft Fibers, for Lucy Neatby's Faroese Flowers Shawl.  Purple Shine laceweight (silk/merino) from Joslyn's Fiber Farm, for no particular purpose (a shawl, though, most likely), and some denimy blue wool laceweight, also from Joslyn's, for a shawl pattern from Fiber Trends called the River Scarf and Stole, designed by Evelyn Clark.  I've been very shawl-oriented since Camp. 

Books/patterns:  You can see what these are, so I'm not going to explain them to you.  Aren't I being uncooperative today?  My favorite is the Charted Peasant Designs from Saxon Transylvania (center top).  Great charts -- lots of animals and birdies.

Miscellaneous stuff:  At Camp, I sat next to my roomie, Beth Walker-O'Brien, who sat next to Rhoda Cokee, the woman behind the Circular Solution line of products.  On the left in this photo are a circular needle case (black with flowers) that I bought from Rhoda (not one of her designs, though), along with a pink Port-a-Pocket made to support breast cancer research (and holding my current sock-in-progress), also from Rhoda.  On the right is one of Beth's patterns for a cute beaded purse, and at the bottom are soaps from the Mielke's (an annual purchase).

Ooh -- bonus!  Here's a finished object!

This is the Cat's Cradle Long-Ways Scarf from Heartstrings Fiber Arts, knit with yummy something or other from Heritage Spinning and Weaving in Lake Orion.  It could have been blocked better (or at all), but I didn't feel like messing with pins and wires, so I just washed it and hung it over a rod to dry.  I love it.  Too bad it's been in the eighties these past few weeks -- I'll have to wait for cooler weather to wear it.

So sleepy.  Nighty-night!

Sarah

Friday, August 4, 2006

Have you ever seen a photo of yourself that is so unflattering that it causes you to open and down multiple bottles of beer organic fruit juice in rapid succession? (edited due to probable likelihood of under-age offspring reading Mom's blog)  If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's great, just never-you-mind.  If you've come here by clicking on a link in someone else's blog, I just want you to know that I don't always look like a complete doufus.  See?

Okay, I feel better now.  (flattering photo taken by Sharon's partner Lynn, back when I wasn't such a loon)

So we may as well have a real blog entry now, too.  How about a little more Knitting Camp stuff?  Esther -- just tell me when you've had enough, and I'll stop, okay?

Here's a photo of Janine with an almost completed Sashiko sweater:

A brilliant design, and absolutely gorgeous.  Janine has some great Camp photos posted on her blog, and I just received my CD from our unofficial Camp photographer in the mail today, so I should be able to post some additional pictures soon.

And see the woman in the background taking a flash photo?  That's Jane, the fabulous Texan who sent me an autographed copy of the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules because she wanted to make sure I didn't miss out.  Wave "hi" to Jane and tell her what a wonderful person she is!

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M'Lou Baber is the undisputed queen of double knitting.  Take a look at her latest creation, entitled "Crop Circles".

Here's one side:

And here it is inside-out:

Phenomenal, isn't it?  M'Lou has a book coming out on double knitting, to be published by Schoolhouse Press (natch).

There was a mini-workshop, and I actually, for the first time in my four years of Knitting Camp, worked on the suggested project.

Outside:

Inside:

I 'R' a double knitter, too!  I particularly enjoyed the plain bits.  The charts gave me conniptions, but once I listened to Amy Detjen and put stitch markers between each repeat, it was (almost) a piece of cake!  (I still prefer the plain parts)

And here's a sample from another upcoming Schoolhouse Press publication (photo from last year's Camp):

Joyce Williams and Meg Swansen are collaborating on what they refer to as "a slim volume" on Armenian knitting, which is a cross between Fair Isle and Intarsia. 

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What else?

Oh.  The pasties?  Traditionally beef and potatoes and onions or turnips or something.  Kate in Australia says pasties Down Under are usually just vegetables, which would be quite yummy indeed!  You can make them yourself, though, and put anything you want into them.  It's basically just a pie crust folded over some filling.  Gravy optional.

Okay.  The fruit juice is kicking in.  More later . . .

Sarah

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

Cleaning out the onesie twosie photos from the camera today:

Here's where Jackie (my driver!) took me for lunch on the way to Knitting Camp, somewhere in the wilds of the U.P. (that's the Upper Peninsula, for all you non-Michiganders):

Here's what was on the menu:

Really, that's ALL that was on the menu.  The actual menu board posted behind the cash register said: 

1

2

3

4

5

and gave prices based on the quantity of pasties you chose.  That's it!  That's all there was!  No sides of anything.  No "do you want fries with that?"  Jackie and I ordered "2" (or we each ordered "1" -- I can't remember now), and ate them at a roadside park, because there was no seating at Lehto's Pasties, either.  Just pasties.  1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.  Nothin' else.  Good pasties, though.  My first official U.P. pasties.  Yummy.

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Here's something that made me nervous:

Mica the Bug-Eyed Cat was found, once again, on the Mystery blanket.  This time, I am relieved to report, she kept all of her bodily fluids to herself.

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Here's what my car's temperature thingy said on Monday (evening), whilst Son Number One was out on the field during the first day of Marching Band Camp (which consists of a grueling six (6) thirteen (13) hour days):

Granted, that was after the car had been sitting in the parking lot during a quick one-item trip to Kroger's (which, of course, resulted in four items), but the reading didn't go down by much on the way home.  The band director has been keeping the kids inside most of this week, which means they're safe and healthy, but not very well-rehearsed.

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I had to make sad puppy dog eyes at a poorly trained teenaged cashier at some small town McDonald's off U.S. 127, AND I had to order a Happy Meal, but look what I scored!

I ♥ Jack Sparrow!

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More Knitting Camp photos to come (sorry, I had to send the contest photos to the archives, because my blog overflowed). 

Oh, and I've been knitting, too!

Sarah

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