ColorPlay Fibers

January calendar page

2012-01-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

I'm joining in on Kate Crane's 366 Challenge 2012 . The plan is to create a calendar journal page for each month, with a small journaling square for each day. I've been wanting to start an art journal for a long time, but I never know what to write on the pages. I thought this might be just the ticket to get me going. The journaling squares are only 1 1/2 inches -- I won't have to write much to fill each day :-)

Moleskine 8x12 Sketch Journal, Golden Acrylic paints, scrapbook papers, commercial and hand-carved stamps

Pardon the photo--my journal won't fit on my scanner, and it was dark and rainy (finally) today. I'm getting a late start on January, but am already prepping February's pages. Kate's blog is full of inspiration -- go see for yourself!

Spring in January?

2012-01-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

Gus is making sure we take full advantage of the nice sunny weather.

We've been spending lots of time outside. I'm trying to enjoy it, but somehow it just seems wrong to be so warm and dry in January.

It's too warm to wear my handknit woolies. But, I have been knitting something new (and tiny).

Don't get any ideas...it's for a friend. I need to knit three more. Yes, she's having twins :-)

New Year's Eve Eve

2011-12-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

I know it's cliche, but where did the year go? I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and were able to spend time with family and friends. That's what it's all about for me! All three kids were home and I had tons of fun with them! They've grown up to be such amazing people--thoughtful, kind and funny--just the type of people I want to hang out with!

With the new year almost here, I've been in a cleaning and reorganizing mood. Of course I chose to clean up my studio first! I'm blaming it all on this gift from my friend Tece.

It is an organizer for my circular knitting needles. They were all living together tangled up in a drawer and I could never find the one I needed! Now they are happily organized by size :-)

Before I knew what happened, things got out of hand.

Before I started, my main worktable was covered with a very scary mound of stuff. I didn't even know what was in it. Much better now (pictures soon). I moved a lot of my sewing stuff into the closet since I'm not using it much lately. I also reorganized all of my knitting tools and books, and my art supplies. I can find things now without too much digging--and, I have a place to put them when I'm finished. If it would only stay this way, sigh. To celebrate my newly organized space, and my first day home alone in three weeks, I sat down with a cup of tea and my sketchbook.

She hopes all your dreams come true for 2012!

PS. My Rockin' Sock Club Pattern, Dusty Corners, has been released for purchase on the Blue Moon Fibers Arts website. Woohoo! You can find it here.

Happy Socktober!

2011-10-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Park City, Utah where the fall colors were at their peak. It was just the place to get in the mood for Socktoberfest. To celebrate, I'm offering a discount on my South Fork Socks pattern all month!

Four more sleeps

2011-03-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

Sock Camp starts Thursday.

Jabberwonky legs.

All will be revealed in the fullness of time...

Back to our Regular Programming

2010-11-18T13:36:00.001-08:00

I haven't forgotten that you come by to see what I'm knitting. I've hadd a badd spell of Knitting ADD, and have been a little ashamed to show you how many projects I had unfinished. I think I'm getting a grip--I got around to finishing a few projects this month.

Mystic Sea Socks. I started these the first year I went to Sock Camp. I know...that was four years ago, I told you about the KADD! They are finally finished and I love them.

Slip Jig Socks by my sock camper friend Carrie. This was her design for this year's Rockin' Sock Club. She has lots of lovely designs, you should go over and take a look.

Ishbel shawlette -- not blocked yet as you can see, but off the needles! It's starting to feel like fall here with a chill in the air, so I hope to be wearing some of these lovlies soon!

Last, but not least, here's a secret knitting project I haven't shown you yet.
This sock turned into my first design for the Rockin' Sock Club! I was thrilled with the yarn Tina dyed for it and how the pattern turned out!

Thank you so much to everyone who purchased my South Fork pattern in the month of October! With your help, I was able to raise an additional $490 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to bring my total to $2075. Whoohoo!!

I left my heart...

2010-10-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

Nike Half Marathon weekend started out with an early morning drive to San Francisco. We checked into our hotel, got our race goodies and headed straight to Niketown.
Where I was completely surprised by these two sneaky girls
who made the drive all the way from Long Beach to be my cheer team and shopping buddies!The race went well and I felt great. There were over 4000 of us Team in Training athletes walking and running the half and full marathon. It was a sea of purple!

I couldn't have finished the race without Jennifer and Jayne!
Thank you so very much to all of you for your words of encouragement and donations! With your help I reached my goals for this year. Hmmmm, what race should I sign up for next...

Bad news, good news

2010-10-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Bad.
It was a long, sad summer. My step-dad got very sick and had to move out of his board and care home. He had colon cancer. Because of his Lewy Body Dementia, we couldn't care for him at home, so we moved him to a skilled nursing facility and he went on hospice. He passed away on September 3rd.

Ed had a great sense of humor and put up with us with a smile. He was still making us laugh right up to the end. He was a great dad and was a huge influence in my life. I will sure miss him.

The Good.
I have a new pattern for sale, South Fork Socks.

These lovely socks were knit by my awesome test knitter, Joanne

I designed this unisex pattern with Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock mediumweight, but any fingering weight yarn will work.
The textured slip stitch pattern looks great in semi-solid or multi-colored hand dyed yarns.

I've continued to train for the Nike Women's Half Marathon with Team in Training. I am trying to raise $1900 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by the end of the month. For the month of October I will donate all proceeds from the sale of my South Fork Socks pattern to the LLS. You can purchase the pattern as a PDF dowload through Paypal using your Paypal account or a credit card.

If you're not into knitting socks, but you'd like to help me reach my goal, you can make a secure, tax-deductible donation here.

Many thanks.

Maui no ka 'oi

2010-07-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Maui.
We took my mom and the kids.
We relaxed on the beach, snorkeled, went on a boat trip to Lanai, and ate way too much.

It was heaven.

Travels

2010-07-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a trip to the midwest. Each year my husband's family gets together over the 4th of July holiday in their hometown, Watertown, South Dakota.

I just love it there.

Golfing at Watertown Muni (in the prairie wind!).
Hilltop huddles. Prairie flowers.

Nothing but farms as far as the eye can see.
Family get-together at the lake.
A pilgrimage to Rauville, where the family started out. Topped off with a lovely Lake Kampeska sunset followed by wild and crazy South Dakota fireworks.
Larry moved to California when he was 5, so he wasn't around when all the cousins were growing up. Sitting around the kitchen table with aunts, uncles, and cousins we heard lots, and lots of (mostly hilarious) family stories. The Welchs are warm, wonderful, loving people. I didn't want to leave.

Marathon recap

2010-06-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Rock 'n Roll Marathon in San Diego was all I hoped it would be, and more. The weather was perfect, and Brenna and I were feeling great (even though we had to wake up at 4 am for the 6:15 am race start).We'd only run a few miles when we met up with Superman. He was pacing some of the runners--just helping them along, you know.
"Juggling Guy" was also running the marathon. He actually beat us, juggling the whole way. I'm not proud of that.
We had our own personal cheerleaders. They first met us at mile 5 with signs, noisemakers, pompoms and matching shirts and visors. I think they were having as much fun as we were!

They were always in the right place at the right time with encouragement, Tylenol, snacks, and hugs.
And after a long 26.2 miles, they were cheering as we crossed the finish line.
I love these guys!Running my first marathon with my daughter, with the rest of my family there to support us--yeah, one of the best days of my life :)

Runnin', runnin', and runnin', runnin', and runnin', runnin', and...

2010-05-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

I'm 3 weeks away from running my first marathon, and I've signed up to train again with Team in Training for the next season (which started this week). TNT has become a huge part of my life--I am hooked! I have met the most incredible people and made some amazing new friends. I have also seen firsthand the good work the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society does. I will be training to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco in October (hopefully this will seem easy after running a marathon!). This time, along with my own running, I will be mentoring 8 other participants and helping them to reach their goals.I'm going to run 20 MILES at 7am tomorrow morning. It should take me about 4 hours--yes, I will be running for four hours!! I'd like to jump start my fundraising for the Nike Women's Marathon and I'm asking you to help. My goal is to collect 20 donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by the time I get home. If you can help (I'd appreciate any amount you can give) click here to go to my fundraising page. Thanks so very much!

Oz

2010-04-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

I finished something pretty.

In the Land of Oz by Adrienne Fong. Quick and easy to knit.
Socks that Rock Lightweight in Spinel. Yum!
It reminds me of this.

Happy Spring

2010-03-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

I celebrated the first weekend of Spring by running across the Golden Gate Bridge today.
Two good things: I got to hang out with my favorite running buddy all weekend (love you B!). I didn't get beaten by any 80 year-olds (I did get beaten by a 75 year-old, but I'm counting that as improvement). One not-so-good thing. I'm going to have to sleep for two days to recover from all the fun we had: 11 1/2 mile run with my team, baby shower for a neighbor friend, and a home-made pizza feast on Saturday. 12k Across the Bay, three hours of wandering around San Francisco, eating cupcakes here, and about 5 hours riding in a bus today. Whew!

How did you celebrate the first weekend of Spring?

Wearin' o' the green

2010-03-19T13:53:00.001-07:00

Cosima is blocked and ready for her debut.I'm really pleased with the fit, and the fabric is so soft and cuddly. All in all, it's a great pattern and I love the yarn. But, I have lousy timing. Spring is here in the foothills. It's time to pack her away and wear these.

