One Crazy Fiber Lady

Thanks to everyone for their support and compliments over my Olympic achievement.  Bigger thanks to Stephanie for coming up with the whole Knitting Olympics.  What a fabulous idea and as close to the Olympics as I’ll ever come, well until my kids compete   I’m kind of glad the whole thing is over as I can get back to going to sleep at a decent hour.  Damn NBC and their whole coverage.  I missed seeing a great deal of the action as they showed it far too late.  I could understand that sort of thing happening when the games where in Salt Lake City but Turin?  No excuse other than to bilk every last dollar of commercials (we won’t talk about that stupid Chevy on the hills commercial either) to make up for their staggering coverage bid.  But I digress.  I most pleased with my finished vest and with the plummeting temperatures in the greater NYC area yesterday, I had a prime opportunity to wear it.  My lunch buddies were surprised and impressed as this was the first project they’d seen to completion other than a pair or two of socks.  And I got to wear Banff today, though it is far too warm for my cubicle right now.

Not one to rest on my laurels, or finish other WIPS that have been hanging about, I started Klaralund on Saturday night just as soon as I got the pictures of the Snowflakes vest taken and the quickie celebratory blog post posted.  I lazed about Sunday letting the kids watch too much Big Comfy Couch, taking a victory lap and knitting mindlessly away on Klara.  I should note that while they took over the living room TV with Loonette,
I parked in the kitchen and watched the Bravo marathon of Project Runway.  I’d never seen it before, but my lunch buds are big fans so I got sucked into it.  Seems appropriate for mindless knitting somehow and I was limited to broadcast as the kids had the ReplayTV and no DVD in the kitchen.  Anyway, by 2pm, I’d finished the back of Klaralund and started the front.   This picture is where I left it Sunday night.  I finished the front last night and cast on for both sleeves together.  Definitely fraternal twins abound, but I’m more than okay with that.  I so love the drape of the Silk Garden, but could live without the small bits of vegetation that are imbedded in the yarn.  The VM is something I expect with homespun, but not an expensive commercial yarn, but it does mean that the fiber wasn’t overprocessed and treated with those chemicals to dissolve it.  This sweater feels like the short track of knitting. 

Saturday I had a lovely playdate with Deb.  She made some very yummy cornbread-cherry muffins and we had cold cuts for lunch.  She took a great picture of dear little Kat, who fell asleep standing up next to the couch, watching two ladies knit.  I was amazed the little thing didn’t fall but as Deb noted, she had her knees pretty well locked and feet planted a short distance away from the couch.  Deb captured the image as her camera was closer.   I was concerned that the girl would fall so shortly after the picture was taken, I took the chance of moving a sleeping kid and put her on the couch.  Sara jumped on the opportunity to cuddle, and the two girls slept on.

Well I have a deadline to make so I’m going to cut it short.  Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Craft on!

Hello Dan.  I’m standing here in the Olympic Village reporting on the latest medal awarded to the Olympic Knittings.  And the gold medal goes to Risa, representing the United States Fair Isle Team in her first outing.  What a race it was ladies and gentlemen.  Having heard of these games, Risa, who had never done colorwork before decided that that was going to be her event and began training like no one’s business.  It appears to have been a good decision.

And now while we play the national anthem (Spinning wheel got to go ’round), we present the medal winning performance and the athlete herself modeling the same (please ignore the idiotic look on her face.  Its been a long day in a long week and our athelete is tired, not to mention quite challenged in taking these shots herself.  This was the best of the bunch – ack. We didn’t have the heart to cut her head off, though were sorely tempted.).

Risa is ecstatic with the thrill of victory and relieved that she escaped the agony of defeat.  "Bring on Ingeborg" she exclaimed, "but after the move." (The box is still sealed.  Easier to move that way. )  "In the meantime, I bought the needles for Klaralund and will be swatching that tonight!"

That’s the news from Olympic Village.  Back to you in NY.

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You’re always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you’re the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

Thanks to Deb and Mamacate for this one.

Another blog and run kind of post today.  Its going to be a busy one.  I’m well into the learning project and it no longer is Greek, just C#, which is a step in the right direction (I admit they could be one and the same for some of you   Then this morning, my boss emails me the specs for another project to modify a tool I’d worked on last year.  The user (a four letter word requested some changes and we do live to change code.  I also need to get my grocery order in before 4:30 pm today for Peapod.  They have nicer bread and better cold cuts, which are necessary mind you as the monkeys and I are hosting a gold medal winner for lunch and knitting tomorrow!

I’ve made more progress on the vest.  I finished the three needle bind off at lunch yesterday.  I then spent some time with the borrowed-from-mom steam iron giving the vest a good blocking.  The ribbed effect that had formed along the arrows section is now flat, a good thing.  Okay I steamed my thumb, which wasn’t such a good thing.  I shall live though.

After it dried and cooled off, I parked myself on the couch before the Ice Skating competition and sewed up the hem.  Using of all things, a needle and real thread.  Amazing!  It wasn’t so bad.  I pulled out the scissors and trimmed off all the hanging yarn pieces, of which there were plenty.  Once again Sara had to inspect the work to make sure it was up to snuff.

That takes two items off the items standing between me and completion:

• steeks
• bind off shoulders
• sew hem
• i-cord edging
• zipper

Ick.  i-cord.  As Cassie reminded me this morning, EZ didn’t call it idiot-cord for nothing.  I’m dreading it more than I dreaded the steek cutting.  I’m tempted to scoot out and pick up one of these and just whip out the cord and sew it on.  Heck the pattern even gives you the knit separate and sew on, but I don’t relish that thought either.  Oh well, going to suck it up and like Nike says, just do it.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

Craft on!

While restoring my iPod and then trying to get the wee beast to pay attention long enough to accept the 2 gigs of tunes I wanted to download onto it, I took a deep breath and got busy with the steeks.  I um forgot about the alcohol.  Which is a good thing anyway.  Going to be a quick post today as I was handed a "learning" project which is all Greek to me right now but I need to be done by Tuesday.  Snicker.  Uh huh.  Anyway, I thank everyone for their get well wishes, I am feeling much better now, and fortitude in facing the steeks.  Geek 1, Steeks 0.

Set up and as ready to go as we will ever be:

Sewing like a mad woman, making sure to keep straight down each row of stitches.  Two rows of sewing on either side of center stitch.

Deep breath.  Here goes:

Voila!  A neckline!  Hey this isn’t so bad after all!

After 5 steeks sewed and 5 slashes with the scissor, we have what looks more like a vest and not the feared pile of tangled yarn pieces.  Meets with Miss Sara’s approval:

I managed to 3-needle bind off one shoulder during my commute this morning.  I’ll get the other one during lunch and hopefully whipstitch the hem.  Directions, for what they are worth, call for it to be wetblocked before the whole i-cord thing.  It definitely needs some blocking so I’ll probably do that tonight.  I just hope it dries quickly!  I’ll set it up in the bathroom with a fan flowing on it. Normally I would steam block it, but Alex killed my iron last week when it fell (unplugged and unused for several weeks) onto the concrete under thin carpet floor.  Maybe I can borrow one from mom this way I can get an earlier start on the dreaded i-cord.  Blech.

I must add, I love the sewing machine.  I really have to pull this baby out and use it more often.  She didn’t snag the knitting as Cate imagined.  The auto pressure on the presser foot is fabulous and the setting on the needle to end in the up position or down position is super duper.  I was really glad that I decided on it for my birthday present.  With this newfound love of colorwork, it might be getting a lot of use on knits!

Gotta run..

Craft on!

Sorry for the day’s interruption in the progress report.  I didn’t go to the office yesterday, but worked from home, or well my future home, aka folk’s house.  Saturday morning I woke up with a pretty sore throat and a gooky eye.  The throat and the gooky eyes had continued without any progress so I finally decided it was probably time to go to a doctor.  Only appointment I could get was 10:45 yesterday.  Makes for a lousy time when one has an hour long commute to the office mated with a sketchy non-rush train schedule.  As it was, I didn’t get out of the doctor’s office until just shy of Noon.  Anyway, I brought the kids and my laptop to the ‘rents house and worked before and after my appointment.  I returned from the pharmacy with stuff for my nose (Flonase), my eyes (Tobramycin) and an antibiotic (Amoxicillin) and a confusing dosing schedule to this short term memory challenge fiber fiend.  Two puffs once a day, two drops 4 times a day and one pill twice a day.  Arg!  I did get some bonus knitting time at the doctor’s office, but lost the whole lunch knitting and commuting I normally get.  I’m feeling better now, or at least the throat is and the eyes are way less gooky.  I do have a bit of a headache from the Flonase and might just take that before bed or something from hereon…..