Did you remember

2010-03-14T10:47:00.001-07:00

to set your clocks ahead? Happy Spring Forward Day!

My legs aren't feeling very springy today. My team run yesterday was 8 1/2 miles of hills. Steep. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Did I mention steep? My coaches are evil. I wish I still had that pogo stick.

I told you

2010-03-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

I'd have some knitting to share with you. Here is my first-ever finished sweater, Cosima on the blocking board. (I realized while uploading that this photo makes her look very wide at the bottom. Not so, just some bad photography.) Hopefully it will stay cool a bit longer so I can actually wear her this year!

It took me a while to get to the blocking because I wasn't happy with the neckline cast-off. She had to take a time out for a couple of weeks before I could face unpicking the last couple of rows and re-knit them on a smaller needle. It was worth it--she looks much better.

I've been quite the ADD-Knitter lately. I don't even want to count the number of my UFO's. I've been actively knitting on Adamas, two secret projects, my homework for sock camp, and somehow I cast on for this just before I went to Stitches West for my train knitting project.

In the Land of Oz shawlette by Adrienne Fong. Socks that Rock Lightweight in Spinel. It's a simple pattern that's fun to knit. And I was dying to use this yarn--it's my color! How could I resist?

Back on duty

2010-03-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you for your kind words of support for Daisy. She is feeling much better and is back at her post, keeping a watch on the back yard. She's been out walking the last two days (not down THAT street) and seems just like her old self. She's still wearing her t-shirt until she gets her stitches out next week.

Yes, there has been knitting. Pictures soon.

It started out like any other day

2010-03-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

But, it didn't end that way.

Thursday evening, while I was walking my dogs, a large bull mastiff mix came charging out of a yard and attacked us. My sweet little Daisy was bitten, and then the dog went after Gus. I was screaming for help because I thought I was next. The neighbors rushed out and chased off the dog. Gus wasn't hurt, but Daisy was screaming with pain. I rushed her to the vet (who I can't thank enough for coming in to meet me at her office at 9 pm). She had to have stitches in the 2 inch long gash on her side, and had to have a drain inserted under her skin because of the damage. She's on heavy drugs for the pain, but was crying non-stop until this morning. It's been awful! She is feeling much better this afternoon and has been able to get some rest. She even wagged her tail a little bit.

I found out the dog belongs to the husband of the sister of the neighbor who ran outside to help me. Yeah, it's a pretty sketchy story. I've been trying to talk to the guy who actually owns the dog so I can get him to pay the hefty vet bill. So far, no one has been home, so I'm not holding my breath. Mostly I just want to be sure this never happens to anyone else. I reported them to the police, and hopefully something can be done.

I've walked my dogs through the neighborhood probably thousands of times over the years. We've braved skunks, a coyote, a mama bear and cub, and the occasional rattlesnake. But I've always felt safe and been grateful for that. Not so much any more, and that makes me sad.

Here Comes the Sun

2010-01-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying the sunshine today. It's the first time we've seen it in about three weeks. I know--I'm just a spoiled California girl!

There's just one little problem with so much bright light. I can see all the dust bunnies and dog-hair tumbleweeds! I guess it's time to give in and do a spot of housework.

Enjoying El Niño

2010-01-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

Winter came roaring in last night. The wind is howling and it's pouring rain. It's about time.

When the power went out this morning, and I had the house to myself, I was thrilled. Just me, a cup of coffee, and my knitting. I've been working on some new socks.

The yarn is BMFA mediumweight in River Rocked. It came in one of my Sock Club kits. I wasn't thrilled with the pattern, so I made up my own. I wanted something simple that would show off the gorgeous colors of the yarn. I think this works.

I am finished knitting the pieces of Cosima (yes, it's really taken me 11 months). Now I need to sew them together and knit the neck band. I've been procrastinating (surprise!!). I've never seamed any knitting before. It's kinda scary.

On the Road Again

2010-01-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Yep. And this time I'm training to run a full marathon. That's 26.2 miles.

I don't know. Just crazy I guess!

I'm training to run the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon June 6th, again with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. This season I'm going to be a mentor, helping along some first timers. I'm really excited to start with my new team in a couple of weeks.

I'd like you to meet my two friends who'll be training along with me.

“The miracle isn’t that I finished.
The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”
John "The Penguin" Bingham

Good boy

2010-01-08T14:50:00.001-08:00

This is my favorite photo from Christmas morning. Gus loves his new pink octopus Dog Beanie Baby.

Handmade Holiday

2010-01-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to get two handmade gifts for Christmas this year. This knitting basket, made of fabric wrapped rope, was skillfully stitched together by my friend Dianne. I was so lucky she drew my name this year! She even sneeked into my family room one day when we were knitting so she could match up some fabric swatches to my sofa pillows.

My mom has just started knitting again (after lot's of nagging by you know who). She surprised me by knitting this gorgeous scarf for me--her first ever lace knitting. I love it!

Next to handmade, I love techy gadgets. Larry topped the iPhone he gave me a couple of years ago with this little beauty. Fun, fun, fun!

I'm pretty spoiled, eh?

I finished this handmade holiday knit, but didn't get it mailed in time for Christmas. It will go off this week to one of my Team in Training teammates who was deployed to an Airforce base in Kyrgystan. She left her three kids and husband at home for 6 months! I hope this will keep her warm and let her know I'm thankful for her service.

Did you get or give anything handmade for Christmas this year?

Pay Attention

2010-01-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

Hello 2010, I'm glad you're here!

I've been thinking a lot about goals for the new year. I boiled it down to one idea. Pay attention. To the people I love. To what I eat. To how I spend my time. To my own feelings. To my body... I hope this will work to make this year a more balanced one for me.

I hope 2010 is a great year for you filled with love, good health, and time for making things.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

There's more, much more, to Christmas
Than candlelight and cheer;
It's the spirit of sweet friendship
That brightens all year.
It's thoughtfulness and kindness,
It's hope reborn again,
For peace,for understanding,
And for goodwill to men!

Half Marathon Recap

2009-11-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry for leaving you hanging...Yes, I made it back from the half-marathon. Brenna and I finished, and had a wonderful weekend. Kelly came out from Park City to cheer us on, which made it even more fun!
There was shopping--lots of shopping. Along with the usual places my girls like, we had lots of fun shopping here.

The night before the race, Brenna and I enjoyed a pasta feed Inspiration Dinner with 4000 of our TNT team mates. The speakers were truly inspirational, and really made us feel like we were making a difference for people with leukemia.

Our alarm went off at 4:30 am Sunday morning (I didn't really need it because I woke up every hour all night long!), and we met our team and got into our corral at the starting line.

We heard the gun go off for the start at 7, but didn't actually cross the starting line until 20 minutes later. It was a beautiful morning, running past the waterfront. Kelly was there with signs cheering for us.
There were hundreds and hundreds of people lining the course and cheering us on. Even the ruuners cheered for each other. This is about 9 miles into the race and we're feeling great.
We finished in just under 3 hours (which I thought was pretty respectable until I found out that I got beat by two women in their 80's) and felt fantastic.

I was on Cloud-9 for a week after the race. It was inspiring, empowering, loving, and just plain fun. A huge THANK YOU to everyone for your support, donations, and encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you.

Yes, there has been talk about running a full marathon...

It's GO time!

2009-10-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Woohoo--we're in San Francisco for Marathon Weekend!

The expo inside the humungous tent was super-running-girl fun. We picked up our race numbers, got lots of free samples, had our gaits analyzed, and picked up our "Starting Corral" wristbands.

Well, at least we aren't in the slowest group.

Today is for taking it easy--painting our nails TNT purple, maybe a little trip to Niketown and H&M, then the Inspiration Pasta Dinner, and early to bed. We meet up with our team at 5am tomorrow morning for team pictures and to get in line for one last stop in the porta-potty. The race starts at 7.

To top off my weekend, I got good news from my LLS honoree, Michelle. She just got her test results back from her doctor. She is 100% cancer free, 100% grafted, and 100% normal chromasomes. I am so happy for her! This year's marathon raised over $14 million for LLS. I feel honored to be part of this amazing event.

This is it...don't get scared now.

Company

2009-10-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Brenna and her posse came up for a visit. They brought their own Beer Pong table and taught us how to play.

Don't worry, we had water in our cups. We're in training! Beer Pong is as bad as golf--so many rules.

I wasn't too bad, but Larry and Richard beat us. We had a great time laughing and visiting with B's friends.

Sunday morning they headed off to the 49er game.

It was lots of fun hanging out with B's friends. I really do miss having my kids close to home.

After they left, I went out and ran in my first official race in a long, long time. It was a trail run down in Folsom. I didn't really race though--just ran my usual snail's pace and used it as an easy training run. My only goal was to not be last! Mission accomplished.

Running down a dream

2009-10-05T14:22:00.001-07:00

There's something good
waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up
whatever's mine - Tom Petty

One of the reasons it's been so quiet around here lately is that I have been running. A lot. I used to be a runner. In my 20's and 30's I ran just about every day. I even ran quite a few 10k races. But something happened. I stopped running. I guess it was a lack of time and energy caused by driving three kids around constantly in my mini-van. I've missed it lately. I walk every day, but it's not the same. When runners would pass me, I'd wonder if I could do it again. With more than 50 candles on my birthday cake, I wasn't sure.

In June, I got a brochure in the mail from Team in Training. It's a fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It said, if I joined my local team, they would give me a coach and train me to run the Nike Women's Half-Marathon in October. This was pretty hard to believe, but it got me thinking. I knew people who had blood cancers. They were neighbors of mine.

Dan, the owner of Auburn Running Company, sold me my walking shoes and coached me on how to start running again. He endured two bone marrow transplants and months of chemo. He passed away in June.

Michelle, a friend who lives down the street, had just sent her youngest off to college and was looking forward to life as an empty-nester when she found out she had leukemia. She spent months at Stanford receiving chemo and a transplant. She's back home now and doing very well.
So, I signed up for Team in Training to get back to running, and to honor Dan and Michelle. It was scary at first! I couldn't run for a minute straight without feeling like I was going to die. And I wasn't sure how I was going to raise $2100 dollars. But, I kept plugging away and showing up at my team workouts. I'm proud and happy to tell you that Saturday, I ran 12 miles, and I felt pretty good afterward. And, today I received a check that put me over my fundraising goal.

Thanks to my team, I'm running again and enjoying it (most of the time--I still hate the hills).

Thanks, Brenna, for signing up with me. You've helped keep me motivated and I can't wait to run with you in the race!
Thanks to all of you who have given your support and words of encouragement. It means a lot to me that you believed I could do this. Thanks to all of you that have donated to LLS. I have spoken to so many of you whose lives have been touched by these cancers. I hope my efforts will make a difference for others.

Two weeks to go...

Here and there

2009-10-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

September was a fun filled month. We took a trip to Park City with my mom to visit Kelly and my aunt and cousins. We stayed in a timeshare (thanks, mom!) right in town. We were one block away from K's apartment, and had a gorgeous view of town, and Park City ski area. We hardly used our car--we could walk just about everywhere we wanted to go. The fall colors were just starting to show, and got better as the week went on.

I forgot my camera (again!), so just took a couple of pictures with my phone. My kids will crack up when they see the next two pictures. These boys were strolling through town advertising for their doggie salon.

Don't worry. They didn't mind their hairstyles, and the colors were non-toxic vegetable dyes. They loved all the attention they were getting!

Yes, there was knitting. My aunt and mom wanted a knitting refresher course. Neither one had knit in over 30 years. I brought yarn and needles for them to knit scarves and they only needed a few reminders before they were knitting away. I also brought yarn, needles and a hat pattern for Kelly and Brenna. All three of us knit a cabled hat. Well, Brenna and I knit a cabled hat. Kelly, inadvertantly made up her own stitch pattern. We laughed a lot! But, her hat is turning out really cute.

A week after we got home from Utah, Larry and I were off to Lake Tahoe for a few days. We played a little golf and enjoyed the cool weather.

I spent some time knitting on some secret projects, and also cast on for another Ulmus shawl. I'll have photos for you soon.

Down on the Tuolumne

2009-09-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I went to one of my favorite places in the world. My kids all wanted to go on a family camping trip together, so we met in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. Tuolumne Meadows is the first place Larry and I ever vacationed together, and we would take our kids camping there almost every summer. I hadn't been there in a very long time. It was wonderful.

My alarm clock the first morning was someone banging on the bear box (a big metal box with a bear-proof lock that we kept our food in) and shouting. My daughter and her boyfriend had caught a bear getting into a bag we had overlooked when we locked up our food the night before. The bear went straight up the nearest tree. I went back to sleep :) , but they made a fire and watched the bear up in the tree for about an hour. That same bear made an appearance every day we were there, usually preceeded by lots of banging and shouting. I was never quick enough (or awake enough) to take her picture. I did get a shot of the claw marks she left on the tree.

We hiked along the river.

And found our favorite swimming hole.

The friends they brought along were Yosemite rookies, so we drove down to the Valley and hiked up to Vernal Falls. I don't remember the hike being so hard--1.5 miles/1000 feet elevation gain one way (but then, as my doctor likes to tell me, I have a few more candles on my birthday cake). We trudged our way to the top and it was lots of fun.

We taught the two newbies how to play Nertz. Of course, they loved it and were soon beating us at OUR game.

I got in a little bit of knitting, too!

We all had so much fun, we're planning to make it an annual trip!

Down on the Tuolumne,

down on the Tuolumne,

You will find,

you will find,

The rangers heat the water,

the rangers heat the water,

Ha, ha, ha,

Ha, ha, ha!

Return from the Summit

2009-08-10T13:25:00.001-07:00

Wow--what a blast! I was completely overwhelmed by Sock Summit! It couldn't have been any better. So much beautiful yarn. Wonderful knitty friends (sock campers ROCK). A passel of knitterati. Interesting classes. So many gorgeous shawls. An incredible sense of love and community. Tina, Stephanie, ST2, and all the volunteers worked very hard to make Sock Summit something I'll never forget.

As usual, I was so distracted by everything, I didn't take as many pictures as I should have. I'll share the few I took.

I made new friends on the flight to Portland, Tracy and Margie.

I got goosebumps when I first saw the sign.

I made a huge mistake when I got there on Wednesday. After I checked in I volunteered to help Team Blue Moon set up their marketplace booth. So. Many. Pretty. Colors.

My first class was with one of my favorite designers, Anne Hanson. Her class was great and she is a lovely woman.

Carla, Leslie, Liz and I helped to set the world's record for number of people knitting simultaneously (sorry, Aussies)!

I got to hang out with friends, Leslie and Christine, and help out at the Ravelry Meetup (yeah--Team Rav!).

We set up and handed out the swag bags, then got to eat pizza and knit with Alice and Susan.

I'm just starting to unpack all of my SS09 goodies (good think I took an empty tote bag in my suitcase ;P

Sockapalooza '09

2009-08-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm all packed up and ready to go. And not just my knitting. I also packed my clothes. Which seems a little bit wrong. I'm usually still packing 'til way past my bedtime. I guess I'm just a wee bit excited.

I've got my two-needle-knitting all ready to set a World's Record, a swatch or two and some stitch dictionaries for sock design class, and several colors of worsted weight for my color class. My knitting bag is also packed with a couple more swatches to finish up before Thursday's class. The only thing left is to decide which sock to bring to knit in-between things. Hmmmm.

Update

2009-07-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

I picked up needle and thread last week--the first time in a long while. It felt good. I sewed the binding on a quilt top that had been waiting in my closet for just the right person.

That person is Baby McManus, who will be showing up any day now. My friend, Adrienne, is expecting her first baby and I went to her shower last week. I had the top quilted by a gifted machine quilter, Teri Sartain (sadly, blogless). The quilt pattern is called Spiderweb, so Teri quilted it with spiderwebs (of course).

Note to self: "Sew quilts more often, it's fun!"

As my friend Cockeyed would say, there are only nine more sleeps until I leave for Sock Summit! My mind is going in a thousand directions at once--I'm so excited! I am taking a sock design class from Anne Hanson, a color class with Tina Newton and Anna Zilboorg, a pattern writing class, and a spinning class (don't laugh--I know, I said I would not go there). Along with the classes, I'm also going to the opening night reception, a Ravelry meetup, and a panel discussion that includes some very famous knitters. If that wasn't enough, I'm going to join a lot of other Sock Summiteers to

Yes, that's right. We will to try to break the Guinness World Record for “The Most Number of People Knitting Simultaneously”. There are rules, and we have to be organized, but I'm sure we will succeed :)

I love Portland, but I don't think I'll have much time for sightseeing. My schedule it packed!

Is it wrong

2009-07-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

to keep Ulmus draped behind my computer screen so I can look at it while I'm working

and pet it when I walk past?

Just Another Manic Monday

2009-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed I haven't been blogging much. I've been digging through and catching up on my to-do list. I got behind on everything when my step-dad was so sick. I just can't believe how much time all of that took--not to mention the emotional toll. Ed's feeling much better now that he had his prostate surgery. Also, his new doctor finally found out which bug was causing his UTI's--it was a "one in a million bug" and after five days of IV antibiotics he was all clear. He has adjusted to the board-and-care home, but continues to have balance problems and hallucinations.

It helps to have a sense of humor. Yesterday when I visited, he kept telling me about an animal that had been running around the night before. He had trouble remembering the name of the creature, but described it as "pretty big, with a long beautiful tail". When I asked him what color it was, he answered, "Oh, I don't know--animal colored". We continued to chat for a while about other things, when suddenly he remembered, "Wolverine!" I've been smiling about that all day. I wonder what it is in his brain that makes him see a wolverine?

On the knitting side of things, I have another finished object to share--woohoo! It's the Fantasy Market Bag. I used Katia Linen held double. It was a fun knit, and I love the yarn. It's going into my "To Be Gifted" basket.

Next up is the Sundance Beach Bag in Classic Elite Sundance.

Blocked

2009-07-11T18:03:00.001-07:00

Ulmus is blocked and finished. I just love how the STR and Silkie teamed up to make such a soft, drapey fabric.

When my mom saw it, she grabbed it and wrapped it around her shoulders and cuddled with it. Hmmm, looks like I should start another one!

Happy 4th

2009-07-04T10:42:00.001-07:00

Enjoy your holiday!

Not enough

2009-06-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

yarn! I ran out before I finished the bind-off. I just kept knitting and telling myself it would probably be enough. Not quite. Not happy.

I sucked it up, started up an episode of The Office on my iPhone, ripped back two rows, and re-did the bind-off.

Happy now--Ulmus is ready for blocking. This was a really fun knit for me, and I am pleased with the color combination. I'm already thinking about knitting another.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

to the dads in my life

and the best dad ever.