But you don’t come read this for the state of my health. You come for the wool p0rn.  I shall not disappoint.  I have much to show.  Yesterday was one of those good mail days.  I found a plethora of packages outside my door.  The first was a replacement battery kit for a 3rd generation iPod.  Right I know I have the Creative Zen Micro and also an iPod Nano, not to mention a number of discarded eletronic music devices including a couple of other mp3 players and a Sony MiniDisc player.  It bothered me that my 10gig iPod was unusable.  I’d seen a replacement battery kit in CompUsa when mom and I were there with the twins last month.  It tickled the back of my mind.  Finally, I gave in and ordered one on Saturday.  After a little bit of fun prying the case apart (I hope the screwdriver gouge in the palm of my hand heels quickly), it was relatively easy to get the new battery in.  The thing is charging up now. We’ll see how it works.  It has some funkiness on the drive so I’ll probably get it to wipe itself tonight and then can use it as a portable hard drive.  But again, that isn’t wool p0rn is it?

I bought a skein of the Brooklyn Handspun sock yarn in the Flickering Flames colorway.  Isn’t that just yummy looking?  Of course I needed mor sock yarn.  You can’t have too much of that stuff, and besides, I’m helping to support a local business.  The skein is @480 yds of superwash which would be plenty for my small feet.  Heck I can probably eek out a pair for the girl child too.

My favorite package was from my Better Pal.  This is the final package and my BP revealed herself to be none other than Margene!  She is the bestest better pal.  Oh boy did she spoil me and this last package was just fabulous.  Get a look:

Sara took one for the team and had to check it out to make sure all was right (and I figured I could get my kitty zen shot in too.   Want a better view of the contents of the gorgeous basket,
sans kitty head, and without flash under the OTT light? Tucked into the lovely lined basket are: 
Two skeins of Regia to make socks for the twins and two skeins of Lorna’s Laces in one of my absolute favorite colors to make socks for me along with Margene’s favorite sock pattern!  There’s also a tin of Altoids, yummy mint candies for Valentine’s Day,  chocolate that believe it or not I haven’t eaten yet but was sorely tempted to.  A heather plant to grow (I hope my brown thumb can manage that.. I love heather!), a lovely notepad and best yet lip and cuticle balm!  She was also so generous to include gifts for the twins which I’ll let them open tonight.  Thank you Margene!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  You spoiled me rotten.  I thank you again from the bottom of my heart. 

Now there was something else I wanted to blog about.  What was it?  Sock yarn?  Check.  BP gift?  Check.  Tired of the same commercials over and over again while watching the Olympics?  Well forgot that.  Seriously enjoyed the Olympic diversion on Monday when gifted by FOX with a new episode of House and 24 all on the same night!  Thanks to the ReplayTV for letting me know about House!  I switched over to the Olympics at 10 to catch the ice dancing before falling asleep on the couch after watching the icy Italian pair. Olympics. … what else? 

Oh yeah, my vest   I finished the main body last night.  The snow is over, the shoulder stitches are hanging around on waste yarn awaiting a 3-needle bind off.  The steeks are all bound off.  I did do one shoulder with the 3-needle thing but then undid it when I realized it would be a bitch in the extreme trying to get the thing on the sewing machine tonight to stitch up them steeks with the shoulder done.  As I posted on the KAL, I had lots of fun doing the math as to where to place the back neck cast off as the patten continues to be pretty fubar.  But that part is over.  What’s next?

*Sewing and cutting the steeks

*Sewing the hem up

*Knitting attached icord along front edges, around neck and armhole openings

*Sewing in zipper

Most of those are making the knitting of 291 stitches a round (before figuring in steeks) in the newly developed skill of colorwork and two handed knitting seem quite tame.  That whole steek business has me a tad twitchy.  I’m going to pour myself a good stiff drink and have it sit to the side of the sewing machine.  After the scissor business, I’ll need it.  Best not do it before hand or I’d really make a mess out of it.  We won’t go into my lack of love of handsewing (ignore that I prefer to hand quilt and do cross-stitch) and the whole distaste of i-cord.  The next couple of days should be interesting!  Wish me luck.