Brace yourselves

2009-06-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been knitting. I finished a project a couple of weeks ago, but just now got around to getting it's photo.

Rogue Roses Socks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, from the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club. As soon as they were done, I cast on the next club installment, Fraggle Squiggle Socks. They are fun to knit and I'm loving the colorway, Pepe LePlume :)

I just started the lace border on Ulmus. I've seen so many gorgeous photos on Ravelry, I can't wait to see how mine will turn out.

I <3 the 80's

2009-06-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Friday night we got our groove thang on at our friend's 80's birthday party. We had lots of fun scouring ebay and etsy for just the right outfits. We laughed and laughed all night long!

Cheri and I rocked the acid-washed denim.

~~Larry~~ John McEnroe is amped to be hangin' at this party.

Disco divas.

This lovely woman stopped by the party on her way home from her Jazzercise class.

We were sweatin' to the oldies

and requesting tequila shots before the dance contest.

Many thanks to our wonderful hosts, and happy 40th Roy!

Random things

2009-06-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

Since frogging my Shawl That Jazz, I got distracted (you're surprised?) and joined in the Ulmus KAL. It calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. I chose my custom dyed STR from sock camp, and BMFA Silkie in Thraven.

Ulmus is a simple pattern that makes for good car trip knitting. I took it with me to San Diego a couple of weeks ago when we went to visit Brian, Brenna, and Larry's Aunt Esther and Uncle Frank.

We golfed at Camp Pendleton (the low flying helicopters and sounds of distant gunfire made it unique), shopped at the outlet mall in Carlsbad, enjoyed some great meals, watched lots of basketball playoff games, and laughed and laughed. Every time I see the kids, I wish they lived closer and we could hang out more often. They are so much fun!

Froggit

2009-05-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

Remember my Shawl That Jazz?

For some reason the colors weren't pleasing to me. Then, I remembered why. The last couch I had, which I hated, looked like this (dog inserted for cuteness).

So I frogged. And I dyed. Now the yarn looks like this.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:45:00.001-07:00

Barn Raising for Sock Summit

2009-05-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sock Summit is only 95 days away--I can't wait! The class schedule is up. Go have a look--you won't believe the talent Tina and Steph have put together. I spent hours pouring over it and making a list, and back-up list, and extra-back-up list. Am I crazy to try to take classes every day? I know it will be sensory overload, but I just don't want to miss anything!

Barn Raising Quilt made by SenoraFuerte (photo used with permission).

A knitalong for Barn Raising Blankets for charity has been started. The blankets will be auctioned off at SS with the proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders. Why not join in and make a few squares with your leftover sock yarn--I'm in.

Friday Fun

2009-05-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Weed control, foothills style.

Pardon my bad photo. I took this with my phone while driving.

Have a great weekend!

San Diego

2009-04-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

I went to San Diego last month to visit my kids, before my step-dad got sick. Brian couldn't wait to take us to Sarah's Smash Shack. We had to wear special suits, and big shoes.

We even had to wear headgear (I am the one that looks a bit scared).

The next day we went to this.

Along with the Ugly Dog Contest, there was a St. Patricks Day Parade. This guy was my favorite.

I also fell in love with this little daschund with no front legs.

Do we know how to have fun, or what?!
I wish my kids lived closer to me, but it's great that they all live in fun places to visit!

Earth Day

2009-04-22T13:42:00.001-07:00

I'm surrounding myself with green today.

My favorite hole at the golf course ;)

My favorite walk.

What are you doing today to celebrate Earth Day?

Today I made a

2009-04-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!

Another time

2009-04-19T10:38:00.001-07:00

Everyone asks what I made at camp, but I don't have much finished to show you. I finished these.

STR I dyed in Tina's class. The closest skein is my uncomfortable combination, purple and yellow. The other two were my comfort zone colors. I love them all, and can't wait to cast on with them!

Also finished at camp, Joe's Crab Sack (thanks Cockeyed!) with a toe-up sock started in Cat's class.

I learned lots of cool bind-offs in JC's class, and how to do lever knitting in Stephanie's (which is going to take 28 days of practice). The classes were amazing, the antics hilarious (Knitting Jeopardy), the resort fabulous, and my fellow campers inspiring. I had a smashing time at sock camp!

This year my annual trip to Asilomar for our Loose Threads Retreat overlapped Sock Camp by one day. Tece and I had to run back to our room the last night of sock camp to pack. We woke up at dark o'clock Saturday to catch the ferry, hop on a plane, fly back to Sac-town, jump in our car (pre-packed with sewing supplies) and drive the three hours to Pacific Grove. Do we know how to pack in the fun?!

I made this case for my dpn's. I like to keep them in their packages, so I made the pockets wider than most dpn cases, and made it to lay flat in my knitting bag.

I made this tote for my mom.

I also finished my Queen of Beads socks:

Ten days flew by! I am so grateful to be able to have such fun!

One time at Sock Camp

2009-04-15T10:09:00.001-07:00

There were crab races.

Note Cockeyed's game face.

Lots of campers showed me their Spring Forwards.

I wish I had taken all of their pictures--it made me feel so happy to see them :)

Our homework for sock camp was to knit a sea creature.

My Fiddler Crab.

Tece's Lottie Lobster under her umbrella, with her beach towel and knitting basket.

Sue went all out and made lots of sea creatures.

Misknits made Sponge Bob McCrabbypants.

I want to go back!

Home from camp

2009-04-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

Yes, I did come home from sock camp, and quilting camp. I had a wonderful time and have lots of pictures and stories to share. Right now, though, I got nothin'. Since I've been back I've spent most of my time helping my mom with my step-dad. He's been in a skilled nursing facility, and in and out of the hospital, for the last few weeks. We've found a wonderful board and care home for him and will be moving him on Thursday. It's been hard, but we've kept our sense of humor. Today, my dad was sneezing. I asked him if he had a cold and his reply was "No. Whenever I sneeze, I comb my hair." We all had a good laugh!

News

2009-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news (for me at least)! I'm going to be the Artist of the Month in April at Yarn4Socks.com! I dyed up ten of my favorite colors for them. They looked so pretty in the box, I hated to see them go.

You've got to check out their shop! If you missed out on my Domino (scroll down) or Thriller (the top skein) colorways, they've got 'em. Donna and Valerie carry lots of gorgeous yarns including those from other indie dyers Madeline Tosh, Artsygal, and Yarntini. My yarns will go up April 1st.

Packing

2009-03-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

I'm busy finishing up my homework so I can start packing for sock camp. I thought I had all the time in the world to get ready. I must have been a bit too sure of myself, given that I started on my homework almost a month early. Then the knitting gods stepped in with some family stuff I had to take care of that left me with little time to call my own for the last few weeks. I was working 'til late last night and early this morning, which made me a bit crabby (just sayin'...)

Now, to figure out what knitting projects to bring. Then if I have time, I'll throw some clothes in my suitcase along with my knitting.

What the @%*?

2009-03-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

I went on the Stitch 'n Ride train again to Stitches West. This year we had the longest train they've ever put together for the route we were on--ten cars for almost 600 knitters! Can you imagine that many knitters on one train? It was some serious knitting energy on that train. There were eight in our group and we had a blast!

I didn't buy very much since Sock Camp is only a couple of weeks away. I promised myself I wouldn't buy any green yarn (my stash is overflowing with green). I'm not sure what happened, but when I opened up my loot bag for show and tell on the way home everyone was laughing at me...

I didn't realize I almost exclusively bought everything salmony-pink!!

Thanks to Leslie, I was able to score this awesome mill end at the Blue Moon booth (note: it also contains salmony-pink).

I snuck in one teeny bit of green and a cute baby sweater book.

Not bad on the spending--I'm not so sure about branching out on my color selection...

Mad Scientist

2009-02-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

We've had sun the last couple of days which made it fun for me to play "mad scientist". Here is a little of what I created in my laboratory (maybe I should name that color in the center Frankenstein).

Have you seen the list of teachers for Sock Summit. Go take a look--it will blow your mind!

Rain, rain, go away

2009-02-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

After our snow last week, the door is open and the winter storms are finally here. I know we need the rain, but yuck! It's been raining almost a week non-stop. The dogs are following me around like it's time to go for a walk, but as soon as I open the door for them, they run back upstairs to hide. They don't like to get their paws wet!

All this indoor time has helped out my knitting. I'm almost finished with my first Queen's Beads sock.

And, I have both sleeves finished (and they turned out the same size--whew!), and am moving right along on the back of Cosimo.

I have a question for you. Should I go ahead and block the sleeves now? Or should I wait and block all the pieces at once?

Snow Day

2009-02-11T13:42:00.001-08:00

I woke up to this.

We only get snow about once a year--just enough that it's a treat!

Yesterday I made bagels for the first time.

They ended up looking more like rolls with belly buttons than bagels,

but they tasted incredible. You can find the recipe here. Yum!

I've been knitting away on my Queen of Bead socks, trying to stay on task. Then, somehow I got a wild idea that I need to knit a sweater to wear to sock camp. What? I've got six weeks...

The pattern is Cosima. The yarn is Berrocco Cuzco. It feels yummy, and so far is knitting up quickly. I've never knit a sweater in pieces before, so this could get a bit tricky. Wish me luck!

Finish It Friday

2009-02-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

Newly finished socks out for a knit day with Tece at Starbucks.