Finally, I snapped this photo yesterday while my short folk shared a bowl of cereal with their Pop-pop.  Yes, all three ate out of the same bowl as the short folk think it tastes better that way, or some other weirdness!

Craft on!

An update from the Olympic village, well my house rather, where we are having a blizzard, thankfully we won’t be shovelling this snow.  These snowflakes, unlike the PITA kind, are identical (Oh please let no one find something to tell me otherwise) I’m halfway through that second repeat of the snowflakes.  This means I’m done with the armhole shaping, as well as the alternating of the two color oranges.  From hereon, it is black and the lightest of the oranges.  Sweet. Rough estimate, 22 rounds remaining and they’ll be shorter as I start the neck shaping.  I should have this part done tonight or at the latest tomorrow.  This will give me the rest of the week to sew, snip {cringe}, and knit attached i-cord around the edges.  Will probably take me longer to do the attached i-cord than any piece of this.  I so dislike i-cord.  While I didn’t make as much progress as I would have liked, I do have way less dirty laundry.

My Ingeborg kit arrived Saturday as promised.  Such quick service!  I would definitely order from them again.  I don’t dare open the box yet.  It is sitting sealed near the sweater pack stash.  I can’t touch it until the vest is done and Klaralund is well under way.  There was a little voice in my head that whispered something about the Baby Ull sweaters that I was planning for the twins.  That little crazy voice is what gets me into trouble.  It likes to start new projects, not to mention toss a monkey wrench into the established queue.  It also has a way of forgetting why we bought a particular yarn.  I was sitting on the couch the other night and noticed a pack of Rowan Wool Cotton in my current fav color of brick red and I can’t for the life of me remember why I bought it.  I might have to do a little blog reconnaissance to see if I mentioned it.  I sure hope I did.  I think that’s the first sign the stash is too big. <g>

Here’s the kitty zen for today.  An action shot for a change.  After I took this picture, my eyes quickly registered the pink bit in it and couldn’t figure it out.  I went looking at her to see if she had a bit of yarn stuck to her whiskers.  Yarn ‘ho indeed.

Craft on!

….she reached the end of the arrows section!  Woot.  I finally put the stitch markers in place so I know where the armholes are going to be.  I finished up the black border during my commute this morning and will start the snowflakes during lunch!  Hands are a little tired, but honestly, I don’t think I’m doing more knitting now than I was pre-Olympics, I’m just focusing better.  I’ll drag the monkeys out tomorrow morning to go pick up a zipper so I’ll be ready for that.  Once the knitting is done, the finish work is home work.  Sewing isn’t exactly train friendly so this project will be relegated to evenings after work.  Baring any really unforeseen circumstances, I’m going to medal in these here Olympics! 

Which really does bring me to what is next.  IF I focus, I can finish things nicely.  Big IF isn’t it?  While I really want to start Klaralund (and half a dozen other projects and that is BEFORE Ingeborg arrives this weekend), I really should finish off some of the things in my WIP list before I do.    I should also proclaim some of those projects DOA.  How long has Birch been sitting there, untouched, unloved.  Far too long.  At the very least it should be ported off to "On Hold" status.  Notice a preponderance of lace sitting there in idle mode.  Of 8 items, 5 are lace.  And here I am considering adding another piece as Eunny is starting up a KAL for the lace sampler from GOL.  Heck I have the yarn (J&S Cobweb) in stash and I love that stole, not to mention I’m weak when faced with a KAL. So do I make a concerted effort to clean up the WIPS to a minimum number, which BTW is 3 in my head (sweater + lace + socks)?  I think that might be the wisest course.  I might actually finish things allowing me to start others! 

Since there was some demand to see more of the stash, I decided to oblige.  While these pictures do not include the coned yarn collection in the twins’ room, it does show a good deal of what’s left.  It doesn’t, however, include the collection of Patons Classic Merino in the closet next to my computer desk in quantities enough to make 3 more Ribby Cardi’s.  I vaguely remember there being other yarn in that closet but it isn’t stuff I plan on using, mostly cottons and some chenille’s.. if they made it through the last purging that is. 

The Rubbermaid drawer unit house mostly hand-spun, though the yarn purchases from Rhinebeck 2004 are in there too.  The Rubbermaid bid above the drawers houses mostly the older yarns in the stash that made it through the pre-baby purge.  There’s fingering weight alpaca, a silk(like?) ribbon yarn in crimson that you can see through the container and a collection of woolease in here.  There’s also some very lovely chocolate brown kid mohair about the weight of KSH.. might actually have some silk or rayon mixed in, been so darn long since I looked last.  Most of this box is going to go prior to moving.  It is well aged and if I haven’t used it yet, I doubt I’m going to.  At the right edge of the picture, you see the hints of two more bins.  The bottom green one holds rovings (which I totally forgot about) and the bin above it has fleece. 

The picture on the left actually is under the one on the right.  The wood bits you see on the left (with the plastic bags stuffed under) are part of my loom.  Yup.  Loom.  24" LeClerc Compact 4H loom that hasn’t been touched in a number of years.  Balanced on top of the end of the loom is my Fricke Finest drum carder which you see in the above right picture, so you can get a sense of the layout.  Talk about an eclectic mix in this corner eh?  Amongst the programming books and Star Trek paraphernalia, sitting here, I count enough bags of yarn to complete 12 sweaters (2 short people ones) and a small portion of my TLC Cotton Plus collection – which I just remembered isn’t included either as that currently lives in the hall with the books and some fleece.  Also not pictured is the box of yarn from Joann’s with enough Patons Decor to knit the Great American Aran Afghan.  I’m so a yarn ‘ho.  Now ya’ll see what I haven’t moved before?!?!?!

Since I’m coming clean on the stash, I might as well give you a look into the cabinet I showed yesterday.  I actually took these pictures a week or so ago, not sure why, but am glad now

The remaining cubes of the IKEA Kampe wall unit have books, fleece and DVD’s.  Only three actually have yarn.  The bottom shelf of Cube 1 is all sock yarns.. though not all the sock yarn as that Priority Mail box above the unit in Overflow has nothing but  Kroy sock yarn in it.  The shelf above is a bit of a mix.  A little laceweight, Lamb’s Pride, Noro, Cascade, Rowan Cashsoft, Artyarns for Clapotis.  I recently cleaned and organized this cube. 

Cube 2′s top shelf holds my beading supplies (though there are 2 shoeboxes of beading things in the kitchen), some fine crochet/tatting cotton and other bits of yarn behind it all that I’ve so totally forgotten about.  The botton shelf is a mishmash of things including 3 skeins of Patons Classic Merino in my brick red color for the Elizabeth bag which I swear someday I’m going to knit.  I also see some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino baby left over from the sweater I knit Kat last year, as well as some more Rowan cashsoft.

Cube 3 is more laceweight, lots of laceweight actually and Rowan All Seasons Cotton.  I’m not entirely sure what the heck is in here beyond lots of laceweight   I do see my KNitpicks dye your own laceweight at the top, and on the left appears to be more of the HandpaintedYarns.com stuff.  Not entirely sure what that yellow cottony stuff is.  The J&S cobweb is in the white/silver mailing bag.  Did I mention there is a lot of laceweight? 

Now that I feel like a gourmand at an all you can eat buffet…I leave you with some older Kat/kitty zen:

Have a good weekend!

Craft on.

rThanks to everyone for their encouragement regarding the Ingeborg kit.  Yes, I bought it.  Not a terrible surprise.  Heck, I think I finalized the order before I actually finalized the blog post.  I have until Saturday to finish my vest as that is when Ingeborg is going to be delivered according to the shipping notification I got.  Kidding.  Actually Klaralund is up first and then Ingeborg.  I’m done now.  Seriously done buying yarn for sweaters.  I’m up to my eyes in sweater yarn.  I must have enough for a dozen sweaters, easy.  While I’m a fast knitter, I’m not that fast.  Not to mention, I’m going to have to pack all this stuff soon, move it, and find a new home for it!  Speaking of which, the folks and I discussed the whole moving timeline.  April.  I’ll need to start the whole sorting/packing/cleaning thing after the Olympics with the aim of being fully out of the apartment by April 30th.  Nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I just hope it isn’t an oncoming train.