I cast on the Queen of Beads socks with the tubular cast on the pattern called for--love it! I may cast on all my socks this way from now on. When I read through the pattern I couldn't make sense of what was going to happen, but I just plowed through the directions and voila--a very tidy, stretchy cast on. Check it out here. I'm not really a bead person (I'm just not sparkly), but I love the beads in these socks! They just look so pretty with the yarn colors, and it makes me want to hurry up and knit so I can get to a row with beads.

End of the Week Randomness

2009-01-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

Is it Friday already? This week went really fast! Lots of my time has been spent helping my mom with my step-dad--taking him to doctors' appointments and sitting with him while she goes out. He has Lewy Body Dementia and has been having problems with bladder infections. When he gets sick, his dementia takes over and he has trouble walking and is very confused. I'm so lucky they live close by and I can help out.

I've been faithful to my Cedar Creek socks this week and they're almost finished. And a good thing, too, because I got my first Rockin' Sock Club shipment yesterday and its siren song is very powerful. Look for spoiler pictures here if you want to see some amazingly gorgeous yarn and beads. We got the info about Camp Knitty HaHa in our club shipment, and I am super excited! I immediately called and signed up, bought my plane ticket, and booked my room. I corrupted my friend Tece who is going to join me this year to share in the madness. Speaking of Tece, I forgot to show you what she gave me for Christmas--it's my favorite new knitting toy.

It's a Knitzi to protect my dpn's in my knitting bag. Not only practical, it's a handcrafted work of art. I love it.

Remember this yarn? My friend Rosemary made some lovely socks with it and brought them with her to our knit day. I hardly ever get to see what my yarn grows up to be, so I was really excited to see these and wanted you to see them too.

The free pattern she used is Maizy Lace, from Crystal Palace Yarns (they have lots of free sock patterns...I got distracted over there while I was finding the link for you).

I sent out my first custom order last week! Cheryl wanted some yarn to knit socks for her husband. He requested semi-solids in navy and light-brown-to-go-with-khaki. Here's what I sent her.

You can find more manly colors in the shop. Now, back to finish up those Cedar Creeks so I can wind my Blue Heaven (Tina is a color genius!)

Finish or Frog It

2009-01-25T16:13:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been thinking about my stash. When I started knitting I told myself I wouldn't amass a stash. My fabric stash was ginormous, and was making me feel guilty. Well, myself didn't listen. My yarn stash doesn't come close to my fabric stash, but it's getting pretty big. And the pile of WIP's is out of control. Then I read the latest Knitter's Review where Clara wrote about slow stashing (go ahead, read it, I'll wait). I loved her idea about the "Happy Pile" and the "Unhappy Pile". It sounded like something I could do. Shortly after reading Clara's article I read this, and found the Finish or Frog It Group on Ravelry. I know it's Saturday, but I decided on this Friday, so I think it still counts. I looked through my WIP's and decided to finish these ASAP.

I decided to frog this.

This sock was from a BMFA club kit. I love the yarn, but really didn’t love the pattern. It just didn’t flow for me. It’s been half finished for almost a year, and I felt like I should finish, but never wanted to work on it. Deciding it should be in the "Unhappy Pile" and frogged was liberating!

Now the newly wound yarn looks like a happy cake full of posibility!

First FO 2009

2009-01-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to share my first FO for 2009!

Serendipity by Adrienne Fong, in Socks that Rock Lightweight, Dragon Dance. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit it's the only pair I finished from the 2008 Rockin' Sock Club. I don't know why. And of course, I joined the club again for 2009 (yes, I need professional help). I have another pair of socks half-finished that I'm trying to finish before the first sock club shipment arrives next week.

They are the Cedar Creek socks I cast on for the Ravelympics (and I don't know why I didn't finish more?). If I can finish them by this weekend, I'll be ready to start the new kit as soon as I get it. It sounds like a good plan--now to just stay focused...I'll have to hide the new Knit 1 that just came in the mail. It can only lead to trouble!

2009-01-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

The last half of my trip was the most fun. From Sydney we flew to Hamilton Island which is at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.

1. reef view hotel, 2. hi welcome, 3. reefworld, 4. stinger suits ,

5. giant clam, 6. scuba, 7. Hamilton_Island, 8. hi koala, 9. Hamilton_Island

I snorkeled out on the reef three days, and tried scuba diving for the first time. The super-hero suits we are wearing are stinger suits for snorkeling. This time of year Irukandji Jellyfish are found on the reef, and since their sting is potentially deadly, I was OK with wearing the silly looking suit. I found Nemo! I saw GIANT clams. At our hotel we got to have breakfast with some koalas, and I got to hold one for a picture. He smelled lovely, like eucalyptus. I never wanted to leave.

After discovering the treasures of the reef, we flew to Brisbane and then went inland to stay at a fabulous B & B called Cougal Park in the Border Ranges National park.

1. st andrews cross spider, 2. red necked wallaby cougal, 3. Rainbow_Lorikeets, 4. Cougal_Park

The setting was magical. Hugh and Elizabeth's lovely home is surrounded by 400 acres of rainforest filled with hundreds of exotic birds, wallabys, koalas and more. The spider I photographed was a kindred spirit. She had decorated her web with some fancy zig-zag stitching. I was in heaven! I never wanted to leave.

I took lots of knitting projects with me (most of them Christmas gifts) but hardly spent any time knitting. I ended up staying up 'til 1:30 am Christmas morning finishing my gifts. They were well received and I had a lovely Christmas with my family.

I wish you all a healthy, prosperous 2009 filled with love, laughter and lots of knitting!

Oz

2009-01-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, I made it back from Australia. I've been hibernating since Christmas. I'll try to catch you up on my adventure...

After our one day in Melbourne, we flew to Sydney. I quickly found out that the Aussies have different airline security rules than we do in the U.S. After being searched twice, I was allowed to carry my knitting bag onto the plane. Onboard it was a different story. Knitting is viewed as a dangerous threat on Australian domestic flights (international flights are OK?!?), so my knitting project was confiscated by a flight attendant until we landed. This put a crimp in my Christmas gift knitting plans! We arrived safely in Sydney and had a few hours to walk around.

We checked out the usual tourist sites (this woman was polite enough to join us as soon as we sat down to have our picture taken).

The street performers look a bit different there.

We strolled through the Royal Botanical Gardens and found these gigantic fruit bats. They're called Grey Headed Flying Foxes. They are HUGE! We saw thousands of them fly out of the Gardens at dusk and they look just like the Batman symbol.

While Larry was working I walked and shopped and searched for a Starbucks (yes, I'm obsessed with coffee!) Two interesting things about coffee houses in Oz:

1. It is nearly impossible to find a cup of brewed coffee. The Aussies love their coffee, there were coffee houses and kiosks on every block, but they only serve espresso drinks such as a Flat White (a no-foam latte) or a Short Black (one shot of espresso with a bit of water).

2. The Aussies seem to have an obsession with toast--every sign in front of a coffee house or cafe advertises Toast. Even Starbucks serves toast!

I found a great bookstore and bought some Japanese stitch dictionaries.

I found a lovely knit shop just a few blocks from our hotel. I went to a stitch 'n bitch there one evening while Larry was at a customer dinner. It was fun meeting some local knitters and talking knitting, Ravelry, and recipes (it's Rice Bubbles not Rice Krispies). I bought a few skeins of a locally produced organic yarn, and also bought some undyed yarn to play with.

One afternoon we took a ferry ride to Manly Beach, and came back to Sydney at dark to see the Opera House and bridge all lit up. It was magical!

Next, our stay in the Whitsunday Islands.

Melbourne

2008-12-02T15:37:00.001-08:00

Our flight to Australia was long, but fairly painless. We flew to LA, then Sydney and finally Melbourne. It was a red-eye, so we mostly slept, but I did get in some knitting while watching episodes of The Office on my iPhone. After a quick shower at our hotel, Larry's friend Ben picked us up and took us on a whirlwind tour. We drove out to Hanging Rock Park. It was a lovely place and we saw all kinds of birds.

After a short walk, we visited Hanging Rock Winery and tasted some lovely wines. Then it was back to Melbourne for dinner. On the way I almost scared our poor host to death when I shouted out because I spotted kangaroos! They were just hanging out in a field with some cattle. We also saw some parrots that might have been Rosellas. I need an Aussie bird book before I can tell you for sure.

We're packing up now to return to Sydney for Larry's next meeting. So far, Australia rocks!

One down, four to go

2008-11-17T13:53:00.001-08:00

I finished the first of my Christmas gift knits. Hot Waffle Mitts for my friend in Cascade 220.

These were a quick and easy project. I probably could have made them in a day if it weren't for the usual interruptions. I immediately started another pair for my Dad.

I still have to finish three pairs of socks for Christmas. Last year the girls got socks, this year the boys. Two pairs are started--the first I can't show you (it's a secret for now), and I blogged about the other here. Then I need to make one last pair of socks for my step-dad. They will be plain vanilla socks made with yarn from my stash. It's a bit tricky choosing yarn for guys, but my step-dad has always been a snazzy dresser, so I can pick something a bit flashy (as long as it contains blue) for him. These are my choices:

Socks that Rock in Braun's Woods and Lunasea, or Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock in Baltic Sea. I'm leaning toward the Lunasea (if you only knew my step-dad). Which one would you choose?

Surprise!

2008-11-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

No, not "Surprise! I'm blogging today!" Although, that probably does surprise you. I got a surprise in the mail yesterday.

It's from my lovely sock camp friend, Angela. It's Acero (wool, silk, viscose) yarn from Brooks Farm in Texas. The three fibers each take the dye differently, so the colors seem to shimmer. And, it's soooo soft. I'm not sure what I'll knit with it. Maybe I'll just keep it as a pet for awhile. Thank you, thank you, Angela!

I have been busy getting my shop and house in order, and my Christmas decorating and shopping going. It's a bit early, you say? Well, that's because, surprise! I'm going to Australia (woohoo!) the Sunday after Thanksgiving for a little over two weeks. Larry (bless him for retiring and finding himself a sweet part-time consulting job) has another gig. This time it's three one-day meetings in Melbourne, Sydney, and Hamilton Island. Those of you who know me well, know that I am crazy about nature--birds, fish, animals. Australia has always been on my "I have to go to" list of places for amazing flora and fauna. We have just finished up our itinerary for the free time we have between and after the meetings. First it's a Birding Tour in the Newcastle area. Then snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. Then, we wrap up the eco stuff with a three day Wildlife Tour east of Brisbane. I'm so excited about the wildlife tour, I can hardly stand the wait! I keep re-reading the email Ronda sent me about the lodge we're going to stay in--it sounds like heaven to me:

It is a beautiful room with a very comfortable bed , and in the morning you can just step outside onto the verandah to watch the birds - lorikeets come for a feed each morning, often joined by satin bowerbirds, sometimes koels and others, and you are also looking out across the forest and the valley, so you get to hear a lot of birds and often see cockatoos, eagles etc. flying past. ... There are often koalas nearby, and in the late afternoon, early evening and early morning you'll often see pademelons, wallabies and if lucky bettongs. Carpet pythons often make a showing as well.

I don't even know what a bettong is, but I can't wait to see one :) And of course, there are lots of sheep in Australia, and I hope to see some. And knit shops...anyone have any suggestions?

I've started a wee bit of Christmas knitting. I'll share some of that in my next post.

Cheers.

Happy November

2008-11-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

This title was supposed to be "Happy Halloween", but I'm a little late for that. It seemed to just slip right past me. We managed to carve a couple of Jack-o-lanterns and put up some fun lights just in time for the first trick-or-treaters. It was a weird night, though. Our neighborhood is usually loaded with kids. I buy about 10 bags of candy and always run out. This year we had so few kids, about half our candy was left over. This spells trouble for me, because I have zero will power when it comes to candy!

We got invited to a party this year and couldn't resist the obvious choice for costumes, Hockey Mom Sarah and Joe the Plumber. Larry even found me two buttons: Drill Baby Drill and Read My Lipstick. We had lots of fun!

Hasn't this been the funniest election ever!? I can't get enough of Letterman, John Stewart and Tina Fey. And Senator McCain selling stuff on QVC on last night's SNL was a hoot! It's been good to have something to laugh about given the state of our economy.

I've been busy in my studio this week. I often get asked what inspires my colorways. Sometimes it's as simple as reading a magazine.

Or going for a walk.

Happy November!

Public Enemy #1

2008-10-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong. I love autumn.

The air is cool and crisp. I get to wear my handknit socks. The leaves change to lovely, inspiring colors. The thing about autumn I can't stand, is the arrival of what I'd like to call Public Enemy #1. The Harlot has a squirrel. I have a Flicker.

Flickers are cute like squirrels, and also very crafty. No, they don't steal my wool. They peck the house like jackhammers, on the wall right outside my bedroom, trying to make a hole so they can spend the winter cozy in my attic! The hammering begins in the morning as soon as it starts to get light. We've covered the attic vents with custom made steel covers, put up metal flashing, and replaced the wood siding with stucco. They still keep pecking! Does anyone have a recipe for Flicker Stew?

I have been knitting, but my progress isn't photo-worthy. For those of you who've asked, I finally figured out how to get my Crow's Feet socks pattern uploaded to Ravelry.

If you'd like a copy click here.

Award

2008-10-07T12:54:00.001-07:00

I got home from Boston to find this award! A huge thank you and hugs to my friend Cockeyed, of Funky Sock Monkey fame, over at Goddess Knitters for nominating my blog.

Here are the rules for the award recipients:

1. Please put the award on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. You must nominate at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links to the recipients.

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Please stop by to check out these four blogs I love:

Knit One Quilt Too

Tiennie Knits

Lavendar Knits

Purls Just Wanna Have Fun

These ladies are incredibly creative--you'll be inspired!

Boston

2008-10-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

I'll bet you're wondering where I've been. Boston. Larry had a consulting gig there last Wednesday so I tagged along. What a great city! We stayed in Copley Square which is right in the middle everything. This was the view from our room.

The day Larry had his meeting I rode the T to Windsor Button (thanks to the tip from Grumperina). It was a funky old-timey fabric/craft/yarn shop. They had tons of books and patterns and some fun yarns.

We spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts and walking up and down Newbury Street which has so many fun restaurants and shops. I bought a shirt at Johnny Cupcakes. We spent all day Saturday on the Freedom Trail. On the 2 1/2 mile walk we saw the historic houses, meeting halls and churches where the revolution started. Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church. Very cool.

One day we drove to Wayland to find the house I lived in when I was 9. Why is it I can't remember my best friend's husband's name, but I can remember the address of a house I only lived in for a year in 1964? It looked a lot smaller than I remembered, but the woods around it were just as beautiful.

We walked around Walden Pond,

then spent the rest of the day at Minute Man National Historical Park. There were some living history demonstrations like this Minute Man demonstrating how a musket worked.

The weather was lovely and cool--typical New England autumn. We had a lovely trip.

Oh, and I finished a pair of socks on the plane--woohoo!

Avoiding SSS

2008-09-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the Princeville Hotel on Kauai. They were closing down for renovation so we went the last week they were open and got an incredible ocean view room for $90 (plus some of Larry's hotel points) per night. I told you it was too good a deal to pass up! Here are some views from our room.

This is a view from the Poipu golf course we played.

And this is me, being my nerdy self, learning the hula.

On the plane ride home I was able to finish off one of my socks-in-progress, and started the second right away. These are a long overdue gift for a friend that moved to Portland.

The yarn is Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett. I'm pretty happy with how the stripes match up so far--it calms my compulsive tendencies.

Now, if someone would just bring me a lovely salad with some pineapple...

Poultry in Paradise

2008-09-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

One of the most surprising things about Kauai is the number of wild chickens all over the island. They are everywhere and I get such a kick out of them. Chickens on the golf course.

Baby chicks.

Teenage chicks.

And a very noisy guy that likes to wake us up with his crowing every morning at 4:30! Even though I'm a vegetarian, I've been dreaming a lot about chicken for dinner.

I started some Christmas knitting on the plane. These will be for my son who has size 15 feet (which explains the contrasting ribbing and soon to be heels and toes). The pattern is Undulating Rib Socks from Favorite Socks.

The weather has been perfect, not a drop of rain so far. We've been snorkeling, golfing, and enjoying the beach. Life is good!

Crow's Feet

2008-09-10T07:23:00.001-07:00

Yay--a finished pair of socks to show you!

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock lightweight in Kaw Kaw. My Crow's Feet pattern to remind me of sock camp.

I've been knitting a little bit here and there, but don't have much you haven't already seen. I have some plane knitting time coming up, so hopefully I'll have more to show you soon. We're off to the north shore of Kauai. Yes, I know, but it is one of those timeshare preview trips, and we got such a good deal! We're really good at accepting the cheap vacation package, and saying "no" to the sales pitch.

I'll leave you with some fall inspired colors.

Busy, I tell ya

2008-09-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

Gus has been feeling left out the past couple of days.

It's finally been cool enough to get out in my studio! Hopefully we won't have too many more 100-plus degrees days this year. I dyed up some shaded solids and a few skeins of Joanne's colorway, Knitwit. They're in the shop.

Next week look for some autumn-inspired colorways.

Oops, I did it again

2008-08-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

I signed up for another sock yarn club (I know, I know!)--Sock Yarnista by Three Irish Girls. Here's my first shipment, it's called Arctic Circle.

Here's a close-up of the stitch markers.

They're designed for ~~dummies~~ knitters like me who can't remember which side is SSK or K2tog when decreasing on socks. I had just found these at Girl on the Rocks a few days ago and was considering buying them. Love them!

My quilter friends had a birthday party for me in my friend Tece's magical garden. It was a lovely warm night to sit outside and visit with friends (and open presents!) The garden is huge and wraps around her house with lots of different mini-gardens and vignettes. Here's a little peek.

Summer is slipping away, so it was nice to be outside to enjoy it. I don't have any big plans for the Labor Day Weekend. Larry gets home tonight from his week golfing with his buddies, so we're just going to hang around and maybe golf a little. I hope you enjoy your long weekend!

Oh, yeah, knitting

2008-08-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought I'd forgotten this is a knitting blog...my Ravelympics Sock Put entry.

With only three days left until Closing Ceremonies, doesn't much look like I'm going to finish in time. Again, what was I thinking? I'm completely out of touch with the reality of my knitting speed (which apparently is very slow). When I signed up for Ravelympics, I imagined I'd be sitting in front of the TV every night watching the Olympics and knitting for hours. It was a nice thought.

I'm sneaking in a row here-and-there on Adamas. I love this pattern, but it's definitely alone-time-no-TV knitting.