Anyway, I made further progress on my vest.  Completing two and a half repeats in the medium orange.  As of the end of this morning’s commute, I’m two rounds from finishing the third repeat.  With a total of 5 to do before the black border below the snowflakes, I’m getting awfully close.  With recent daily production, I should be done with this section easily tonight.

I have to thank Stephanie for thinking up this whole knitting olympics thing.  At the rate I was going in trying the whole colorwork thing (remember I’ve been knitting 30-mumble years now), I don’t know if I ever would have tried it.  It was the striving to rise to a new challenge that finally got me to try it.  Now?  I love it.  I don’t care if I medal or not, that isn’t the point of the Olympics is it? I don’t think so.  Only a small percentage of the 2400 atheletes in Turin will be taking home a medal, but they all get something out of the games, don’t they?  I think so.  If I don’t finish (and no I’m not using this as an excuse to fling the vest aside and start Ingeborg when it arrives), I’ve gotten something out of these knitterly games.  I got a new found love of colorwork; a technique that I’ve admired greatly from afar, but can now enjoy myself.  I pushed myself and I succeeded.  The medal will just be icing on the cake.

Lisa tagged me with the show your knitting space meme.  Please excuse the mess, but heck, the place is inhabited by a lazy-arsed, domestically challenged knitter, two short people and 3 cats. Welcome to my less than neat cluttered abode…

I can usually be found parked on the end of the couch that is currently free of knitting and cat(s).  Unless of course there is a child there conveniently located next to the telephone and cluster of remote controls for the various electronic goodies opposite.  If a short person has taken over the favored spot, I have been known to relocate to the white chair my spokescat Sara is modeling.  That basket on the "end table" is a collection of the various projects in the "Active" knitting list including, but not limited to, my Diamond Fantasy Shawl, Birch, mittens and FLak sweater.  It also houses, sometimes when the kids leave it allow, a tape measure, nail clippers and a variety of other knitterly doodads.  There are three wheels in the spinning wheel gaggle at the other end of the couch:  Lendrum Saxony, Majacraft Suzie Pro and Lendrum upright.  Actually tucked between the Saxony and the end of the couch is a paper shredder and a totebag with other "wips", including Eris.  Here’s the view from the beloved spot:

I hate to say it, but that overflow of yarn, isn’t the entire stash.  There’s more and I ain’t showing it.  The yarn in the cabinet tends to be my sock yarn and laceweight stuff.  On top of the entertainment center in "yarn overflow" is the bulk of my Rowan stash, along with 3 packs of the Jaeger Shetland Aran.  I had the TV for a change so instead of Big Comfy Couch, you can see South Park

Now that I’m mortified that others are seeing my clutter, I’m going to code a new tool.  As for tagging someone, if you haven’t been tagged yet, consider yourself tagged!

Craft on!

You know, I’m seriously enjoying these Olympic games.  I finished the transition section with the two colors of orange last night.  This whole two handed knitting is getting more and more comfortable as I progress through the vest.  I do have to say that I’m am sooooo very glad that I trained for this event. 

I’m now in love with color in knitting!  I spent some time yesterday looking at Dale of Norway designs, especially after Cara posted a link to a Dale kit.  Now I really, really want to make one.  Like I need another project.  Have I finally gone around the deep end?  Have I lost grip of my senses?  Aw darn.  I should never have looked up that link.  Now I have the darn sweater in Colorway 3 in a cart, orderform filled out.  Aw hell, by the time most of you have read this, I will have submitted the order. Might as well have Carole add the 16 skeins in the kit to my count.  I’m weak, I tell you! That price isn’t bad, more than I’ve spent on a single sweater, but but but, it’s gorgeous!  I can only begin to imagine the use I’d get out of it… and the price includes the pattern book which has some lovely designs including Hardangervidda. Stop toggling browser tabs and focus, Risa.  Focus.

Sara kept me company while I to the games last night.  She very much liked the figure skating, but wasn’t so keen on the skiing.

Craft on!