Daughter #1 is coming home for a visit this weekend. WOO HOO! We always have fun!

And the medals go to

2008-08-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your blogiversary comments! It was interesting to read which colors are your favorites. Congratulations to three winners, chosen at random (loud fanfare and applause!):
Gold - Tammy
Silver - Carla
Bronze - Laura

Here's a peek at your prizes.

Gold Medal: Silk/merino laceweight in Lilacs. Silver Medal: Merino superwash fingering in Hanalei. Bronze Medal: Merino/cashmere/nylon sportweight in Denim Blues.

Please send me an email (colorplayfibers (at) sbcglobal (dot) net) with your street address and I'll send them off to you. Thanks for playing along.

Back from the Middle of Nowhere

2008-08-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Park City visiting with family. We golfed, ate too much, shopped (I never found a knit shop), and watched the Olympics. I even managed to squeeze in some knitting time (mostly while driving across Nevada--more on that later). I made a little progress on my Ravelympics socks, but I'm getting a little worried they may not make it to the medals round. Why do I always underestimate how long a project will take?

I'm loving the way the colors are striping, and the Cedar Creek pattern is a fun, easy knit. The first time I knit this pattern was in the first year of the Rockin' Sock Club. They were the second pair of socks I ever knit, and I thought the pattern was really hard. What a difference a couple of years of knitting makes!

Oh, yeah, the drive across Nevada. It is a very wide state, it takes about 7 hours to drive across, so it's really good for knitting. It's also good for napping, which I did while Larry was driving. During one of my short naps, Larry stopped the car. In the Middle of Nowhere.

He stopped to have a chat with Trooper Tanner, who after writing Larry a speeding ticket, was a good sport and held my sock for a Kodak moment.

Don't forget about my blogiversary contest, the deadline is tomorrow!

Ravelympics 2008 and Blogiversary

2008-08-13T20:02:00.001-07:00

The torch has been lit

and I've started my project for the "Sock Put" event in Ravelympics 2008. I cast on for Cedar Creek Socks in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock, Chapman Springs, during the 2008 Olympics opening ceremonies. The goal is to complete my project by the closing ceremonies.

I'm away, visiting family in Park City, Utah. I thought I'd have lots of knitting time, but we've been so busy I haven't accomplished much, even though I'm squeezing in a bit of knitting wherever I can.

In the spirit of the Olympics, and to celebrate my one year blogiversary I'm having a contest. Click on over to my shop and have a look around. Then, leave me a comment here with the name of your favorite colorway. It can be one in my current inventory, or one from the list of sold items. The deadline will be Sunday August 17. Three winners will be chosen at random to receive a nice skein of sock yarn from my personal stash. The gold, silver, and bronze medal winners will be announced the following Monday. Good luck!!

Camping

2008-07-19T11:30:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely time camping at Sugar Pine Point State Park. We spent some time at Meek's Bay on Lake Tahoe. I found this photo on flickr to show you since I was suffering from camnesia.

Goose at the Beach - Panoramic effect Originally uploaded by kirtmans

The Canadians kept us amused.

Along with the usual camping activities, I knitted. Mostly on the test knit for Sam. Her pattern is lovely and should be up on her site next week.

I swatched for a new sock using Socks that Rock medium weight. I can't decide whether I like it or not. The scale of the pattern seems a little big. I'm close to frogging it and starting over.

Of course, I took way more knitting than I could possibly get done, but I felt safe knowing I wouldn't run out of knitting if there was some kind of catastrophe and we got stranded in the wilderness (for a month or two).

When our kids were little, we played baseball or frisbee in the campground. Now that the kids are gone, we play golf.

And, because knitters always have handy tools, I was able to fix the drawstring on our tent with a crochet hook!

Coming up...

Checklist

2008-07-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

1. Coffee

2. Chocolate

3. Knitting projects

4. Knitting books and magazines

We're leaving tomorrow to go camping. This was all that was on my camping list until just now. I guess I should bring some food, clothes and sleeping bags and other camping things. Ya think?

One project I'm bringing is a test knit for a friend. It was a great excuse to start a new project (which seems to be my favorite part of knitting!) It's a lace scarf and I'm using Sundara sock yarn. I'm loving the yarn with this pattern. It's very sproingy and shows the stitch pattern well. The color was a bit hard to photograph, but here you go.

This box of yarny goodness from Canada was waiting for me on the doorstep this afternoon.

I ordered some new base yarns and will be dyeing like crazy when I get back. I'll be gone until Thursday. Free shipping in the shop until then!

One day on the way to

2008-07-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

the golf course I saw these guys crossing the road.

It looked as if they'd just had a haircut. I stopped for a minute to watch the dogs work. It made me smile the rest of the day.

Shop update today.

Surf Dogs

2008-06-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with my kids this weekend! The highlight was the Surf Dog Competition! One of the best parts was seeing all the spectators.

And, yes, the dogs really do surf. They don't paddle out and jump up on their own, they have helpers. But they do ride the waves. It wasn't easy shooting the surfing pictures with my little camera, but here you go.

This guy's name was Newman.

There were two tandem teams. This girl was about 10 years old.

This was a Jack Russell Terrier with his dad and daughter team. When they fell off, the little dog just kept on surfing.

This is Tilman. He didn't surf, but he rides a skimboard (and skateboards and snowboards)! He has his own website. You have to go there and watch his videos!

Not much knitting to report. I'll be out in the studio the rest of the week to restock the shop.

Friday Fun

2008-06-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting on the Adamas Shawl and am finally getting the hang of the pattern. It's an easy pattern, but as the rows got longer, my old-lady eyes had trouble tracking the little symbols. So, I figured out a hybrid, chart/written directions method that is really working for me. I look at the chart to start and finish each row, but for the pattern repeat, I've highlighted the written directions and just look at that.

I've been working on Cleopatra's stockings as well, and am up to the gusset. When I first saw how many pages the pattern was, I thought I'd never get it. But the pattern is really well written and easy to follow. It's just like a recipe with a long list of ingredients. It looks intimidating, but once you get cookin' it's a piece of cake.

My friend Joanne came over this week. She wanted to dye up some worsted weight yarn for a Baby Surprise Jacket. We used Cascade 220 superwash and it took the dye beautifully. I would recommend that yarn if you want to try out dyeing your own yarn. She has promised to send me a picture when it's done so I can see how the yarn knit up. Of course, there was a bit of dye left over so I dyed up a couple of skeins of fingering.

I got a package this week from the Loopy Ewe -- a new KnowKnits bag in the "Orchid for Alzheimers" color, and a fun new toy called a Stitch Saver. It's a tiny crochet hook on a key ring to keep in my bag in case of dropped stitches. Sheri really knows how to pack an order--I got a sweet handwritten thank-you note, knitting needle inventory cards, and two fun yarn samples.

I'm off to Long Beach in the morning to visit Brenna, eat frozen yogurt, visit Brian, watch the Surf Dog contest, eat frozen yogurt, and maybe even knit a little bit. I'm am crazy for the frozen yogurt in SoCal! Really crazy. I know, it's so eighties. But, it's this amazing new kind of frozen yogurt, and it's all I can think about when I'm down there. My kids think I'm coming down to see them. But it's the froyo. And the dogs in swim trunks!

Fiber Friday

2008-06-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

I was knitting gung-ho on the Adamas. Was. I stayed up late on Wednesday night, trying get the last row of the chart done before bed (I think there's a lesson to be learned here). I dropped a stitch or messed up--something is not right. It's been in the naughty corner ever since. Of course, I didn't think I was far enough along to insert a life-line, aaargh! My experience in figuring out mistakes in lace is sorely lacking. Just hope I don't have to tink back too far!!

Update soon.

Sproing!

2008-06-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! The new summer knitty is up, and my Spring forward sock pattern is in it! I had fun making them, and I hope you will too! They are a quick, easy knit.

Thanks to my lovely test knitters, Cornelia, Sue, and Joanne!

Have you ever actually tried to jump on a pogo stick?!?! I almost killed myself!

Weekend WIP's

2008-06-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

I tried to stick to current projects this week. I knit some on Crow's Feet Kawkaw sock #2.

And made progress on Cleopatra's Stocking.

I wasn't sure about this sock pattern, but I'm enjoying it. It's mostly stockinette, so it's good TV knitting. Although, I haven't really watched TV the past few weeks since basketball playoffs have been the only thing on at our house!

I've tried to resist, but have been really tempted lately by some lace shawls. And, I've got a couple of colors I love in merino laceweight just sitting there begging to be knit. I gave in last night and cast on Adamas Shawl in this yarn. It's my first triangular shawl, and I was intrigued by the pattern. I just couldn't picture how it was knit from the neck down by casting on 5 stitches. I get it now!

Fun

2008-06-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

you are aqua
#00FFFF

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well.

Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right.

Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Funny, aqua is my favorite color right now! I found the link for this quiz at Tammy's blog, lavendarknits. Guess what her color is?

It's a little late, but...

2008-06-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

I asked my kids not to buy me gifts for Mother's Day this year. So, if they wanted to give me a gift, they were to make it. Brenna painted me a lovely little chest of drawers in my favorite colors. Kelly sewed me a sock monkey--one of her first sewing projects.Brian still owes me homemade strawberry shortcake. I hope to collect on that real soon. My kids rock!

2008-05-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

The magpie in me has struck again. I got my May Rockin' Sock Club kit and couldn't wind the yarn fast enough.

I love, love, love the colors. Not so sure about the pattern, but Rosie looks so cute in them I'm going to make them as written.

Now, it's not like I was sitting around with nothing to knit just waiting for this kit. I haven't finished my Serendipity Socks or even cast on the Leaflings. And, I promised myself that this year, I would knit all the club socks in order and finish one pair before starting the next. Aaaaagh! I think I have knitting ADD! Here's a peek at my socks-in-progress.

I think I need professional help! How many socks do you have on needles???

Signs

2008-05-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Signs of summer in the foothills:

Rattlesnakes.

I saw this while walking the dogs last week in the evening. They are a very common sight in my neighborhood. Shield your eyes if you are herpetophobic.

(This wasn't the one I saw--I didn't have my camera.) I had just been thinking "Watch where you're walking!", because rattlesnakes like to lay across the warm pavement at night. Then, there she was.

Fires.

Thursday afternoon I heard the familiar sound of spotter planes and helicopters, and saw this from my deck.

It was hot and windy that day, so it was worrisome. The intrepid Cal Firefighters contained it and had it out in a few hours. Whew--it was a bit close!

Crazy Canadians.

A country road I drive on my way to the golf course is lined with palm trees. Some of them have died. These geese post up on them to keep watch over their pond. It always makes me laugh it looks so funny.

Oh, you came here for knitting!

I finished the first Crows Feet KawKaw sock. It was hard to get a good picture of the pattern and colors, but this one is fairly close.

I've been keeping good notes, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll post the pattern here.

Tri Results

2008-05-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

Brian survived his first Auburn Triathlon on Sunday. It's called the "World's Toughest Half"--as in half-Ironman! It lived up to its billing. A 1.2 mile swim (the easiest part!).

A 56 mile bike ride (mostly uphill).

And a 13 mile run. If that wasn't hard enough, it was 100 degrees F. in the shade!! We did our part to help him along.

He loved our "Team Juice" shirts, and we were easy for him to see when we popped up at several spots along the race course. He needed all the encouragement we could give.

It took him 8 hours to finish.

He even managed a smile right before crossing the finish line! Way to go Brian! You're our hero!

Meme

2008-05-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my quick-witted hilarious friend, Cockeyed, of sock monkey fame for this!

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? Driving my three kids (and usually a few of their friends) around in my mini-van. Watching lots of kids' basketball games. Quilting - I think I was president of my Quilt Guild too. Working part-time at my youngest daughter's school. Did I mention driving kids around?

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)? Re-skein and photograph more yarn for my shop. Clean the house (this is on my list every day, but it rarely seems to get done!) Go to the post office (I've been selling off some of my old quilting books on Amazon). Go to lunch with my quilty friends - the Ninepatchers. Make a dent in the pile of paperwork on my desk.

3. Snacks I enjoy. Chocolate. Coffee with sugar and half & half. Ice cream - Hagen Dazs is my favorite. Tortilla chips and salsa. Dried mangos. Biscotti.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire. Buy lots of open space land and donate it to land conservation groups. Travel. Give money away.

5. Places I have lived. LA, Bay Area California, Sierra Foothills California, Massachusetts, Scotland.

6. Jobs I've had. Production worker in a sheet metal shop, admin assistant, computer programmer, yard duty aide at my kids' elementary school, quilt shop salesperson and quilting teacher.

7. Peeps I want to know more about:
KnitOneQuiltToo - she is so creative and prolific, all the while home schooling her kids.
Knitquest - another super creative mom.
Lavendarknits - one of my favorite Sockateers.
Purlsbeforefrogs - artistic, interesting, and a prolific sock knitter.
Purlsjustwannahavefun - she's got a great blog and gets so much knitting done, I'm envious.

This was a blast! Thanks, Cockeyed, you rock!

Catching up

2008-05-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Whoa! When I got back from camp my head was bursting at the seams with ideas and projects I wanted to start NOW! Do you get that way too? I was casting on for a bunch of new projects, and planning new projects, and looking through all my books for new projects, and looking at all of my friends' projects on Ravelry, and not getting anything done. Then real-life took over and I had to knock that crap off and take care of the non-knitting stuff around here. Good thing--I think my head was going to explode!

I've made some progress on my Crow's Feet socks. They had to have a time-out for a while. I made them up on-the-fly using a lace pattern from one of my books, and didn't think it through to the top of the foot. Well, the way the paired increases/decreases fell in the lace pattern, I couldn't figure out a way to make the little crow's feet centered on the top of the foot without having a half-crow's foot on each side. So they had to sit. And I had to stare at the pattern and count over and over again. I still couldn't make it come out right--ugh! I decided to just get over it and kept on knitting with the little half-pattern on each side. I want to finish them soon before the May Rockin' Sock Club shipment gets here, because I know I'm going to want to cast those on right away.

My son is running in the Auburn Triathlon this Sunday. It is a Half-Ironman, which is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13 mile run. Our family is really excited as part of the course is on the road and trails right behind our house! The girls are both coming home and Brian's girlfriend is coming too. I decided to be a little goofy and make shirts for us all to wear when we cheer him on. I tie-dyed shirts and then dusted off my daughter's print gocco and printed "Team Juice" on the front (Juice was his nickname on his high school basketball team).

I used the dog in the logo because he looked so much like Gus running in the backyard. It was a really fun project! I think there'll be more gocco projects to come.

In my post-camp frenzy I saw a sweater my friend had started, so of course, I had to buy the yarn and pattern and cast-on as well.

It's the Fitted Tank by Blue Sky Alpacas in Blue Sky Dyed Organic Cotton. It's a gorgeous yarn and so, so soft! One touch of this yarn and you'll be casting on as well. I bought both the pattern and yarn from Jimmy Beans (so, go ahead and call me an enabler).

I've been dyeing as well. I had some fun with merino laceweight, zephyr merino silk, and sock yarns. Shop update tomorrow if I can get some good pictures.

Flash Your

2008-04-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

stash. Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock.

This is most of what I brought home from sock camp. My fingers are itching to cast on all of them right now! I did cast on for some socks with my camp yarn "kawkaw". I love the way the colors are striping. I first cast on with a 2x2 ribbing, but it didn't show off the colors well. I searched my stitch dictionaries and camp up with this one. It's kind of hard to see, but I think it looks like little bird tracks...crow's feet!

The most fun I've ever legally had!

2008-04-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

Orcas Island in the pacific northwest + gorgeous Blue Moon yarns + Stephanie Pearl-McPhee + Cat Bordhi + Cookie A. + J.C. Briar + one depraved dyer, four madcap Sockateers + almost 80 amazing, funny, creative knitters + monkeys and puppets = one helluva good time!! Yes, sock camp. Camp Crow's Feet was hosted by Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I spent five days there. I arrived, along with my half done Mystic Sea sock from last year's camp, on the ferry.

A group of intrepid knitters arrived in this.

We stayed at the Rosario Resort which is on Orcas Island. This was the view from my room.

We had to do some homework before we got there. Our assignment was to create a toilet roll cover. Mine is a socktopus.

The other toilet roll covers were so amazing! We had to vote for 5 of our favorites and I wanted to vote for every one! I regret I didn't take more pictures! You can find lots more toilet roll cover pics here.

We took four different classes, two each day: everything you wanted to know about socks with the Harlot and Tina, new sock architecture with Cat Bordhi, bind 0ffs with J.C. Briar, and travelling stitches with Cookie A. To give our brains a chance to soak it all in, the day between classes was spent making MONKEYS! Mine is Phil, the second from the right.

(I know, he resembles Homer Simpson). He was the recipient of an international arm donation (arms knit by Jeneane from Calgary). Phil has an eye for the ladies.

There were so many different monkeys! It was crazy how into making monkeys we were. Yes, there was even a homeless monkey, poor thing. More pictures here.

The pattern for the Funky Sock Monkeys was conceived and written by Cockeyed the Sockateer. She looks a little crazy in this picture, but what do you expect after giving birth to this many monkeys?

Sock camp was even more fun than last year. I got to hang out and knit with lots of interesting, intelligent, creative, funny (very, very funny) women and man. I learned a lot in the classes, from the teachers as well as my fellow students (Rooks Rock!). I competed in the second annual Underwater Knitting Olympics (I am one of the top 10 in the world) -- sorry, no cameras were allowed. I witnessed knitting-while-dancing and a yodelling knitter. My abs are much stronger from all the laughing. And my stash has been well enhanced. I may recover sometime soon.

Spring Fever

2008-04-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've been busy playing!

Playing. Mixing colors in my dye studio (that makes my garage sound really fancy, doesn't it?)

Golfing. The weather has been so nice!

Reading. This month I'm reading Pillars of the Earth for my book club. Man, that book is heavy. It has almost 1000 pages!!

Practicing karate. Yes, I just started an Isshinryu karate class twice a week. Since my hysterectomy and immediate menopause, I've put on a bit of a spare tire. I wanted to start exercising more and my friend suggested I join her at her karate class. Well, I am loving it! I used to practice Tae Kwon Do when my kids were small, but gave it up when they were older and our life was busy. This is a bit different, so I have a lot to learn. I think it will do the trick for getting in shape--it's one heck of a workout.

Knitting. Mostly my homework for sock camp, which is a secret. You'll see pictures after camp. I've also been knitting on my Serendipity socks as well as a pair of socks for a friend using the Regia self-striping yarn from Kaffe Fasset. I will post a picture of those soon. Take a look at my shop and let me know which is your favorite color!